5 realistic predictions for the 2022 Portland Trail Blazers

3. Anfernee Simons named first time All-Star

Anfernee Simons has been a promising young player for a number of years, and in 2021, he finally broke out and began fulfilling his potential, and at just 23-years of age, he still has a very bright future ahead of him. The increased production was likely due to taking a bigger role in the offence without Damian Lillard, but now that he’s back, Simons can begin contributing to a winning team, and it will be a big test of his talent going forward.

This starting unit has the potential to be an offensive powerhouse in 2022, with Lillard, Grant, Nurkic and Hart around Simons, but if he can increase efficiency, this could be the year that Simons takes the next step. There’s plenty of young names in the West that could be looking at their first All-Star bid, with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Josh Giddey and others potentially taking the next step, but Simons is every bit as good as the best in the West, and 2022 is the year for him to prove it.