The Portland Trail Blazers made great strides in the 2025-2026 season, recording their first winning record in five years and earning their first playoff berth in that same span. This was all in the same season: their coach from the previous season was suspended indefinitely amid charges of federal gambling crimes, and new owners took over the franchise. New ownership sounded great until some curious cost-cutting measures were implemented, and now you have to wonder if they have been watching “Semi-Pro” and taking notes from Jackie Moon. If they trade their washing machine for Jaden Springer, you know something is up. It’s been an up and down year to say the least.
Going into the season, the hope was that the team would make a leap similar to the one they had in 2008 when they finally abandoned their losing ways and recorded their first winning season in four years, but were not fortunate enough to make the playoffs that time around. They found their way into the playoffs this time and were rewarded with a monster opponent in the San Antonio Spurs. Portland did its best to hold serve in the first two games, but the next three were much too lopsided, and its exit was almost as quick as a sweep.
That one victory was important as it proved this team is not just here to say they finally made it back, they are here to compete. But where do they go from here?
We asked Bryant Knox (BK) and Casey Mabbott (CM) to offer their insights on what happened in this series, what needs to be tweaked, and what the future may hold.
- What moments from the series gave you hope for future playoff matchups?
BK: Donovan Clingan seemed to find his shot and help with spacing in the final game of the series. For much of the games before that, he didn’t look ready for the moment (or The Alien), but there were plenty of flashes, including him bodying Victor Wembanyama in the low post with a traditional paint move. He got called for a walk on that particular play. Still, a willingness to be physical overpowered Wemby in that situation, and it was those types of moments that fans should try to remember when reflecting on this series.
Of course, there was also The Scoot Game. What a treat it was to see Scoot Henderson take the keys, even if just for a game. His struggles were apparent for other stretches of the series, including his 2.5 PPG average across the final two contests. But that one night was something special. So special, in fact, it may have tipped the scale for fans when it comes to who has the higher ceiling: Scoot or Shaedon Sharpe.
CM: Regardless of the outcome, Portland didn’t give us the impression that the moment was too big for them. They hung with the Spurs until the 4th quarter of game one, and even stole game two on the road. When things got tough, they didn’t back down, refusing to acknowledge that they were just lucky to be there. When the Spurs’ more highly touted players shoved or played too roughly for what is supposed to be a light contact sport, Portland shoved right back or played just as roughly. If they got in a deep hole, they found ways to claw their way back. They didn’t shrink in the moment or give the Spurs any reason to believe this would be an easy series.
This wasn’t just some decent team Portland was facing; they were up against a 62-win team. You know how many times Portland has won more than sixty games in a season? Just once in their storied history, only one time in 1991. Getting sixty wins is a huge deal, and Portland competing with that team is a big deal as well.
What impressed me most was the multiple large runs they had on the Spurs, and if they had been able to protect a lead in game three or game four, this series might still be going. For a team that snuck into the playoffs, they quickly became a dark horse against a juggernaut. In the end, the talent disparity was too great to overcome, but Portland is closer than the result suggests. If they make some moves this offseason to improve the roster, who knows how far they can go next year?
- What are your biggest concerns heading into the offseason?
CM: I’m not sure the roster, as constructed, is better overall than the best teams in the West, and that’s concerning, since this young roster is running out of time to be full of unrealized potential; they need to prove they belong soon. They feel close, but they feel like they are short at least one or two key pieces.
The NBA is not a forgiving league; if you don’t take advantage of the second you can, the moment is gone. The Clippers had two really good teams in the last decade, yet they have nothing in their trophy case to show for it. The Rockets were really good a few years ago; they got nothing to show for it, and now they might be facing some difficult decisions, as their most recent all-in move did not deliver the desired results. The Suns were in the Finals not that long ago, now they are getting bounced in the first round. The previous version of Oklahoma City was full of stars and probably should have won at least one title, but ultimately had nothing to show for it, unless you give them credit for helping build the new roster, which is fine.
Going all-in doesn’t guarantee a title, but it’s worth taking a shot. Portland needs to take a big swing and get a legit second star on their roster; they don’t appear to have a guy that can carry a team in the biggest moments, and may not have any time to wait and see if some of their youngest players are going to turn that corner.
If you have been following the Blazers for the last 40 years, you are likely aware that they get close but not close enough most of the time. They were one of the best teams in the early 90s, but they won zero titles. They were one of the best teams in the late 2000s, but they won zero titles. They were a really good team in the 2010s, but they won zero titles. We need to see Portland get past the hump they have been stuck on since 1977, and they aren’t there yet. It doesn’t always mean getting a second superstar; for Walton, it meant getting Lucas. For Clyde, they got Buck; they still haven’t figured out who the second guy is for this generation, but they better figure it out fast. First, it was going to be LaMarcus Aldridge, then Dame, then CJ, now it might be Dame again, which would be a weird full-circle moment. If the second guy is going to be Dame, they need to figure out who the number one guy is, and it probably isn’t someone on the roster today, barring some insane leap forward in the offseason.
