With a win over the Lakers Sunday afternoon, the Blazers’ season came to a close, but a team that was predicted to only eke out a handful of wins fared far better than most expected.
Why it matters: The team’s success in the second half of the season — largely driven by the development of their young players — could complicate their rebuilding strategy, but proves the team has a foundation to build on.
By the numbers: The Blazers finished the season 36-46 — only good enough for 12th place in the Western Conference — several games back of a berth in the play-in tournament, which starts Tuesday.
- But they won 15 more games than last season, when they finished 21-61, tying the Blazers’ worst record since the 1970-1971 season.
- Their record gives them a 3.7% chance of landing the top pick in the upcoming draft and a 17% chance of picking in the top four.
Catch up quick: Sean Highkin, author of the Rose Garden Report, said the season turned around in January when coach Chauncey Billups pulled guard Shaedon Sharpe out of the starting lineup in search of more defense.
- “They won 10 out of their next 11 games,” Highkin told Axios. “That was the turning point.”
Zoom in: Scoot Henderson, selected third overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, transformed from a player some initially doubted into a building block for the future.
- Deni Avdija continued to develop, averaging roughly 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game, all career bests for the forward in his fifth season.
- And Toumani Camara turned into the kind of elite defensive stopper every team needs to contend.
Yes, but: The team still lacks the kind of superstar talent it takes to make a deep run in the playoffs, Highkin said.
- “They don’t have ‘the one,'” he said. “If you’re going to be one of these contenders, you need that type of talent.”
- To find a player like that, the Blazers will either need to get lucky in the draft or look to trade some of their older players nearing the ends of their contracts like Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant or Deandre Ayton, Highkin said.
What they’re saying: Speaking on Sunday just after receiving a multi-year contract extension, Billups said the team established an identity for itself, but acknowledged the need for improvement in several areas.
- “I now understand how long it takes to build a culture. I feel like we’ve done that,” Billups said. “We have to get so much better offensively, and that’s on me.”
What we’re watching: The draft lottery, which will determine what pick the Blazers have, is May 12.
