The Portland Trail Blazers' roster confusingly has two entirely different timelines. That was a problem the past few seasons, but it became exacerbated this summer after acquiring aging star guards Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. On the veteran side of things, Portland now has Lillard (35), Holiday (35), Jerami Grant (31), Matisse Thybulle (28), and Robert Williams III (27).
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has made it clear that it's "winning time" in Portland after their 15-win improvement from last season and offseason moves. The Blazers are looking to win as soon as next season with ambitions of ending a four-year playoff drought, which seems even longer for a franchise that has become accustomed to regular-season success.
But if the veterans -- many of whom have already shown signs of decline or are dealing with injuries -- lead the way, it won't be enough to make that a reality in the loaded Western Conference. Their ceilings are already capped at this stage in their careers, meaning it will ultimately be up to Portland's young core to get them to where they want to go.
Jrue Holiday isn't afraid to be a 'jerk' as the Blazers' veteran leader
The silver lining from having all these veterans diluting a young roster is that Portland's emerging core now has multiple mentors, potentially aiding breakout campaigns for players like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
For instance, Holiday stated in his introductory media availability that he's' ready to embrace that veteran mentorship role, even if he has to be a "jerk" about it, which was covered by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
Holiday's "jerk" comment was jokingly about Andre Iguodala, his mentor as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers.
"He was a jerk. My rookie year, he was just on me. He was on me about a lot. And I didn't really understand why until later. He obviously saw something in me that I guess I hadn't seen yet. And just constantly being on me and harping on me about being consistent and things that I have to do were super important," Holiday said.
Later in the interview, Holiday called Henderson "the next one up." We could see the same tough love mentorship being passed down, with Holiday recognizing similar potential in Henderson that Iguodala saw in him.
Say what you will about Holiday's three-year, $104 contract, but there's no denying he will positively impact Portland's development. And it sounds like he already has a plan to achieve that.