Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and... Jrue Holiday?
This is only part of the subjective list of every Western Conference team's best player, but it's enough to show just how far away the Portland Trail Blazers are from the rest of the conference in terms of star power.
Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report joined Andrew Schlecht on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast. Schlecht asked Highkin who he thinks is the Blazers' best player. Highkin is torn between the three players Portland landed via trade: Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Holiday, but leans towards Portland's latest offseason acquisition.
"I think I'd probably lean towards Jrue just based on tenure and based on seniority, but it could be any of those three," Highkin said.
Blazers' lack of star power risks long-term purgatory
There's no wrong answer, and the debate lies between those three players. We'd lean towards Avdija, as he and Holiday are trending in opposite directions at this point in their careers.
Avdija is a rising star coming off the best season of his career, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. At 24 years old, he should only continue to build off that in his second season with the Blazers. Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Holiday is rapidly declining, coming off a season where he averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists with the Celtics.
Ultimately, it could come down to roster construction and needs. If it's a situation like Holiday was in with Milwaukee or Boston, where he was a third or fourth option, then he or Camara could be the logical choice given their two-way prowess and ability to impact winning without the ball. But that's not what Portland needs. Of the three, Avdija is the only one capable of being a legitimate go-to option for Portland, which gives him the nod in this particular situation.
That's the issue. Portland's best players are elite role pieces.
The fact that a 35-year-old guard who just averaged 11.1 points is even being considered as their best player tells you everything you need to know about where Portland stands in the Western Conference. Some of that concern will be addressed with Portland's elite defense and underrated depth, but their playoff ceiling is significantly limited as long as one of Holiday, Avdija, or Camara is their best player.
That's why it's so puzzling that general manager Joe Cronin is accelerating the Blazers' rebuild. Their young core showed progress last season, and they are too good to bottom out entirely, but that also doesn't mean they had to make a win-now trade for Holiday.
Portland still needs to add a 1a superstar to compete with the likes of Doncic, Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Wembanyama. They will never be considered a threat out West until they have that piece. And the more they pursue this arbitrary goal of a play-in spot, the further away they get from landing that player in the draft.