Trail Blazers Likely to Move Forward with Current Core

Following the departure of superstar guard Damian Lillard years ago, the Trail Blazers headed in an entirely new direction.

They’d tried for years to summit the NBA with Lillard at the forefront, using a variety of different lineups, but were never quite able to ascend to the top. So they opted for a rebuild, turning to the NBA Draft to solve their problems.

Fast-forward to now, and Lillard is inexplicably back with the franchise, and it’s undergone a metamorphosis since his trading. 

The first draft pick used in Portland’s rebuild would be on Shaedon Sharpe, a relative unknown at the time of his drafting, who has since blossomed into a talented scorer with room to grow. After not owning a pick in 2021, they selected Sharpe at No. 7 overall in 2022, banking on his potential. It was a fairly rocky start, but Sharpe is growing into his blossoming role as a scorer, having recently averaged a solid 18.5 points on 45% shooting.

Next up was Scoot Henderson, who the team snagged at No. 3, just behind Spurs’ superstar Victor Wembanyama, and Hornets’ standout Brandon Miller. The dynamo guard was thought of to be the second-best talent in the ’23 draft, but ultimately was passed up at No. 2, and has somewhat struggled in his time with Portland. 

Henderson has certainly shown flashes — most notably averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 assists per game down the stretch of his sophomore season — but still has a ways to go in becoming the star many still think he can be. 

In the 2024 and 2025 drafts, Portland has gambled on talented bigs. They first took the defensive-minded Donovan Clingan at No. 7 in ’24, and gambled heavily on Yang Hansen at No. 16 just months ago at the ’25 draft. Clingan saw a great first season with the team, stepping in at less than 20 minutes per game and still managing 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Hansen has premier touch and passing ability for his size at 7-foot-1, but is certainly a project moving forward.