Until his trade to the Boston Celtics and despite his questionable fit for the role, Anfernee Simons was the de facto team leader of the Portland Trail Blazers. Not even the arrival of prized draft pick Scoot Henderson could oust him from this position, as Simons started every game in which he and Henderson were available.
As the season wound down, however, a new candidate emerged to wrest the mantle from Simons as team leader. Simons was shut down following his game on March 30, and Deni Avdija stepped in for three more games, averaging 31.