Portland Trail Blazers Last Season Performance
The Portland Trail Blazers had a 2021-22 season unlike any other in franchise history. A single year seemed to span three, as Portland went through a cycle of hopeful signings, organizational malaise, layoffs, huge trades, and ultimately a run for the 2022 NBA Lottery at the end of a season that had begun with Conference Finals hopes.
The fallout from Portland’s trade-deadline binge was significant. A crater lay where once a full roster had stood, with new players emerging through the rubble, looking for opportunity.
The most significant news of the mid-to-late season was Damian Lillard not returning. The veteran guard, the face of the franchise and still its brightest hope, continued to recover from abdominal surgery, leaving his availability for the year up in the air. The prevailing wisdom, echoed at times by Lillard himself, was that if the team was pushing for the playoffs, his return might be speedier. If they were competing for lottery positions, there was no reason for him to push his recovery. He would end up missing the entire rest of the season.
Not all was lost. In this open environment, several less-heralded players excelled. Josh Hart proved his worth almost immediately upon arrival, swimming into Portland’s sets effortlessly. His passing and defense were evident from Day 1. He also brought a surprisingly strong scoring kick and a 37.3% three-point mark.
Jusuf Nurkic stepped up alongside Hart. Promoted from the fourth option in the offense to nearly the first, Nurkic found new verve for the game. His three-point shot never came around, but his scoring, rebounding, and defense swung positively as he became a featured part of the lineup.
Those bright spots were submerged in a tidal wave of futility. The Trail Blazers dropped 20 of 22 games following the All-Star break, setting an NBA record for most losses by 30 points or more in a season. They weren’t just losing, they were earning a Ph.D. in the subject. Whatever the plan was, this wasn’t it. Portland will want to forget the 2021-22 campaign as quickly as possible. If great seasons are, “One for the books,” 2021-22 ended up being one for the shredder.
Portland Trail Blazers Off-Season Changes
Everything imploded for the Trail Blazers, which was kind of needed. They were ravaged by injuries and ended up having one of the worst records in the league. Portland was 29th last season in defensive rating, which, you know, isn’t something any team in the NBA wishes.
The issues were systemic; the Blazers ranked dead last in defensive location effective field goal percentage as well. Jerami Grant and, especially, Gary Payton should help. Those are minutes that will go to smart defenders instead of everyone the Blazers ran out there during the second half of the season. The defense won’t get completely fixed in one offseason, but it’s a good start.
The hope is that there’s more than meets the eye with this Blazers team, with a mixture of solid-yet-unspectacular talent around Lillard, and their younger talent being more potential than production at this juncture of their careers.
Portland Trail Blazers Key Additions
Jerami Grant is a dynamic two-way forward that can impact winning at a high level. He fits seamlessly into Coach Billups’ system on both sides of the ball. It’s safe to say that the Portland Trail Blazers are more than happy to have Grant under their wings for this season.
Another important addition for Portland was Gary Payton II. The 6-foot-3 Payton might be small in stature but he plays much bigger on defense and should fit in well with coach Chauncey Billups’ brand of defense, just like Grant. Payton had a 102.3 defensive rating last season with the Warriors.
Portland Trail Blazers Key Subtractions
During the off-season, the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t suffer many big losses. Joe Ingles moved away to Milwaukee to play for the Bucks, while Eric Bledsoe is now signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Analysis
Chauncey Billups didn’t have an easy time last season. The superstar he thought he was going to coach underwent season-ending surgery. The team he thought he was going to lead was completely dismantled. And dreams of a playoff run were replaced by a near-nightly ritual of 30-point losses. Far from ideal for a first-timer.
Billups became the lighthouse in the storm for the Blazers amid their turmoil last season, but even as the Blazers rapidly rebuilt, one important question remains unanswered. Just how good of a coach is he? Blazers fans didn’t get to find out last season. And neither, by the way, did Billups.
The in-demand former NBA Finals MVP learned that when he arrived as Terry Stotts’ replacement 18 months ago. The Blazers had reached the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons. Talented veterans flanked Damian Lillard. There was reason to be optimistic, but a lot of things changed.
Actually, change happens in the NBA. What the Blazers had was chaos. Lillard appeared in only 29 games and none after the new year. In an effort to rejuvenate a core that had repeatedly stalled, and to dip below the luxury tax threshold, the Blazers were thrown into a midseason rebuild.
The Blazers won just two games after the All-Star break. Of their 20 losses in that span, 16 were by double digits and 10 of those by at least 30 points. Now, a year after Billups first stepped into the world of NBA head coaching, the Blazers are once again hoping to be in the mix for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Billups has long been praised for his easy communication style with players. He is fond of saying that he is able to hold Lillard accountable the same way he can a rookie. It’s what made him a popular teammate as a player and an in-demand candidate for virtually every position in the NBA before he landed in Portland. This year will be a tough challenge for him, but it’s safe to say that he has every tool needed to make this team look better, at least when compared to previous seasons.
Portland Trail Blazers Betting Prediction for the 2022-23 Season
The Sportsbook has the Blazers at +9000 odds to win the 2023 NBA Championship and at +5000 to win the Western Conference. The Blazers definitely got better than what we saw for most of last season. They can roll out a rotation of Lillard, Simons, Hart, Little, Payton, Grant and Nurkić. It’s not going to set any records, but that’s a really solid lineup that should be able to compete with almost anybody.
The Blazers are going to have to be competent defensively, which means you’re asking so much of Grant, Payton and Nurkić. They’re capable, but they need to be healthy to continue to pull it off over and over. Billups has a chance to really coach this team and show why everybody was so high on him as a future coach for years. Lillard has a chance to remind everybody of how lethal he is. They’ve got to stay healthy though. The West will be unforgiving.
Portland Trail Blazers Team Leaders
Portland Trail Blazers Team Ranked Stats
Portland Trail Blazers Team Summary
Portland Trail Blazers Team Injuries
Portland Trail Blazers Team Schedule/Results
Portland Trail Blazers Team Standings
Portland Trail Blazers Team Roster
Portland Trail Blazers FAQs
When was the last time the Portland Trail Blazers made the playoffs?
The Portland Trail Blazers last made the playoffs in 2021, when they lost the Western Conference First Round. They’ve been in the playoffs a total of 37 times in their 53 seasons.
Do the Portland Trail Blazers have a chance of winning the Western Conference title?
We should expect the West to be better than it was a year ago. Unless Lillard has an MVP level season (not out of the question), it’ll be really difficult for the Blazers to finish in the top six.
Have the Portland Trail Blazers won an NBA championship?
The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977. Their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992.
Why Are the Portland Trail Blazers part of the NBA?
Sports promoter Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new expansion teams, but it was not until February 6, 1970, that the NBA board of governors granted him the rights to a franchise in Portland.
