4 Trail Blazers who must step up in Shaedon Sharpe's absence

4. Deni Avdija

One of the many benefits of acquiring someone as versatile as Avdija is that he can play positions two through four, which gives the Blazers much more flexibility.

While it's unlikely this would be the starting lineup, Billups could elect to go with a bigger lineup combination consisting of Simons as the point guard and Avdija as the shooting guard. That would allow the Blazers to maximize the talent on the court, as Portland has a lot of skilled frontcourt players.

Billups could roll out multiple two-way wings with Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Matisse Thybulle. Or, depending on the matchup, he could experiment with a "Twin Towers" lineup with Camara at the small forward and two of Ayton, Clingan, Williams III, and Reath at the four and five.

Regardless of what position he plays, Avdija will have to help make up for Sharpe's scoring. Sharpe averaged 15.9 points per game last season, but signs pointed to him putting up closer to 20 points per game in his third year. Deni averaged a relatively similar 14.7 points per game last season with the Wizards. However, he isn't necessarily known as a go-to scorer. He has more of a well-rounded game that also happens to include scoring.

Rather than patiently trying to feel things out in terms of where he fits within the Blazers' offense, it's essential that Avdija is aggressive to start out the season and asserts himself as a focal point.