Mar 27, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) dribbles against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Blazers Already Have Massive Advantage Heading Into Next Season

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The hopes are somewhat high for Portland this upcoming year.

Chauncey Billups and company had a nice end to last season in which the Baby Blazers were among the better defensive teams in the league.

Fortified by youngsters Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara, coupled with the progression of Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Scoot Henderson, those in Portland feel good about the team's future moving forward. Yang Hansen, this year's first-round pick, is another valuable asset joining the team.

This year's team figures to be at the bare minimum a feisty squad. Making the playoffs isn't likely, though there's a world where the Blazers could compete for one of the play-in spots. Much of that will be dictated by strength of schedule.

Speaking of which, according to Tankathon, Portland is projected to have one of the more difficult schedules in the league (as detailed in the image below.

For posterity's sake, the second half of the scheduling is found below.

There are a couple of ways to look at these graphics. For one, the Blazers could end up having a worse season than they're hoping for, given the schedule breakdown. Portland has to play Oklahoma City, Houston, and Denver — the projected top-three teams in the Western Conference — four times each.

Now, if one pushes the possible disappointment to the side, there's also the vantage point that Portland could luck out and potentially win the 2026 NBA Lottery despite having some very promising pieces already in place throughout the roster.

While this year's draft was said to be quite good, the 2026 crop may be even better.

There are a host of very intriguing players in the group — many of whom are wing-types with varied skill sets and talents.

AJ Dybantsa is projected to be the top pick in the draft heading into this upcoming season. Set to attend BYU, the 6-foot-9 forward out of Boston is uber-athletic with a very projectable collection of skills.

Kansas-bound guard Darryn Peterson is a big favorite of NBA scouts with a downhill drive game and terrific functional athleticism. Cameron Boozer, the rugged power forward headed to Duke, is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. Rounding out the projected top of the lottery includes Tennessee forward Nate Ament.

Considering the players on Portland's roster, landing a high-level wing would likely be the top need for this team given its current construction. While another losing season in Rip City wouldn't be fun to endure, the possibility of landing a franchise-changing talent, particularly in a small market, would soften the blow hugely.