5 possible starting lineups for Portland Trail Blazers in 2023-24

With a blend of rising young talent and established veterans, the Portland Trail Blazers have plenty of rotation options for the 2023-24 NBA season. Let’s examine some different Blazers starting lineup options, and their corresponding sixth-man, that coach Chauncey Billups could deploy to maximize this roster’s potential.

Note: For the purposes of this post, we are using the current roster that includes Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic. 

Possible Blazers starting lineups this season (with and without Damian Lillard)

Starting Lineup #1: Balanced (win now)

PG – Damian Lillard

SG – Shaedon Sharpe

SF – Matisse Thybulle

PF – Jerami Grant

C – Jusuf Nurkic

Sixth man – Anfernee Simons

For a balanced lineup that blends offense and defense, the Blazers can roll out a starting group of Lillard, Sharpe, Thybulle, Grant and  Nurkic. This allows Portland to capitalize on Lillard’s elite scoring and playmaking while featuring long, athletic defenders in Sharpe, Grant and Thybulle.

Nurkic provides interior presence on both ends. Off the bench, Simons is an electric scorer capable of leading an offensive charge for the second unit. With the Blazers’ current roster construction, this lineup is likely the best chance at winning now.

Starting Lineup #2: All-out Offense

PG – Damian Lillard

SG – Anfernee Simons

SF – Shaedon Sharpe

PF – Jerami Grant

C – Jusuf Nurkic

Sixth man – Scott Henderson

If the priority is all-out scoring, Lillard, Simons and Grant can all average 20-plus points per game. Sharpe’s developing offensive skill set and explosive athleticism make him a candidate to score 20-plus soon.

This group can light up the scoreboard thanks to its shooting and multitude of shot creators.

Coming off the bench with this lineup would be Henderson, whose athleticism and skill as a passer make him an intriguing sixth man.

Starting Lineup #3: All-out defense

PG – Scoot Henderson

SG – Shaedon Sharpe

SF – Matisse Thybulle

PF – Jerami Grant

C – Jusuf Nurkic

Sixth man – Nassir Little

The Blazers could roll out a long, disruptive lineup of Henderson, Sharpe, Thybulle, Grant and Nurkic for a defense-first approach. This unit would wreak havoc applying ball pressure, creating turnovers and finishing stops with rebounding.

Little’s energetic defense would reinforce this identity off the bench. This lineup would struggle to score consistently, but so would its opponents.

Starting Lineup #4: Youth development

PG – Scoot Henderson

SG – Anfernee Simons

SF – Shaedon Sharpe

PF – Jabari Walker

C – Ibou Badji

Sixth man – Nassir Little

Henderson, Simons, Sharpe, Jabari Walker and Ibou Badji would be a solid starting five if the only goal were to get high-upside young players the most minutes possible.

In this case, winning would take a backseat as the Blazers would have moved Lillard, Nurkic and Grant to other teams.

Starting Lineup #5: Post-Damian Lillard trade

PG – Scoot Henderson

SG – Anfernee Simons

SF – Matisse Thybulle

PF – Jerami Grant

C – Ibou Badji

Sixth man – Shaedon Sharpe

If Lillard is traded, Nurkic will likely go with him. Without knowing the return, we can at least project that Henderson, Simons, Thybulle and Grant are locked in as starters with Sharpe coming off the bench.

The only major question remaining would be who wins the center job between raw prospects Badji and John Butler Jr.?