Portland Trail Blazers starting lineup: Ranking their projected starting 5
By Dalton Sell
The Portland Trail Blazers retooled their roster this offseason, but how does their new starting lineup rank amongst each other?
The 2019-20 season was beyond turbulent for the Portland Trail Blazers. Injuries to their rotational players derailed their season from the start, and it never got any better as the season progressed.
Rodney Hood was limited to just 21 games before he suffered an Achilles injury, while Zach Collins appeared in just 11 games, having undergone shoulder surgery earlier in the season before he suffered an ankle injury in the NBA restart. Jusuf Nurkic, the team’s starting center, also missed the entirety of the season before the seeding games as he recovered from a gruesome leg injury.
Despite the vast amount of injuries, the Blazers managed to sneak into the postseason as the Western Conference’s eighth seed. However, it was short-lived, as they faced the top-heavy Los Angeles Lakers.
Following their first-round defeat, it was clear that Portland was going to make some changes during the offseason, and they indeed spent big to reshape their roster. Now, the Portland Trail Blazers are healthy, and they have a revamped supporting cast to try and make some noise in the Western Conference. With that, here is a ranking of Portland’s projected starting five for the 2020-21 season.
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No. 5 – Derrick Jones Jr. – Small forward
After signing a two-year deal worth $18 million with the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason, it appears that Derrick Jones Jr. will get the nod at the starting small forward spot opening night after making two starts in Portland’s preseason games.
Standing at 6’6″ with a 7’0″ wingspan, the 23-year-old utilizes his stature and freakish athleticism to be a pesky presence on the defensive end and provide some highlight-reel worthy dunk on offense. Jones will be a solid rotational player for the Blazers as he gives them a versatile defensive forward to throw at opposing wings nightly.
However, his offensive game has also been turned up a notch in his two starts, having shot 64.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point territory. While these two games are certainly a small sample size, it would be a substantial boost for Portland if Jones can sustain this shooting stroke into the regular season.