The Portland Trail Blazers' 2024-25 season was a tale of two halves. In the first 41 games, they looked much like the 21-win team of last year.
Offensively, they were way too stagnant. Shooting remained a major liability, playmaking was lacking, and they weren't quite sure of the hierarchy or each other's roles after bringing Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, and a healthy roster into the equation. Their defense, which was supposedly a strength, ranked 28th. This, combined with a brutal schedule, resulted in a 13-28 record.
Their 31.7 win percentage was on pace for a 25-win season. That seemed about right, especially since history has shown that Portland tends to shut down veterans in hopes of improving their lottery odds -- something they did towards the end of the Damian Lillard era as well.
Blazers must fully commit to their young core instead of straddling two timelines
However, the one issue with that logic is that the development of their young core surpassed their veteran talent. Portland's three highest-paid players -- Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, and Anfernee Simons -- had relatively down years. Meanwhile, Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara had breakout seasons, both receiving votes for the Most Improved Player Award.
The acquisitions of Avdija and Camara were both clear wins for GM Joe Cronin and played a significant role in justifying his recent contract extension. It was also why the Blazers' floor became too high to tank for Cooper Flagg, as they now have just a 3.7 percent chance of landing a potentially franchise-altering player.
Internally, Portland showed real growth, with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe taking significant strides as well. Henderson's much-improved second season, in particular, became part of the case for extending Chauncey Billups (though time will tell how justified that decision truly is).
Portland's two building blocks, Avdija and Camara, and their recent top ten picks, Henderson, Sharpe, and Donovan Clingan, should be considered Portland's starting five going forward. But the concern is that, unfortunately, it might not be a reality if Cronin is unable to find value for players like Grant and Ayton. Portland's end-of-season push for the play-in conversation was without Grant, Ayton, and, to a certain extent, Simons, likely lowering what was already shaky trade value.
Portland's roster is a unique but frustrating spot. Many fans want to see Rip City clear the path for the youth movement, which already should have happened by now. The lines between their youth and veterans have become blurred.
Keeping players like Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III around makes sense if they want to accomplish their short-term goal of making the playoffs, which has become much more attainable after this surprising season. However, the result of keeping these average/above-average veterans around risks long-term purgatory.
Portland still needs to find more star talent to contend in the Western Conference. The best way to do that is by prioritizing their youth and trading away veterans for whatever draft capital they can get, even if it means selling low on certain players.
By straddling this line, they are making the same mistake they made with Lillard -- trying to build a team that has regular-season success but lacks the star power to make a deep playoff run.