Portland Trail Blazers
Players Out: Damian Lillard (Abdominal), Anfernee Simons (Knee), Eric Bledsoe (Achilles), Joe Ingles (Knee), Nassir Little (Shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic (Foot), Trendon Watford (Knee)
The 2021-22 season has not gone according to plan for the Portland Trail Blazers and this all started with both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum suffering separate injuries.
With Lillard deemed out indefinitely after undergoing abdominal surgery in the middle of the season, the Trail Blazers decided that now was the best time for them to take a step back as a franchise and evaluate their future, which is why they made moves to trade CJ McCollum, Robert Covington and Norman Powell for future assets.
At first, the Blazers remained competitive with Lillard out and most of their core traded away, but after suffering some more setbacks in the standings and falling behind in the chase for a play-in spot, Portland entered “tank mode” for the remainder of the year.
The Trail Blazers will be missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season, but all is not bad for this franchise, as they have learned a lot by tanking this season.
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With Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, Eric Bledsoe, Nassir Little, and Jusuf Nurkic all ruled out for the season, others in Drew Eubanks, Josh Hart, Trendon Watford, and Anfernee Simons have emerged as key weapons on this roster, potentially for future seasons as well.
At 27-48 on the season, the Trail Blazers currently have the seventh-worst record in the NBA, giving them around a 30% chance at potentially landing a Top-4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
There is no point to winning games anymore for the Trail Blazers this season, which is why they have fully embraced the “tank”.
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Learning more about what the future holds for them, specifically in terms of their secondary talents, will be key for this team moving forward.
