The Olympics are in the rearview mirror and NBA teams are beginning to prepare for training camps. Our focus turns to a Blazers team still in the midst of a gradual rebuild and are likely eight months away from welcoming their biggest addition. In these previews, we will take a look at each team’s key acquisitions, fantasy stars, and predicted finish.
Key Acquisitions
Portland’s biggest addition came in the form of Donovan Clingan who they added with the seventh pick in the draft.
Fresh off back-to-back national titles with UConn, Clingan offers the Blazers perhaps the draft’s most adept defensive anchor to plug in behind their youthful backcourt.
The 20-year-old put up 13.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 2.5 bpg in 22.5 mpg for the Huskies proving to be one of the country’s best rim protectors as highlighted by his eight-block effort against Northwestern in the Round of 32.
The Blazers also shipped off Malcolm Brogdon and draft capital for Deni Avdija in a widely praised move.
Avdija is fresh off a year with the Wizards in which he averaged 14.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 3.8 apg shooting over 37% from deep en route to a sixth place Most Improved Player finish.
At 6-foot-9, the 23-year-old is should also help improve Portland’s 23rd-ranked defence from a year ago.
Fantasy Stars
Anfernee Simons last year averaged 22.6 ppg and 5.5 apg shooting 38.5% on 8.8 nightly threes but appeared in only 46 games for Portland.
Shaedon Sharpe proved a similar story with the 21-year-old putting up 15.9 ppg and 5.0 rpg in just 32 outings.
Projected Finish
Portland will again find themselves towards the bottom of the West as they jostle for pole position come draft lottery night.
The Blazers are accumulating a nice mix of young talent including the likes of Simons, Avdija, Sharpe, Clingan, Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara.
Their more experienced campaigners – Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III – will likely find themselves being shopped as the deadline approaches.
