Worst Landing Spot: Portland Trail Blazers
As mentioned previously, a rookie like Jaden Ivey needs a place for his game to develop without the pressure of contention. Portland is not that place.
The Portland Trail Blazers tanked their way to the bottom this season after an injury to Damian Lilliard. Despite trading away co-star CJ McCollum, Portland will look to quickly turn around and build a contender for their star point guard.
Though Lilliard would in theory present a great backcourt partner to Jaden Ivey, the Trail Blazers’ situation would demand wins immediately, which may be unrealistic for a rookie guard like Ivey.
The Trail Blazers’ roster is full of holes in its current form – the team traded away many of its important pieces this season in its attempt to tank to the bottom of the lottery.
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The franchise will have a lot of pressure to perform next season for star Damian Lilliard, and they look like they will simply be unequipped to do so.
The Trail Blazers have a lottery pick this draft. They could look to move Lilliard and build around their youth, removing the lofty expectations from the equation. That looks unlikely, though, and Jaden Ivey would be lucky to stay away from the franchise as it enters an uncertain period.
