The Portland Trailblazers still have much to do to get to where they want to be

Five years ago, the Portland Trailblazers were runners-up in the fearsome Western Conference. It was the golden age of the Damian Lillard era, as it was the team's best result with Dame Dolla at the helm. Five years on, there's virtually no legacy left from that period, the rebuild has begun, but so far it's going nowhere.

The rebuilding began in the summer of 2023, when the team's franchise player ended up requesting a trade. This made it possible to put first-round draft picks in the bank, but in terms of players, was this trade a real success?

Jrue Holiday turned into Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon, who was traded this summer for Deni Avdija. But the centrepiece of the rebuild for Portland was De'Andre Ayton. The pivot, No. 1 in the famous 2018 draft, proved what he was capable of in a Suns shirt. But because of his off-court behaviour, which was little appreciated in Arizona, Phoenix did not hesitate to sacrifice him, mainly for financial reasons, but not only.

The result? A falling points average last year, several injuries to boot, just 55 games played and no visible impact. The pivot has often been criticised for his nonchalance on the floor, and the fact is that he reached his best level under the guidance of an all-time point guard, Chris Paul, who knew how to serve his pivot in perfect conditions.

As a result, after just one season with this initial piece of the rebuild - a player aged just 26 - the Blazers, holders of the seventh pick in the draft, chose... a pivot, Donovan Clingan. A choice that says a lot about the way the franchise thinks, especially as with Robert Williams III, they already had an excellent back-up, even if he is also affected by injury. And with Ayton having started the season as a starter, one imagines that the management want to play him to increase his value with a view to a trade, as he will be at the end of his contract in 2026 and it is hard to see the point of re-signing him.

Problem is, he's not the only player in this situation. The case of Jerami Grant is symbolic of the franchise's management. Just before Lillard' s trade request in the summer of 2023, the Blazers extended the winger for 5 years and over $150m. But in a team that was supposed to be rebuilding, the 30-year-old saw his importance diminish and found himself with the status of an ultra-well-paid veteran/mentor. It can be argued that this extension was intended to keep Lillard, but the fact is that the Blazers find themselves with their two biggest earners blocking the rebuild.

Portland has no shortage of youngsters with great potential. Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, plus second-stringers like Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert: all drafted in the last three seasons, they should form the backbone of the team along with Anfernee Simons, the only survivor of the 2019 play-off campaign. But while Simons has logically retained a starting berth since the start of the season, the others are only just starting to come out of the woodwork.

But in the last three games, the staff have made some changes and lined up Simons followed by Henderson (through injury) - Sharpe - Toumani Camara - Grant - Clingan. While Grant is still there (because it's good to have a real veteran in the starting five), fielding the three picks in the top 10 of the last three drafts finally sends out a positive signal. And surprise (or not), the three games in question (Minnesota X2 and Atlanta) resulted in three wins!

In the last two, one man stood out: Shaedon Sharpe. 33 and then 32 points for the Canadian, his best performances of his career. Is this enough to finally get something going? Logic would dictate that Chauncey Billups should build on this momentum and test his youngsters against the top teams in the West. With four games coming up against the Thunder, the Rockets twice and then the Grizzlies, the opportunity is ripe.

The problem is that Henderson and Clingan were only thrust into the starting five because Simons and Ayton were injured. It is highly likely that they will return to the bench afterwards. And what of Deni Avdija, the summer signing who has yet to find his place at all, to the point of losing it to Toumani Camara, whose stats are not extraordinary but who brings a hustle and a blue-collar profile that every team needs these days.

It's at this point that we delve into Chauncey Billups ' record at the helm of the Blazers since the summer of 2021. One figure sums up Mr. Big Shot's work: 32.9% wins in three seasons. And 0 playoff campaigns, of course. That was understandable last season, the first two with Lillard as leader. And if real progress could be measured in terms of the development of young players, no doubt he wouldn't be so disparaged.

But now, three years on and no progress has been made, and his head is often called for by the fanbase, because in the absence of results, there is still no identity to the game. The defence remains a sieve (in the 10 worst defensive ratings over the last three seasons), and without Lillard, the attack has plummeted to become one of the worst in the NBA. Committed until 2026, will the franchise wait until then?

Especially as the franchise's financial situation is not extraordinarily dire. But there are few avenues of development, because even trading Ayton and/or Grant would make it possible to make room for the youngsters for good, but on paper, you would have to get something else in exchange. Another veteran scoring 20 points a game? No point. Draft picks? The franchise has picked up several for the end of the decade, in a timeline that's far too distant to consider doing anything with them, and is already unable to make full use of its youngsters. A big Ayton trade + first picks for a big player? The team isn't ready to surround itself with a star.

Rebuilding a franchise is a complicated process, and not all franchises succeed. It's true that Portland were bound hand and foot by the desire of its now ex-star to leave, but this stagnation is worrying in a conference that is getting denser every year. The ultimate goal of a rebuild is always to be a contender, but it's hard to see Portland achieving that status for at least another 5 years. Unless something changes...