The last time the Portland Trail Blazers “re-built” they made it to the second round of the playoffs in year one. In professional sports, you never know what you’re going to get.
I’m a pretty optimistic person but I’m not sure the current incarnation of the franchise will reach the same lofty heights quite so early. That 2015-16 squad still had a fourth-year Damian Lillard, that year’s Most Improved Player winner CJ McCollum, and a troupe of frisky young role players. The 2023-24 squad will be the Blazers’ first in 11 seasons without the seven-time All Star and even longer without an identifiable on-court leader.