After the Blazers were swept out of the playoffs by the New Orleans Pelicans, many writers are questioning the future of the team; in particular, the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum back court.
Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post compared the Blazers to the Toronto Raptors of the last several years, but said that the situation feels less hopeful in Portland:
Like that Toronto team, Portland has had repeated playoff struggles. This year’s sweep has brought the total to 10 straight losses in playoff games for Portland, dating back to the final two games of the Blazers’ second-round series with the Golden State Warriors in 2016 (the Warriors also swept them in four games last year).