3 Missing ingredients to the Portland Trail Blazers' rebuild
By Reese Kunz
The Portland Trail Blazers are early in their rebuilding phase, as this is the first entire offseason they will have without superstar Damian Lillard. Certain aspects are encouraging for their future outlook, like the potential of their past two lottery picks, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. However, this offseason is essential to continue rebuilding in the right direction. The Blazers are missing multiple aspects of a successful rebuild, and this summer is a prime opportunity for General Manager Joe Cronin to right the ship.
1. Blazers need a bonafide star to build around
The jury is still out on whether Henderson or Sharpe will emerge as stars. Outside of them, no one on Portland's roster possesses true star player potential that the Blazers can build around. Having multiple stars is crucial for success in the NBA, especially in the playoffs. It also makes it easier for the Blazers to have a sense of direction in their rebuild and know how to structure their roster to best complement their stars' strengths and weaknesses.
The Blazers need to factor this into the 2024 NBA Draft, where they have lottery picks No. 7 and No. 14; this means they should prioritize the best available prospect over roster need in the draft. Although Henderson and Sharpe appear to be their backcourt duo of the future, high-upside guards, including Rob Dillingham and Nikola Topic, shouldn't be off the table for Portland. They are so early into their rebuild that it makes sense to stockpile assets and figure out how they best mesh together later.