The Portland Trail Blazers have won four of their last five games and now sit 10th in the Western Conference with a 12-17 record. The conference is top-heavy but has been underwhelming overall relative to expectations heading into the season. As the Blazers' schedule lightens up and they eventually recover from this multitude of injuries, Portland should find itself right in the mix for the Play-In Tournament.
Their spot in the West leaves many wondering what their approach will be at the Feb. 5 trade deadline, which seems pivotal to the trajectory of their rebuild. Portland gained a bit of clarity on its roster this offseason with the departures of Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton, but there are still pieces of the rebuilding puzzle to solve, the biggest piece of which is veteran forward Jerami Grant.