The Portland Trail Blazers are counting down the hours before their season opener against the Phoenix Suns at the Moda Center.
The Blazers are hoping to build off of their 42-win season last year and have hopes to advance further in the playoffs. Some members of the Portland Trail Blazers on SI staff predicted what their record would be at the end of the season and explained their reasoning.
The Best-Case Scenario: 50 Wins & Some Playoff Noise
"The Blazers will finish the season 50-32, simply because this is a team hungry to compete and has plenty to prove in the regular season. Not every team treats the regular season the same, which will help Portland pick up some unexpected wins throughout the season, but mostly they'll show this worry of all the guards they have has been overblown." — Austin White
The Worst-Case Scenario: 35 Wins & Back to the Lottery
"The Blazers have a lot going for them to achieve an improvement over last season, but it is far from a guarantee. While Ja Morant and Damian Lillard provide hope and optimism, their lack of ability over the last couple of seasons does raise some concern. On top of that, the on-court fit is a bit questionable in terms of whether it will work. The number of question marks, to me, suggests that this team is not ready to move into the upper echelon of the Western Conference." — Jeremy Brener
The Likeliest Scenario: 45 Wins & a Playoff Spot
"With the hiring of first-time head coach Micah Nori and the acquisition of Ja Morant, it will naturally take time for this Portland team to hit their stride. But when the Blazers find their flow, we are looking at one of the league's best offenses, with Morant, Lillard, and Avdija, and they'll build on last season's 42-40 record." — Sahal Arwo
"There aren't many people high on the Blazers. Most project them to finish with around the same record as last year, and plenty of talking aheads fixate on the overabundance of guards and lack of size on the perimeter. It's hard to disagree with them, but I'm going to.
"Though I don't think Portland will reach its goal, according to Toumani Camara, of 50 wins, I do believe the Blazers possess enough talent and depth to withstand the grind of an 82-game season. Trades may need to happen, but as long Avdija and Lillard are on the team, with the necessary defensive assets around them, it's hard for me to bet against the Blazers." — Elias Esquivel
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