The Portland Trail Blazers' past month perfectly illustrates what an up-and-down season this has been for the second-youngest team in the NBA. They followed up a stretch where they won 10 of 11 games (with their only loss coming to the Oklahoma City Thunder) to now having an active four-game losing streak. As a result, Portland has a 23-33 record, sitting 13th in the Western Conference.
Portland is in no man's land this season due to GM Joe Cronin's inability to pick a direction at the trade deadline, with the Blazers being one of the few teams not to make a single move. They are still 5.5 games back from the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors from a play-in spot. Yet they also have the ninth-worst record in the association, good for just a 4.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 20.2 percent chance of being in the top four.
That's the last situation you want to be in -- something the Chicago Bulls fail to figure out each year. But if there's one silver lining keeping the Blazers' long-term outlook more promising and unlikely to result in plateauing as Chicago did for all those years, it's the progression of their young core this season.
Portland's up-and-coming backcourt of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe hasn't been perfect, but they have shown promising flashes at times. Donovan Clingan is proving why he was a highly coveted prospect coming out of UConn with his presence as a defensive anchor. Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija have emerged as the true building blocks in Portland's rebuild with their two-way prowess.
Blazers need to prioritize their young core for the remainder of the season
Their development has been encouraging, but it's been that way despite Portland's reluctance to make their young core the priority this season.
The one exception is Camara, who is tied for the most minutes on the team, averaging 32.4. The two players he's tied with, though, are veterans Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons. Avdija leads the league in points per possession on ISO's, yet has a 21.7 percent usage rate. The Blazers need to make him the focal point of the offense. The eye test also suggests that Portland's offense has much more movement when Avdija is involved in the play.
Meanwhile, Clingan's per 36 numbers suggest he's an elite rim protector and rebounder, ranking in the top two in both categories. Avdija and Clingan are incredibly impactful when they play, but the Blazers need to increase their usage and minutes to help them reach their ceilings.
Sharpe and Henderson also need more consistency in their roles and minutes. If you're wondering where these minutes could come from, look no further than Grant, who is coming off a loss to the Lakers, where he shot 1-of-12 from the field.
Avdija and Camara are already arguably the Blazers' two best players. However, prioritizing Scoot, Sharpe, and Clingan over Simons, Grant, and Ayton (when healthy) will undoubtedly result in fewer wins this season. Some Blazers fans may disagree, but that's actually a good thing.
The Blazers need to do everything they can in these remaining 26 games to position themselves to have a decent chance of landing a top-four pick in the draft. And in the process, they'd give their young core more opportunity to grow together.