Portland Trail Blazers: 2017-18 NBA season preview

The Portland Trail Blazers have been treading water in the Western Conference. Will they make strides as a team in 2017-18?

Two summers ago, the Portland Trail Blazers lost four-fifths of their starting lineup due to various transactions. Nicolas Batum was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, Robin Lopez signed with the New York Knicks, Wesley Matthews inked a deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and LaMarcus Aldridge bolted for the San Antonio Spurs.

But thanks to the emergence of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Blazers have been…okay. The team continues to make the playoffs, but it’s done so with middling records. The Blazers finished the 2015-16 season with 44 wins, and 2016-17 with 41.

Being okay likely won’t cut it in the Western Conference this season. The Golden State Warriors and Spurs are still the bullies on the block. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves all made major acquisitions to bolster their standing.

Additionally, the New Orleans Pelicans feature two of the league’s best big men, and the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers are still tough outs despite losing their respective superstars. The competition to get into the playoffs will be steeper.

Understanding this, the Blazers held form with much of their roster. Meanwhile, they picked up two high-upside draft prospects in Caleb Swanigan and Zach Collins, and shed a big contract in Allen Crabbe.

Will that be enough? In this article we’ll take a look at the upcoming 2017-18 season and examine if the Portland Trail Blazers can hang with the rest of the West.

2016-17 Vitals

41-41, 3rd in Pacific Division, 8th in Western Conference
107.9 PPG (8th)/108.5 OPP PPG (25th)
110.3 Offensive Rating (11th)/110.8 Defensive Rating (24th)

Team Leaders
Scoring:  Damian Lillard, 27.0 PPG
Rebounding:  Jusuf Nurkic, 10.4 RPG
Assists:  Damian Lillard, 5.9 APG
Steals:  Jusuf Nurkic, 1.3 SPG
Blocks:  Jusuf Nurkic, 1.9 BPG

Team Honors
None