The Portland Trail Blazers return in 2025-26 looking similar to last season — with one pretty big exceptions. Out is Anfernee Simons, who spent the first seven years of his career in PDX, and in is veteran Jrue Holiday. General manager Joe Cronin added a defensive presence (and a few extra years of team control) when he made that point guard swap, and it changes the calculus of the Blazers lineup pretty considerably.
Barring any drastic moves the rest of the summer, here's how the Blazers could line up in 2025-26.
Projected Blazers lineup and rotation as free agency winds down
Position | Starter | Bench |
|---|---|---|
Point guard | Jrue Holiday | Scoot Henderson |
Shooting guard | Shaedon Sharpe | Kris Murray |
Small forward | Toumani Camara | Matisse Thybulle |
Power forward | Deni Avdija | Jerami Grant |
Center | Donovan Clingan | Yang Hansen |
Yang Hansen likely to start the season backing up Donovan Clingan
I am a founding member of the Yang Gang, for the record, and I cannot wait to watch the Blazers' new 7-footer carve up defenses with his passing and splendid footwork. Every time he touched the ball in Summer League I was anticipating something cool happening, and it did at least half the time.
We also must temper our expectations just a tad for Yang's rookie year. He's a pretty raw talent still, with a ways to go as an overall defender and rebounder before he can be trusted in the Blazers lineup every night. Yang might even have to fend off Duop Reath for backup center minutes to start the year, but I foresee Yang's minutes increasing as the season progresses.
Is the Scoot Henderson breakout coming?
It sort of feels like it has to, right? Scoot Henderson, by the end of last season, was a playable NBA point guard. His defense improved considerably and he started to, at least on occasion, get downhill and finish at the hoop.
But as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Blazers expect much more than "playable NBA point guard" out of Henderson. He's got a great veteran presence at point guard in front of him now, and what feels like a decently stable situation as a backup. Can he be more?
Will Kris Murray get a real chance in Blazers lineup?
I think Kris Murray's role pops back up a bit after somewhat falling out of favor in his sophomore year. He still played in 69 games but averaged just over 15 minutes a night. The team has clearly liked Murray since he was drafted in 2023, and if he's going to be part of the long-term plans, he has to show that two-way ability on a more consistent basis. I think he starts the year in the rotation as basically an audition or trial run to see if he can hold his own on a team that's gunning for a play-in spot.
Jerami Grant should start the season coming off the bench
Jerami Grant is owed about $100 million over the next three years, and I understand the optics of bringing him off the bench would not be great. But I don't care! Avdija and Camara were considerably more productive than Grant last season and if that trend continues in 2025-26 (I have a feeling it will) then starting Grant every night would just be irresponsible. I think Shaedon Sharpe should be penciled in to the starting five, and sharing the backcourt with a player more willing to facilitate than score for himself in Jrue Holiday could do Sharpe wonders.
Maybe it's wishful thinking that Chauncey Billups will bring Grant off the bench — but right now, this starting lineup makes the most sense to me, and my gut tells me it's what Billups will ride with to start the year.