The Detroit Pistons were last year's Cinderella story in the regular season, drastically increasing their win total from 14 to 44. Although not quite to that extent, there's a legitimate chance that next season's version of that team is the Portland Trail Blazers. That's the prediction that The Ringer's Chris Vernon recently made on The Mismatch podcast.
Portland is trending in the right direction as a team looking to build off a 15-win improvement from last season. One significant difference between them and Detroit is the unfortunate and obvious fact that the Blazers aren't in the Eastern Conference. The East is wide open for the taking after brutal injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, while the West seems as strong as ever. That's reflected in the fact that the Blazers aren't expected to increase their win total, at least according to the projections on DraftKings Sportsbook.
How can the Blazers become the next Pistons?
Despite being in the loaded West, you can still make a strong case that the Blazers will continue their upward trajectory next season. They finished off the 2024-25 season incredibly strong and were firmly in the play-in conversation by the end of the season. That was primarily due to their significantly improved defense, which ranked in the top ten in 2025. Blazers general manager Joe Cronin continued to build off that defensive identity with their moves this offseason, swapping Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday and buying out Deandre Ayton, which cleared the path for Donovan Clingan to have a starting role.
Portland will have an elite defense that is currently being underappreciated, which will help them remain competitive even out West. But to make this significant leap and become the next Pistons, their offense must catch up to their defense, becoming a more balanced team.
The obvious candidates to step up are former top ten picks Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, who should have increased opportunities with Simons out of the backcourt. However, one overlooked player is Deni Avdija. In addition to their improved defense, another reason Portland was playing better down the stretch was that they were utilizing Avdija as more of a point forward. He's capable of being a jumbo guard, similarly to how Cunningham fits in with Detroit.
If Avdija takes that next leap and becomes an All-Star for Portland, it will open up their entire offense. That also depends on the Blazers improving their lackluster three-point shooting. The Pistons implemented an ideal modern-day offense because of their ability to surround a jumbo playmaking guard with floor spacers, making it a pick-your-poison situation for defenders. Portland and Avdija didn't have that same luxury last season. They'll need to improve in that department to make this breakout season a reality.