Portland’s biggest free agency acquisition so far being Branden Carlson may be confusing, disappointing, or even outrageous to some. But even if fans wanted bigger names like Rui Hachimura or Dean Wade, that shouldn’t take away from the fact that Carlson, in a vacuum, is actually a sneaky good signing. He has a clear role, which will help him contribute in the rotation, and he also should complement the other big men on the team quite nicely.
The synergy Carlson could form with Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III will help the Trail Blazers hop on the trend that contenders across basketball are already spearheading: jumbo frontcourts.
Carlson should fit well next to Portland’s current big men
Branden Carlson is primarily a center by nature. He’s 7’0” tall, and, according to Basketball Reference, has spent 98% of his minutes at the five so far in his career. But, in practice, the big man can also comfortably run power forward.
Carlson’s main skill is his spot-up shooting; a significant chunk of his value comes from his ability to stretch the floor. He may be a seven-footer, but he’s not the traditional kind, because 46.2% of his field goal attempts came from three last season and just 34.9% of them were at the rim.
Defensively, the 2025 NBA champ is a solid standstill rim protector, but he’s also capable of being more of a help-side shot blocker and playing a little more in space. According to BBall Index, his most guarded offensive role in 2025-26 was roll & cut bigs, but not far behind were stationary shooters, movement shooters, and stretch bigs, showing OKC’s belief in him being able to cover ground and move his feet a bit on defense.
The Blazers can play some big ball in 2026-27 with Carlson
Combine Carlson’s shooting, defensive utility, and occasional flashes of closeout attacking, and the makings of a true combo big are there. That sets the scene for him building chemistry with Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams— he’ll be able to fill some of their weaknesses and vice versa. Carlson is maybe a tad slow to run the four full-time, but he’ll certainly be able to do it in spurts, especially alongside Williams, a more mobile and athletic center, off the bench.
Looking around the league, a lot of the top teams boast giant frontcourts that anchor their success. Whether it’s the Thunder with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Cavaliers with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, or others, there are a lot of squads out there with formidable double big duos. Plus, in general, the NBA is leaning more into positional size.
Even if it’s not a thing they deploy regularly, the Blazers having lineups with Carlson and Williams or Carlson and Clingan in their back pocket will help them compete with the big dogs next year.
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