5 Worst-case scenarios Trail Blazers must avoid at all costs in 2024-25

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a unique position from a roster construction standpoint heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. They have players like 30-year-old Jerami Grant, who don't fit their rebuilding timeline. Additionally, players such as Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons are cutting into roles for up-and-coming players—Donovan Clingan, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe—who should be considered the foundation of their rebuilding core.

After winning just 21 games last season, it seems safe to say that making the playoffs wouldn't be a reasonable expectation for the Blazers this season. It's a goal to work towards for the players, but it's essential that GM Joe Cronin doesn't take any shortcuts in trying to get there and that the Blazers are patient with their rebuilding approach.

Instead, they should focus on player development and try to gain more clarity by sorting out what exactly they have on this roster and what they want it to look like going forward.

1. Scoot doesn't improve in key aspects

The four starting lineup locks entering the season are Simons, Deni Avdija, Grant, and Ayton. It remains to be seen whether Scoot or Toumani Camara, who had an excellent preseason, will get the final starting spot.

Regardless of whether Henderson is the Blazers' starting point guard, he should get plenty of minutes while Sharpe recovers from his shoulder injury (he is expected to miss at least the first seven games). In that time, Henderson must showcase improved play from his shaky rookie season, particularly his turnovers and inefficiencies at the rim and beyond the arc.

Last season, Scoot showed flashes of what made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2023, but there were also times when he looked like the worst player on the court. If he can't become more consistent, the Blazers will have to have a serious conversation about whether or not he's their long-term answer at point guard despite the high draft capital used on him.