Deandre Ayton landed in Portland as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.
NBA basketball returns on October 24. We’re counting down the days like seconds on a shot clock — I mean, that’s what we do. Starting Oct. 1, our writers will list 24 storylines for the 2023-24 NBA season.
A new storyline drops every day. Here it is No. 14:
Blazers’ The new era under Scoot Henderson and Deandre Ayton will take some time to develop.
A round of applause for Joe Cronin, please. Blazers were in Kron’s time, not „damn time,” he confirmed. Damian Lillard’s trade was made because of his wrist, intentions and desire to help the Blazers first (as promised) and Damm probably second. In the end, everyone won, but especially the general manager.
The Blazers don’t seem to be on the verge of crashing the rival party.
Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons make for a very intriguing young lineup. And from a size standpoint, the combination of Williams and Ayton could cause problems for other teams.
But speaking of size, the NBA is a big-boy league. These players need time to grow and allow chemistry to take hold.
When was the last time a 25 and under core that wasn’t an All-Star did anything? Can the Blazers defend at an even higher level? For Henderson, point guard is a difficult position to master in the NBA. The rookie obviously has the stuff, but Pudding needs proof.
The West cannot allow anyone to get in too deep, skip steps and cheat the system. With a good trade, the Blazers won. They won’t win until tomorrow.
* * *
Shawn Powell has covered the NBA for over 25 years. You can email him here, find his archive here and follow him Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.