The Portland Trail Blazers had a mediocre offense throughout the 2024-25 season and now lose key pieces in former starters Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton. That's by design as general manager Joe Cronin looks to clear the runway for recent top ten picks Scoot Henderson and Donovan Clingan, but it also makes their offense overly reliant on a 21-year-old to step up as a primary playmaker.
By the process of elimination, Portland desperately needs Scoot to look like the prospect into which they invested a coveted top pick because they have no other immediate options. Damian Lillard is expected to miss all of 2025-26 as he recovers from his Achilles injury.