3 things to watch for from the Trail Blazers coming out of the all-star break

3. Is there a dramatic playoff push or a muted tank job?

The organization will be showing its hand based on its answers the first two questions.

The more cautious Portland is in bringing Simons, Nurkic, and Grant back from injury, the more apparent it will become that the Blazers are aiming for a draft pick, not the playoffs.

Ditto with the workload of the younger players. If Sharpe keeps getting close to 30 minutes a night and his shot attempts continue to rise (which should happen anyway, really) and Reddish and Thybulle get more involved, chances are Portland is playing for the offseason.

Those three are good enough to help the Blazers win games; it’s not a certainty that lowering Lillard’s workload and increasing that of the others will lead to a load of losses.

But at the very least, it will signify Portland is readying itself for the future rather than the present.