Damian Lillard is Portland's all-time leading scorer, but several other players in Trail Blazers history deserve recognition for their scoring ability. One player in particular who cracks the top ten in PPG but not in total points is Brandon Roy, whose career was shortened by cartilage degeneration in both knees. From Lillard and Roy to older players like the "original Trail Blazer" Geoff Petrie, who was their first draft pick in 1970, the Blazers have had their share of electrifying scorers.
Jerami Grant is only active Blazer in top ten PPG
In franchise history, the Blazers have had six players average over 20 points per game, with active Blazers player Jerami Grant being the last of that group at 20.7 PPG. LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy make the top ten, showing just how scary the Blazers would have been had Greg Oden panned out (when that trio played together, they had a 50-12 record).
Player | PPG | Total Points | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
Damian Lillard | 25.2 | 19,376 | 769 |
Kiki Vandeweghe | 23.5 | 6,698 | 285 |
Sidney Wicks | 22.32 | 8,882 | 398 |
Geoff Petrie | 21.82 | 9,732 | 446 |
Clyde Drexler | 20.81 | 18,040 | 867 |
Jerami Grant | 20.7 | 2,422 | 117 |
LaMarcus Aldridge | 19.39 | 12,562 | 648 |
Brandon Roy | 19.02 | 6,107 | 321 |
CJ McCollum | 18.99 | 10,710 | 564 |
Jim Barnett | 18.51 | 1,444 | 78 |
Lillard leads Blazers in PPG and total points
Lillard is impressively ahead of Clyde Drexler by over 1,000 total points despite playing 98 fewer games. After those two players, there is a huge gap, as the No. 3 player on the list, LaMarcus Aldridge, is roughly 5,500 points behind Drexler.
While Drexler is only No. 5 in PPG, the fact that he's so high up in total points is a testament to his longevity with the Blazers, something he and Lillard can use in their case for being the greatest Blazers player of all time.
Player | Total Points | Games |
|---|---|---|
Damian Lillard | 19,376 | 769 |
Clyde Drexler | 18,040 | 867 |
LaMarcus Aldridge | 12,562 | 648 |
Terry Porter | 11,330 | 758 |
CJ McCollum | 10,710 | 564 |
Cliff Robinson | 10,405 | 644 |
Jerome Kersey | 10,067 | 831 |
Jim Paxson | 10,003 | 627 |
Geoff Petrie | 9,732 | 446 |
Mychal Thompson | 9,215 | 551 |
Who could be next to join each list?
Deandre Ayton is currently No. 16 in PPG, averaging 16.73 in his first season in Portland. He had a slow start to the season and seemed much more comfortable with his new team post-All-Star break, where his scoring output increased to 22.7 PPG. If Ayton can maintain that level of play throughout next season, he can surpass players like Jim Barnett and CJ McCollum by the end of next year.
However, how long Ayton will be on the Blazers roster remains to be seen. After selecting Donovan Clingan, they currently have four centers on their roster, and one of Ayton or Robert Williams III is now expendable due to their logjam. One thing that works in Ayton's favor in terms of staying with the Blazers is that he makes $34 million compared to Williams' $12.4 million, making Ayton a more complicated piece to trade.
Other Blazers who have a chance at eventually landing inside the top ten include Anfernee Simons (No. 35 at 14.07 PPG), Scoot Henderson (No. 36 at 14 PPG), and Shaedon Sharpe. Sharpe is only at 11.6 PPG but has shown flashes of being a lethal scorer, averaging 15.9 his sophomore campaign before needing surgery for a core muscle injury. He could have a significant third-year breakout to put his career averages closer to Simons and Henderson.
With how young the Blazers' roster is, it could be a while until an active player cracks the top ten in total points. While Grant came in at sixth in PPG, he's No. 49 in total points as he's only played two seasons and 117 games in Portland.
The best bet to get into the top ten for total points is Simons. He's currently at No. 28 with 4,489 points. If he hovers around his 22.6 scoring average from last season, it would take Simons 210 games or roughly three seasons to get there (assuming he misses a few games).
However, like Ayton, there's a legitimate chance that Simons won't be on the Blazers' roster three seasons from now, or even by the end of the 2025 trade deadline, for that matter. If he gets traded, it would have to be much longer until an up-and-coming player like Henderson, Sharpe, or Deni Avdija is in the conversation.