Trail Blazers must do a better job of embracing their unique roster

The Portland Trail Blazers have had three top-ten picks the past three seasons, selecting Shaedon Sharpe (No. 7 overall in 2022), Scoot Henderson (No. 3 overall in 2023), and Donovan Clingan (No. 7 overall in 2024). None of them were impactful in their embarrassing 140-104 opening-night loss to the Golden State Warriors. Sharpe is unfortunately out for what is expected to be at least six more games with a shoulder injury, Henderson was inefficient, and Clingan only logged 13 minutes.

The Blazers aren't expected to win many games this season. It's also just one game, and they'll have an opportunity to right the ship against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the lack of effort, combined with the poor performances of the healthy members of their rebuilding core, was discouraging.

Blazers must lean into their size and defense

It remains to be seen whether Scoot and Sharpe reach their untapped potential. What the Blazers do know they have on their team is size, as the tallest team in the NBA, and defense. Although they were ranked No. 1 defensively throughout the preseason, giving up 140 points to the Warriors isn't great timing to make that point.

Still, this has more to do with their young core players of Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Clingan rather than their team as a whole. Between these three players in particular, the Blazers can start focusing on building a team centered around having lengthy and switchable wings with a 7-foot-2 anchor in the middle to provide rebounding and rim protection.

Billups' decision to start Camara over Henderson was a step in the right direction. However, Clingan was limited to 13 minutes in the Blazers' blowout loss; part of that could be due to Billups' concern surrounding how the game shaped out in terms of the contrasting play styles between the two teams. But that's precisely why Clingan needs to play more.

The Blazers aren't going to win by playing to other teams' styles and getting in track meets, which is what many Western Conference teams like the Warriors, Kings, and Thunder excel in. Not only are those teams more talented with All-Star level players, but they also have multiple playmakers and shooters to complement them.

Building around their wings and center positions makes sense for the Blazers in terms of creating a foundation for their rebuild. They can always add in an offensive piece to orchestrate the offense and carry the heavy lifting, whether that's Scoot, Sharpe, or someone else they acquire via the draft.

Billups must lean into the Blazers' size advantage when creating rotations and delegating minutes. GM Joe Cronin needs to prioritize this roster strength as the team's identity going forward, whether in a move before the 2025 trade deadline or next offseason.