The Portland Trail Blazers sit at .500 heading into the final two games of the season. But relative to expectations heading into the season, that should absolutely be considered a success. With no realistic aspirations of a playoff run, this was always going to be a transitional season for Portland as they look to take that next step in their rebuild.
They've made promising strides in player development and evaluation, particularly with their true building blocks: Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan.
Blazers now have three legitimate building blocks
The Blazers have had an unconventional rebuild, which is fitting for the unique city of Portland. The expectation was that Portland would build around its top-10 picks, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. They even drafted Henderson as Damian Lillard's replacement, trading away their superstar that same summer after essentially picking Henderson's timeline.
Those lines have blurred as the rebuild has dragged on. Veterans remain on the roster, while question marks remain in the backcourt; it's unclear whether Sharpe or Henderson will ever become a legitimate starting option on a contender.
However, the Blazers' rebuild remains in great shape overall thanks to the emergence of their frontcourt pieces. Portland made up for its questionable draft selections by winning trades by a wide margin. They stole Camara in the multi-team Damian Lillard blockbuster, and somehow later added Avdija into the equation by only surrendering two first-round picks to Washington.
The versatility of both two-way wings gives Portland tremendous flexibility going forward. They can continue to take a best-player-available approach in the offseason, given the positional flexibility. The scalability of their roles is what makes Avdija and Camara ideal building blocks, as they can fit seamlessly into whatever the final version of this roster may look like.
Donovan Clingan earned his spot this season
The emergence of their wing duo was the most encouraging takeaway from last season, but this year it might be Clingan's breakout. He's arguably been their second-best player this season and has absolutely solidified his place within Portland's foundational pieces.
Clingan is largely what makes this entire roster formula work. He gives them that defensive identity with his size and interior dominance, and helps them win the possession battle with elite offensive rebounding.
Unlike Portland's wings, there are concerns regarding how Clingan fares in certain matchups. But that means the Blazers will have to factor that into their roster decisions by pairing him with a complementary big man better equipped to step out on the perimeter, whether that means retaining Robert Williams III or bringing in a similar big man this summer.
The trio of Avdija, Camara, and Clingan isn't at that level for Portland to consider them the three best players on a championship team. But they are good enough to be considered the pieces for Portland to build around. Yang Hansen and Damian Lillard could be included in this group, depending on how you want to look at it. Neither Hansen nor Lillard is going anywhere anytime soon. But those aren't necessarily pieces that Portland can rely on in the long term, given the uncertainty surrounding Hansen's development and Lillard's age.
The only players Portland should truly consider in its big-picture decision-making this summer are Avdija, Camara, and Clingan. That's a huge step in the right direction for the Blazers, as they finally have that clarity they've desperately been seeking entering the most important offseason of their entire rebuild.