ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (subscription to ESPN+ required) has issued his grades for each NBA team now that the regular season has concluded, and the Portland Trail Blazers earned a respectable B:
The Blazers managed to go from the bottom of the West standings to an unlikely play-in push by virtue of their internal development. Forwards Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara emerged as building blocks, while Scoot Henderson showed important progress. One concern: the defensive improvement that helped earn coach Chauncey Billups and GM Joe Cronin contract extensions was built in part on poor opponent 3-point shooting.