3 Key areas the Portland Trail Blazers must improve entering 2024 preseason

After adding Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan this offseason, it's apparent that the Portland Trail Blazers are leaning more heavily in their rebuilding process. It's excellent timing for Portland to bottom out, as the 2025 NBA Draft class projects to be strong with a ton of promising talent at the top, headlined by Cooper Flagg.

That said, the Blazers are in an interesting position as they wait for the 2024-25 preseason. From a roster construction standpoint, they still clearly have holes to fill, but it may not be in their best interest to address them immediately. The Blazers are in asset accumulation mode at this point in their rebuild, meaning that these needs aren't necessarily as dire to address as they would be for a team with championship aspirations next season.

Still, they are essential to consider as they navigate the rest of the offseason. If GM Joe Cronin decides to trade more established players like Jerami Grant, these needs will be crucial to consider when deciding what potential package they'd like to get in return.

1. Shooting

Shooting was the Blazers' No. 1 most glaring need entering the summer. Last season, the Blazers finished dead last in the league in three-point accuracy, connecting on only 34.4 percent of their attempts. They haven't done much to address that concern and, in fact, likely got worse. Avdija had a significant improvement last season with the Wizards, going from 29.7 percent from three in 2022-23 to 37.4 percent this past season. But at the same time, they lost their best three-point shooter from last season, Malcolm Brogdon, in the deal, who shot 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The good news is that their efficiency could improve this upcoming season due to players getting healthy and internal improvement from their young backcourt. Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson could have significant leaps next season in multiple aspects, including their shooting. Sharpe shot 36 percent from three his rookie season but only 33.3 percent last season in his 32 games played. Henderson was 31 percent from beyond the arc before the All-Star break but improved to 35 percent after the break as he adjusted and became more comfortable with the NBA pace of play.

Even accounting for these factors, the Blazers should remain a bottom-five team in the league in three-point shooting efficiency unless they make a trade to address it.