5. Portland Trail Blazers
Last season’s record and finish: 53-29; 3rd place; conference finals
Key Returning Players: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Zach Collins, Rodney Hood, Jusuf Nurkic (out into February)
Key Departing Players: Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless
Key Newcomers: Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, Anfernee Simons
The Blazers will once again depend on the scoring of Lillard and McCollum, who form one of the best strongest offensive backcourts in the NBA. Collins, Hood and Bazemore are all capable of piling up points as well.
However, the defense could be a problem, especially in the frontcourt, where the absence of both Harkless and Aminu will hurt. Whiteside is a big-time shot-blocker when properly motivated. But when they play the Lakers, the Blazers simply don’t match up well with AD and LeBron.
Bottom line: Portland will likely finish somewhere between 4th place and 6th in the West and might win one playoff series.