After besting the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets in last year’s playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers proved they had the makings of a true championship contender. This run is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that Jusuf Nurkic — the team’s third best player and defensive anchor — missed the entirety of the postseason due to injury.
This summer, the Blazers revamped their roster by replacing plodding offensive liabilities with versatile role players that can shoot and space the floor around Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.