When fully healthy, the Portland Trail Blazers roll out a starting lineup of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, and Deandre Ayton. It's not ideal for a rebuilding team to have that many veterans in their starting lineup, as it's hindered the development of their up-and-coming players who are currently coming off the bench, including Scoot Henderson, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan.
That's also resulted in an 11-21 record for Portland, which is the sixth-worst in the league. If the season ended today, the Blazers would have just a nine percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2025 and a 37.2 percent chance of it landing within the top four.
The Blazers have no playoff aspirations, so their top two priorities this season should be player development and positioning themselves for a better chance of a top pick, which goes hand-in-hand as they would lose more games due to the growing pains. GM Joe Cronin needs to place more of an emphasis on this leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
PG: Scoot Henderson
The inconsistencies remain for Scoot Henderson, as you never know what you'll get from him on a nightly basis, but that's expected from any 20-year-old still figuring out his place in the league. There are also valid concerns surrounding his shooting inefficiencies, turnovers, and defense.
However, while the progress isn't linear, he's shown some flashes of improvement with his finishing around the rim, decision-making, and even defense. The point guard is the most demanding position in the NBA to learn, and the Blazers have to be patient with their young guard and put him in better opportunities to reach his high ceiling.
Instead of coming off the bench and oftentimes deferring to a spot-up shooting role on offense, Portland needs to give him the keys as the primary offensive initiator.
SG: Shaedon Sharpe
Shaedon Sharpe is a lock for the Blazers' starting shooting guard spot for the next decade if everything goes according to plan. Despite being 21, he's already leading the team in scoring at 17.8 points per game. And of all the players currently on Portland's roster, Sharpe has the best chance of becoming an All-Star, which this team desperately needs.
For him to make that ascension, however, he needs to improve his three-point shooting. Sharpe is shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc this season. His ballhandling, midrange shooting, and athletic finishes are already impressively polished. The next step in his development is becoming a knockdown shooter and consistent three-level scorer to take himself and the Blazers to the next level.
SF: Jonathan Kuminga
The Blazers' starting forward spots could go in a variety of different directions. However, the need for an All-Star upside early in their rebuild is obvious and should be a priority. Among the potential trade candidates, none align with Portland's needs and rebuilding timeline better than Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga. The only exception could be Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, but the injury risk surrounding Williamson gives Kuminga the nod.
The spacing between Henderson, Sharpe, and Kuminga would be problematic, as all three players hover between 29-32 percent from beyond the arc this season. But the Blazers' rebuild is an ongoing process that doesn't need to be sorted out anytime soon. Kuminga is the oldest of the three at 22 years old, so there's plenty of room for internal improvement.
Between Sharpe and Kuminga, the Blazers could have their All-Star solution. Then, they could figure out how to best address the shooting woes if it remains an issue.
PF: Deni Avdija
The Blazers would have to give up significant assets to land Kuminga, meaning that it would be improbable they'd be able to trade for another starting piece, even in a dream scenario. The last forward spot came down to Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, which would be an excellent problem for the Blazers to have as they currently need more wing depth.
While Camara has been an outstanding role player for Portland on defense, he's much more limited offensively than Avdija. Hopefully, Camara can stick around long-term for Portland, as he's the exact player archetype teams need to make a deep playoff run.
Avdija adds a much-needed dimension to the Blazers' offense with his ballhandling, speed in transition, ability to draw and finish through contact, and knack for getting teammates involved. His versatility has been a lone bright spot for a one-dimensional Blazers team that has lacked in that department.
C: Donovan Clingan
Donovan Clingan hasn't been his usual impactful self lately and has looked slower following his knee sprain. Hopefully, he can get that sorted out sooner rather than later. Still, he's already shown enough in his 25 games to be considered the Blazers' long-term starting center with his elite rebounding and rim protection.
Admittedly, Deandre Ayton has played much better lately with a newfound energy and aggressiveness. However, the differences in contracts alone -- with Ayton owed roughly $70 million in the next two seasons and Clingan on his rookie deal -- make it evident that Clingan should be the starting center going forward.
The new CBA forces teams to be more conservative with their finances and selective about which large contracts they want to take on. And while Ayton is an above-average starting center in the league, it will be very challenging for any team to make a deep playoff run from a roster construction standpoint if he's one of their highest-paid players.