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2024-25 Portland Trail Blazers Predictions and Odds to Win NBA Finals

by Spencer Toth - 10/14/2024

Portland Trail Blazers predictions Anfernee Simons

The Portland Trail Blazers are still searching for their next leader in the post-Damian Lillard era. The Trail Blazers finished dead last in the Western Conference last year and are the odds-on favorites to finish last once again. The wins will be few and far between, but a talented young roster will be able to pull off a few stunning upsets over the course of the season. Can the Trail Blazers make a late push for a play-in tournament position, or will it be another season of misery for the Portland faithful? 

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Portland Trail Blazers Offseason Recap

The Portland Trail Blazers had a pretty quiet offseason, as they have prioritized internal development over luring NBA stars to Portland. Their biggest move was trading Malcom Brogdon for Deni Avdija in the offseason. Brogdon is a solid NBA veteran, but he was never going to stay in Portland for long. He played only 39 games for the Trail Blazers last season, and at 31 years old he was never a part of the long-term plan for Portland. His 15.7 PPG helped the Trail Blazers get some wins, and his 5.5 assists was a team high. His absence will certainly hurt the Trail Blazers in the short term, but it will allow head coach Chauncey Billups to prioritize minutes for their younger players. 

Portland had their eyes set on Deni Avdija and had to fork up some high-quality draft capital to secure his rights. Portland unloaded their 14th overall pick this year, a 2029 first round pick, Brogdon, and a pair of second-rounders for Avdija. Avdija had the best season of his young career last year for Washington. He scored 14.7 PPG, hauled in 7.2 rebounds, and dished out 3.2 assists. All of these totals were career highs, and he did so with good efficiency, too. His 50.6% from the floor was also a career best, and he developed his three-point shot nicely. Avdija appears to be developing into a well-rounded power forward and will link up nicely with the young core in Portland. 

Portland Trail Blazers Season Expectations

The expectations this season are limited for the Trail Blazers. They won only 21 games last season and have a win total of 22.5 this year. Portland will be near the bottom of the standings. However, if they can pick up a few wins along the way, they could build up some momentum for upcoming years. 

The leaders of the Portland rebuild are Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson. Simons has spent all six of his NBA seasons with the Trail Blazers and has finally been able to break into the starting lineup. He is still only 25 years old. And after scoring 22.6 PPG last season, he has shown he can be trusted. Simons’ efficiency dropped slightly last year, but that is to be expected when he became the primary option. Rookie Scoot Henderson was unable to make an instant impact for the Trail Blazers, but he was still a valuable member of the starting five. He finished off the year strong, scoring 18.3 PPG in his final 15 games compared to just 12.6 PPG in his 47 other games in his rookie year. 

While it is easy to say Henderson or Simons will spearhead this rebuild, the reality is the Trail Blazers are still missing their star to build around. Henderson still has time to develop, but Portland’s rebuild is built around their young team rather than a single player. Seven players scored 14+ PPG last season for Portland, and their scoring will be balanced once again this year. If all of their prospects reach their potential, Portland could be challenging for a postseason spot as soon as next season. 

Portland Trail Blazers Schedule Breakdown

Portland finds themselves in an extremely competitive Western Conference, and it is hard to find victories on their schedule. The Jazz are the only other team expected to win 35 or fewer games in the West, and Portland doesn’t play them until their 23rd game of the year. Due to their geographical location in the States, Portland has four separate road trips of 5+ games, including a seven-game trip to the East coast at the end of February. 

Portland Trail Blazers Odds

The Trail Blazers are massive longshots to have anything resembling a positive season. Their 22.5 win total is the lowest in the Western Conference, and they have gone 81-165 over the last three seasons. Portland is +2800 to make the playoffs, and their +1800 odds to even participate in the play-in tournament are the longest in the league. 

As expected, they find themselves in a very tough group in the NBA Cup. They are +4000 to finish on top of a group featuring the Timberwolves, Kings, Clippers, and Rockets. 

2024-25 Portland Trail Blazers Season Prediction and Best Bets

The Trail Blazers will finish inside the bottom two of the Western Conference. However, the question is whether or not they can exceed their 22.5 win total. Portland went 21-61 last season, and it’s hard to see them eclipsing that record this year. They went 3-1 against the Grizzlies last year, and a remarkable 7-2 against the bottom five teams in the Eastern Conference. If they can’t win those close games this year, they could easily finish under 20 wins. Don’t even think about taking the Trail Blazers to make a surprise playoff appearance, as they will finish with a 16-66 record this year. Portland has far fewer winnable games this season on the schedule, and a tough start could easily see them go 2-18 in the first 20 games. They will be looking to tank in the second half of the season, and it’s hard to see them surpassing the Jazz or Spurs in the standings. Last place in the Western Conference has finished with 22 or fewer wins in 7 straight seasons, and Portland’s inevitable last place finish will see them keep that trend alive. 

Pick: Portland Trail Blazers Under 22.5 Wins

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