BK: My biggest concern is that the team lives up to its reputation, making moves around the margin. That would be especially easy to do for Joe Cronin this season, labeling Lillard’s return as the team’s true 2026 offseason acquisition. But that can’t be the case. Shooting was awful this year, and that continued against the Spurs. I’m not sure Lillard alone changes that. In fact, he almost certainly doesn’t. His gravity will attract defense, albeit potentially at a lower rate than before the injury. But overall, getting a few more open looks per game for incumbent players doesn’t give me confidence. I’m not sure Deni Avdija or Shaedon Sharpe leap over the three-point line just because defenses have an extra eye for Liillard.
While shooting has to be the focus, I’m with Casey, too, in that the Blazers have to have eyes for a big fish. Or maybe in this case, they need to go Big Buck hunting. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be on the trade block this summer, barring an unexpected contract extension. If we find out the Blazers never got into the sweepstakes in earnest, and that they kicked the tires for the sake of kicking, it will be a sign they have no intention of making a big trade, and that they’d rather hold onto the Bucks’ draft assets for actual draft purposes.
- Portland held multiple large leads in the series and only won a single game. Other than game two, they struggled in the fourth quarter across the series. How do they fix these issues?
BK: Not to beat a dead horse, but shooting must be addressed. The Blazers played a physical team in San Antonio that was just fine with the team’s willingness to attack the rim. For starters, they have a 7’5” center down there. They’re also more physical than fans in Portland probably realized.
Really, though, it’s not about being more physical or being more effective at the rim. It’s about diversifying the offensive approach, which, again, Lillard will help with, but the shooting can’t come from just one or two sources. You need your point guard through your power forward to be able to hit from the outside in today’s game, and that extends to the center position in some cases, which is why Clingan appears to be trying to develop a real shot that can test a defense.
Aside from that … avoid Victor Wembanyama at all costs. That is how every team in the West might have to avoid looking inferior for years to come.
CM It really boils down to coaching, and I am split on if Tiago Splitter is the guy. He did a phenomenal job getting the team to this point, but he appeared out of place in the biggest moments, and his lack of experience was on display for all to see. I appreciated how hard he pushed these guys and the officials, but his in-game adjustments seemed odd and often too late. Portland owners have let the media run with a rumor that they intend to underpay for a coach and don’t intend to bring Splitter back, which may be the best case for the best sides. The 2013 Warriors were a piece or two away from being a juggernaut; perhaps Portland needs that influx of generational fit between coaching and players to get them to the next level. It’s happened here before with Dr. Jack and Bill Walton; maybe it can happen again with a new coach and whoever they decide is the cornerstone of the franchise today. With the right coach and system around the right team, anything can happen.
- San Antonio and Portland are near mirror images of each other, with first-time head coaches and a roster full of young high draft picks. How did this series turn out so lopsided?
CM: The Spurs have a generational talent in Wemby, surrounded by high draft picks and reserve players who double as WWE fighters on Saturdays, it’s not a fair fight. Portland did a great job of making the series look competitive, but they were holding back an avalanche. This was not the 1999 Blazers and Spurs, but it sure could have been, watching the games. The Blazers overachieved getting here, while the Spurs really have no excuse not to be here with the top-10 talent on their roster. I could coach that team to 40 wins. I am not downplaying anything Mitch Johnson has done, but I do wonder if someone like Splitter could have had similar success with the same roster. Who knows. It’s also possible that Johnson is just way ahead of his counterparts, and we will find out in the years to come that he had a style that just fit this team.
What it really boils down to is that San Antonio has nailed their draft picks who went higher each time, and for good reason. That doesn’t mean Portland doesn’t have really good players; we are just finding out that the talent here isn’t the same as in San Antonio at the moment, and that’s ok. Portland is entering year three of a rebuild. If they haven’t made another leap forward by year five, we can be concerned, to the point of panicking. But for now, we need to take a deep breath and acknowledge they surpassed what everyone expected of them going into the season and will likely find a way to do more of the same next season.
BK: Casey is 100 percent right that despite Portland and San Antonio being on the same timeline, they’ve killed it with the draft. They have had six first-round picks since 2019, currently in their rotation. It’s almost unreal how well—and how ethically—this team has not just improved but become elite. Wembanyama has an incredible amount to do with that. But he alone did not win that series against Portland.
The Blazers also let things get away from them when they couldn’t shoot their way back into contests. They hit the classic wall each time, where you spent all your energy making the comeback and didn’t have the juice to finish the job. We all know tired legs shoot more threes. And that’s a problem when you’re tired, and you’re also one of the worst teams in the league from behind the arc.
