The Portland Trail Blazers are at the forefront of a new era. Portland traded away Damian Lillard before the start of the 2023-24 season, but the team retains outstanding young talent. Some believe the Blazers roster has a long road before it is ready for success, but Head Coach Chauncey Billups thinks otherwise.
Billups acknowledged Portland’s subpar performance during the stretch from 2021-2024. However, he believes the Blazers’ are set up for tremendous success.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for us, three now. We’ve just had so much influx on our roster and so much bad luck with health and things like that. And I’m just here every day grinding through it. Helping my guys the best way I can and just hoping that the next time around, next year, we’re healthy, we’re better, our roster is ready to really, really compete,” Billups said, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Chauncey Billups had a stellar career as a player, as evidenced by his induction into the 2024 Hall of Fame class. Yet, his head coaching tenure has not gone smoothly. Portland failed to make the playoffs in all three of his first seasons with the team.
Nevertheless, Billups believes he has come far in those three seasons and the hope is that the team makes a jump with him.
“I just know personally, myself, I’m light years ahead of where I was when I took the job, obviously being a first-time [head] coach. And I’m really ready for that challenge and that pressure to go out and compete with these best teams and stuff…So, I just hope that we can be in that position,” Billups added.
Billups’ faith is fitting, considering the outstanding talent on the Blazers roster.
Portland has some of the best talent in the NBA
Damian Lillard spearheaded the Trail Blazers for most of the 2010s era. He left a legacy that Portland fans will never forget, but he also had some elite talent trailing him on his way out.
Most notably sixth-year guard Anfernee Simmons began an offensive ascent alongside Lillard that should continue to aid the Blazers. After averaging 7.4 points per game in 2021-22, Simmons leapt to 17.3 points the following year.
His improvement followed him into the 2023-24 season, where he averaged a career-high 22.6 points through 46 games. Unfortunately, Simmons’ injury woes have caused him to miss a fair portion of Portland’s games, but when he returns, he will be the ultimate difference-maker.
The Blazers also retain the services of promising guards Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. Sharpe is in his second year and averages 15.9 points per contest. Like Simmons, Sharpe has been plagued by the injury bug and has only played 32 games. On the other hand, Henderson has had slightly better luck.
The highly-touted rookie guard has played in 58 games, averaging 13.6 points and 5.1 assists per contest. Henderson was the third overall pick in the 2023 Draft and has loads of potential yet to be unlocked.
As evidenced, the Blazers roster has exciting players to build around, and this does not even include its other stars. Jerami Grant has been a steady force leading the team in scoring in Simmons’ absence. In addition, Deandre Ayton is one of the most intriguing centers in the league.
The Phoenix Suns traded Ayton to Portland during the Damian Lillard deal. Since then, he has averaged an earnest double-double of 16.4 points and 11.2 rebounds through 51 games. He will be key to the Blazers’ interior attack going forward,
All in all, Chauncey Billups and the Trail Blazers have a chance to make a giant leap. Hopefully, the team can stay healthy amid its quest to compete with the best teams in the Western Conference.
More must-reads: