If the Portland Trail Blazers want to take the next leap as potential NBA contenders, they need one of their players to make a jump to a 1A type player. Right now, they have a bunch of solid young talent, but nobody looks like a lock to become the type of player who can lead a championship-caliber team.
Maybe the Blazers could find someone outside of the organization and make a trade, but if not, they need one of their young players to develop into a top option. Right now, it looks like they could be heading down a one-way street toward mediocrity if none of their guys take another leap forward.
And that’s a dangerous path to be on.
Blazers need one of their players to grow into a No. 1 option
Portland has plenty of great young players. Deni Avdija even made his first All-Star Game this season, and Portland could still technically make the playoffs by way of the Play-In Tournament.
But is Avdija the type of guy who can be the best player on a championship team? Can he lead the Blazers on a championship run at some point in the next five years or so?
What about Shaedon Sharpe? He is oozing with potential, but how high is his ceiling as a player? Is there another level he can reach that would turn him into a 1A guy?
Scoot Henderson has looked a lot better this season, but he doesn’t seem like the player the Blazers thought they were getting when they drafted him second overall.
Donovan Clingan is a great big man, but he doesn’t seem to be the type of scorer who can lead an offense throughout the postseason, so he’s probably not a No. 1 option.
Based on those potential outcomes, it doesn’t seem as though the Blazers have their future No. 1 option on the roster already, and that’s not great, considering where they are in the standings.
Right now, it seems as though Portland is stuck in the middle. Their best chance at growth is internal development, as they likely won’t be bad enough to get a top pick in the draft.
However, if none of their guys seem full of enough potential to become a No. 1 option on a title team, then what’s their path to true contention?
That’s the problem the Blazers currently find themselves in, and if they want to win a championship with the core guys they have in place right now, they need one of them to take a massive leap forward.