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

2. Playmaking

The Blazers offense as a whole was abysmal last season. They finished second to last in the league in scoring (106.4 points per game) and offensive rating (107.6). A large part of that was due to their lack of playmaking. Portland finished with a 1.52 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, which was by far the worst in the league. For context, the next closest team was the Grizzlies, at 1.64. There will be growing pains when relying so heavily on a rookie point guard, as was the case with Henderson.

He should continue improving his decision-making and ball control with more experience, but the Blazers still need to find more playmakers on their roster. Some of their best players - Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, and, to a lesser extent, Anfernee Simons, aren't great at creating opportunities for their teammates. All of their strengths are primarily around their individual scoring ability. Avdija, who averaged 3.8 assists per game last season in Washington, should help in this department.

Regardless, they need more playmakers. Their offense often becomes too stagnant, and they need more willing passers to help orchestrate it and generate high-percentage looks.