Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking projected starting lineups in the NBA part 1
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers had one of the best starting lineups in the NBA last year. Their five-man group of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington, and Jusuf Nurkic finished fourth overall in net efficiency for 2020-2021.
The Blazers will be returning the same group next year, buoyed by a new-look bench. Instead of making major changes this offseason, as some fans and pundits expected, General Manager Neil Olshey spent the summer in the margins, revamping the reserve unit instead. He brought in veterans Tony Snell and Cody Zeller and traded for athletically versatile force, Larry Nance Jr.
Olshey has made it clear that he believes in this core five and that with the guidance of new Head Coach Chauncey Billups, this team can compete for a championship as constructed.
The Portland Trail Blazers had one of the best starting lineups in the league last year; how will they hold up next season?
Although the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t undergo many major changes, a few of the other contenders did. This offseason was a pretty busy one that saw some All-NBA level players change teams and redefine the landscape of the league. Some high-level rookies will be joining their new teams in hopes of ushering in a new era of basketball in their respective cities. Some teams worked in the margins to find better fits in their role players.
Despite not making any major changes, the Blazers still stand to have one of the most talented starting groups in the NBA. Here, we’ll rank each and every starting lineup in the league from worst to best.