Once again, the Portland Trail Blazers are projected to be an underdog in their own division, according to John Hollinger of the Athletic. Hollinger predicts that the Blazers will finish 3rd in the division (41-41), behind the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz. Hollinger contends that despite the roster additions Portland made during the off-season, it isn’t enough to get them over the obstacle created by the loss of Jusuf Nurkic to injury.
Locking down Hassan Whiteside to fill Nurkic’s spot until the All-Star break (the rough expectation for his return) will help stem the bleeding; Whiteside led the league in rebound rate and was third in block rate.