5 realistic predictions for the 2022 Portland Trail Blazers
By Nathan Smith
The Portland Trail Blazers may have had a disappointing pre-season, but with a healthy Damian Lillard and a few great off-season moves, there is a lot of optimism among this fan base ahead of the 2022/23 NBA season. This team certainly has some great talent, but with a new Head Coach and some question marks defensively, the coming season is a very hard one to predict.
While it’s going to be fun, with guys like Lillard, Gary Payton II, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and others, the West has just been getting tougher in recent years, and it’s very hard to see them stepping up to the elite teams. Either way, the fans and the team certainly have expectations ahead of the upcoming campaign, and we have five realistic expectations for the Blazers as they look to jump back into the playoff hunt in 2022.
5. Fun, entertaining basketball
In 2022, plenty of teams in the NBA are playing with the weight of immense pressure and expectations, but the Blazers aren’t expected to win as much as other teams out West, and this could be a positive for the team. The defence may certainly struggle at points, but both lineups are filled with offensive potential, and although they may lose some games 130-125, they’re bound to play a high octane, exciting brand of basketball.
Sure, fans want the best for their teams, and will have their own lofty expectations, but in the process of playing some fun basketball, this team has the potential to win over 40 games in the 2022 season. This team is one of the hardest to predict in the NBA, as they could be in the lottery or could be a solid playoff team, but no matter what happens, Blazers fans should sit back and enjoy a fun ride in 2022.