The Portland Trail Blazers are in year one of a total rebuild. Damian Lillard is in Milwaukee, and Portland has dropped near the bottom of the standings. They have young talent, and a couple of players are blossoming. The Blazers need more to become serious contenders, but it is a strong start with plenty of draft capital to add to their mix.
General manager Joe Cronin and the front office must make the puzzle pieces fit. They need a couple of star talents surrounded by quality role players. Portland must develop their players and add from the outside. Scoot Henderson’s potential made him a top-three pick in 2023. Can the Blazers make him into a star?
It won’t be easy to develop them, but what pieces do the Blazers have for the future? Here is a look at each member of their 15-man roster ranked by their ceiling.
Fringe rotation option
This group features bench players who won’t be part of a playoff rotation. They do not see the floor unless someone is injured or out of the lineup.
Ish Wainwright
The 6’6 forward has played a total of nine minutes this season and is already 29 years old. He was in the Suns rotation in 2023, but fell out in the playoffs. Wainwright is in his prime, and this is all Blazers fans should expect from him.
Skylar Mays
Mays is already in his prime and cannot get consistent run on a rebuilding team. His 295 minutes played this season are a career-high, but he is shooting under 40 percent from the field and just 29.3 percent on his threes. The second-round pick in 2020 may be on his way out of the NBA.
Moses Brown
Brown is back with the Blazers after starting his NBA career in Portland in 2019. He has never played more than 43 games in a season and has topped nine minutes per contest just once. The 7’2 big man has played for six different teams and is quickly becoming a journeyman.
Moses Brown is only 24 years old, but he has played a total of 35 minutes through the Blazers' first 28 games. He is not part of their rotation and is unlikely to significantly improve.