The Portland Trail Blazers have a deep roster consisting of solid role players. However, the primary reason they are on the outside looking in at the playoffs is that they lack the star power to contend with the Western Conference juggernauts.
Ideally, they would be trying to address this issue by positioning themselves to land a top pick in the strong 2025 draft class headlined by Cooper Flagg. But this recent stretch they've gone on without key veterans has shown that their young core is too talented to embrace a full-on tank.
The Blazers may no longer be able to add their much-needed star via the draft. But it's possible they already found their missing piece last summer with the acquisition of Deni Avdija.
Could Deni Avdija be the face of the Blazers' franchise?
ESPN's Tim Legler and DNVR's Adam Mares discussed Avdija's breakout on The ALL NBA Podcast.
"The way he plays.. he's enormous, like 6-foot-9. They put the ball in his hands, and he almost plays like a Josh Giddey-Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] hybrid. He just gets to the rim off of these drives -- some of them are crafty. He's just such a big body," said Mares.
"When we think about the Portland Trail Blazers, what is their young core? Deni Avdija right now might be the center of their core. If you project forward who's their best player -- he's just really good right now at a lot of different things, and he's tough to guard because of his size."
The Avdija trade made sense financially as it allowed the Blazers to get under the luxury tax while simultaneously bringing in arguably the best contract in the entire league. But it was also a logical addition from a roster construction standpoint, as Avdija's strengths instantly filled the Blazers' biggest weaknesses. They found their versatile wing, which they have been missing since Nicolas Batum.
"He has completely broken through offensively in this league. He is just an all-around, really talented player. He's smart. He helps you in a lot of ways: scoring, rebounding, playmaking, and great size to give you versatility," added Legler.
We knew, at the very least, he'd be a valuable piece as an elite role player. But Avdija's recent play has shown that he's potentially capable of taking on another role that is needed for this Blazers' young core as the face of their franchise.