SI Scout Doesn’t Think Blazers Will Make the 2022 NBA Playoffs

The Portland Trail Blazers’ 2021-22 season is poised to be interesting. From a revamped roster behind the team’s guard duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, to a rumor-filled off-season that seemed to put a timeline on the Blazers to compete for a championship, Portland is experiencing more questions now than they have at any time since 2015.

In the midst of this uncertainty, SI.com polled scouts across the league, asking their opinions on all 30 teams, including the Blazers.

The piece outlined the Blazers’ supporting cast, stating that the scout didn’t believe there was enough in Portland to make the playoffs.

I’m a fan of the Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum backcourt. I think the team struggles says more about the guys around them than those two guys. I don’t think they’ve done a great job of surrounding them two with the players needed for them to succeed … They’ve missed a lot on guys that they’ve tried to bring in and try to build around those guys. The clock is ticking over there … I don’t think they make the playoffs. The West is loaded again. As special as Lillard is and how good McCollum is, I just don’t like the roster they’ve put around, the depth that they built. The roster is super thin.

The Blazers hope that the roster they retooled over this past off-season has enough to prove this statement wrong. They’ll start their attempt to overcome the West when they open the season on Wednesday, October 20th against the Kings.

You can also see what scouts had to say about the other 29 NBA teams, including their love for the Jazz and Nuggets, in the larger article.