- Does Portland have the talent on its roster today to make a deep playoff run next season?
CM: I hope so, but it’s difficult to say since the current juggernauts in the West are not going anywhere. There were only four teams out West that played San Antonio multiple times this season and came away with multiple victories. Portland was not one of them (unless you combine regular and postseason, in which case they were a terrible 2-6 against the Spurs).
Golden State won two early games against the Spurs, but Victor Wembanyama was not at his best early in the season as he recovered from injury. Other teams that were able to find consistent success against the Spurs usually got there when Wemby was playing injured or taking the night off. Denver had a couple of really good games against Wemby, but they didn’t win them both. Reigning champs Oklahoma City had a very Portland record against the Spurs this season, going 1-5. Denver had some success, as did Minnesota and Phoenix, but the split was pretty even. The Nuggets are currently struggling against an injured Timberwolves team, while the Suns were just blasted out of the playoffs by OKC. Which means no team is the same, and you can’t extend success with one of them against any of the others. Even if you somehow find a way to succeed against Wemby, you might find yourself ill-equipped to survive a series against Joker or Ant Man, or the biggest baddy of them all right now – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
It would likely serve Portland best to bring in a veteran scorer and defender that can help in the front court, but I also don’t love the idea of trying to stop guys like Ant Edwards and SGA with an older Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. And I like the idea of Scoot Henderson trying not to foul out against SGA’s famous flops even less. You also have to worry about the current owners not wanting to pay anything and bringing in a second-rate veteran to cover up the glaring hole on the roster that is a legit second scoring option. Still, perhaps Lillard’s return will be exactly what they need. They have to hope that center Donovan Clingan can reach the next level of his development and become another Joker-type player, someone who seems to succeed against Wemby as he struggles with guys at his position with imposing size.
Even if you find a way around all of those superstars, there are still the Lakers to worry about with or without LeBron, we don’t know what Golden State’s future is without Steve Kerr, we don’t know what the Rockets will look like with or without Kevin Durant, and who knows maybe the one year Portland gets good will be the same year Kawhi Leonard (or some other grizzled vet holding out for one last title run) finally plays elite playoff basketball again.
There’s too much to worry about, but Portland certainly has the talent to compete, and they would be elite contenders overnight if they were able to land another star to play alongside Dame and Deni Avdija. It would be great if they could get a superstar, but I’ve lived here long enough to know they will likely have to settle for a star and not a superstar. This isn’t LA, it’s not even Oklahoma City. And with an owner cutting corners, I won’t be surprised if a star looking for their last stop on a roster, ready to compete today, tells their agent to ignore any trade offers presented to them, including Portland. This team is close, but they aren’t close enough for stars to ignore what is being reported behind the scenes.
BK: Absolutely. Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by deep.
By Blazers standards, I’m calling Round 2, the Conference Semifinals, a deep run. And yes, I stick with my statement. Absolutely, the Blazers can get there with another year under this roster’s belt.
If the Blazers end up kicking the can down the road and don’t acquire a big-time talent, they’re still going to be a step ahead of where they were this season. Almost nobody was great all year (or, more specifically, healthy all year), but everyone showed true promise. Toumani Camara set the record for charges taken in a season by a long shot. Scoot Henderson trended in the right direction after shaking off the rust. Shaedon Sharpe proved he is, in fact, a 20-points-per-game player. Donovan Clingan is already one of the best rebounders overall and offensive rebounders in the NBA.
The list truly goes on, from Jrue Holiday’s leadership and reliability to Robert Williams having his best run with the Blazers, easily since joining the team. Imagine another step forward for the collective group, and maybe, perhaps, even a healthier year, too. That’s good stuff.
That’s also what’s so exciting about both the prospect of playing the long game or, conversely, getting aggressive on the trade market. The former, while feeling a bit like kicking the can down the road, lets the imagination run wild with thoughts of Shaedon and/or Scoot taking a Deni Avdija-like leap into All-Star status. It’s what makes you look at how the team has progressed over the past two seasons and think, we are going to keep improving, right?
Of course, it’s the latter—trading for a star—that really moves the needle. Imagine the Blazers had traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the February trade deadline. That wouldn’t have guaranteed a playoff series win, but it would’ve set them up far better for the Alien Takeover they encountered, and it would’ve raised their ceiling by virtue of having a top-tier All-Star and a Finals MVP and league MVP to boot.
So yes, the Blazers would be in the running for a playoff spot next season as is, and I think they’d stand a much stronger shot at earning the sixth or even fifth seed, setting them up for a longer postseason run.
The question is whether the organization is okay with that or wants to shoot for OKRs in Lillard’s return season.
At this point, you can’t blame the organization either way. You can sit back, watch, and enjoy the show.
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