The Portland Trail Blazers are often an afterthought in the stacked Western Conference. But with an offense first team and backcourt led by Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum the team made the playoffs for eight straight seasons, including one trip to the conference finals.
Last year the team finally became an afterthought as injuries decimated the team, including Lillard who appeared in just 29 games. McCollum was traded at the trade deadline and the team won just 27 games.
But now the team has retooled around Lillard. The big moves were the free agent signing of Gary Payton II who played a huge role for the championship Warriors as well as the trade for Jerami Grant. Both will help shore up the front court and bring defensive balance.
Anfernee Simmons took full advantage of his increase in playing time in the backcourt, including his final two months where he put up 23.4 PPG before being shut down.
With the team returning to full health, they should be in the mix for one of the final two playoff spots as they try to sneak up on teams yet again.
Portland Trail Blazers Season Outlook:
Projected Starting Lineup: PG Damian Lillard, SG Anfernee Simons, SF Nassir Little, PF Jerami Grant, C Jusuf Nurkic
Head coach: Chauncey Billups
Notable Additions: F Jerami Grant, G Gary Payton II
Draft Picks: G Shaedon Sharpe (7th overall)
Trail Blazers Arena: Moda Center
Trail Blazers NBA Schedule: NBA.com
2022-23 Portland Trail Blazers NBA Futures Odds
- Odds to win the 2023 NBA Championship: 80/1
- Odds to win the 2022-23 Western Conference: 45/1
- Odds to win the 2022-23 Northwest Division: +1000
- 2022-23 Regular Season Win Total: Under 39½ (-120)
- Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +190 | No -260
- Official website: nba.com/blazers
- Twitter Account : @trailblazers
2022-23 Portland Trail Blazers NBA Award Top Contenders
Regular Season MVP: Damian Lillard +5000
6th Man OTY: Anfernee Simons +2500
Most Improved Player: Anfernee Simons +2500
Rookie OTY: Shaedon Sharpe +1300
Liev Jackson NBA Season Prediction on Trail Blazers:
This is a flawed roster if we’re thinking of them as a true championship contender. They lack both scoring depth up front and defensive depth in the backcourt. 7th overall pick Shaedon Sharpe is a project who has a ton of upside to help fill that gap. But he’s likely a year or two away from starting to fulfill it.
At the same time, their starting five is strong enough to compete with most teams and they finally have a balanced crew able to lock down fourth quarter leads. If they can stay healthy, they’ll be one of those teams in the play-in round. At this point there is great value to be had both as a playoff team and for their win total.
Favorite bets for the season at current odds include:
- • 2022-23 Regular Season Win Total: Over 39½ (-110)
- • Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +190
2021-22 Record: 27-55
My Record Prediction: 43-39
NBA Odds According to Bovada as of September, 2022
Bet on the Portland Trail Blazers 2022-23 Season at Bovada Sportsbook.
