Were the Blazers Underrated or Properly Rated on All-Time NBA Power Rankings?

The Portland Trail Blazers have some of NBA history's best shooters, defenders, trash talkers and dunkers, but do they warrant enough respect?

Damian Lillard talks with a referee after the Golden State Warriors made a basket in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

There’s no time quite like the offseason to spark up an all-time NBA debate, and over the past few days, Bleacher Report has had hoops aficionados covered, ranking the league’s greatest in categories such as shooting, dunking, defending, and even trash talking.

For those keeping a watchful eye on the Portland Trail Blazers’ rankings, it was either: (a) a refreshing sight, considering the number of franchise greats listed, or (b) more reassurance of just how underrated everything pertaining to Rip City can be.

In total, 32 different Blazers were mentioned across the four categories. Here’s how this writer considered the rankings.

Blazers Well-Represented, But Lillard Underrated

Terry Stotts instructs forward LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Damian Lillard against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings defeated the Trail Blazers 103-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To start, how about a nerdy statistic from Stathead? Since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, the Blazers have hit the eighth-most 3-pointers (23,025) of any franchise in the Association, and B/R’s rankings reflect that with equal accuracy.

14 different Blazers appear on the Top 100 ranking, and they’re listed as follows: Terry Porter (No. 98), Detlef Schrempf (No. 96), Jamal Crawford (No. 90), Joe Ingles (No. 85), Wesley Person (No. 78), Steve Smith (No. 69), Brandon Roy (No. 67), Kiki Vandeweghe (No. 53), CJ McCollum (No. 46), Carmelo Anthony (No. 35), Seth Curry (No. 34), Drazen Petrović (No. 17), Steve Kerr (No. 13), and Damian Lillard (No. 9).

It encompasses many of the greatest shooters to ever don the Blazers’ black-and-red threads, and thus, it’s difficult to be too upset about it. But, if one were to find a nitpick, it would be the omission of two smooth-shooting bigs who helped, in some ways, pioneer the stretch bigs of today’s game: LaMarcus Aldridge and Rasheed Wallace.

That is, of course, unless the list is focused solely on 3-point shooting and the reputation that follows it. If not, Aldridge’s floor-stretching abilities would’ve been a perfect addition; the NBA’s play-by-play data has been available since 1996-97, and over that period, only 25 players have made more shots from 10 feet or further. 

Put a different way, the NBA’s tracking era has seen 65 different players take at least 7,000 shots from that distance in their career, with Aldridge settling among the most efficient (17th-highest, 41.7 percent) and Wallace not far behind (29th-highest, 39.6 percent). Here’s how perimeter shot-making brilliance of that type often looked in picture form.

Thinking more towards the future, though, there’s also the matter of Lillard’s respectable-but-debatable finish at No. 9. His status among the NBA’s all-time greatest shooters has been highly-discussed both here and on his own Twitter page.

The premise is —  and has always been — relatively simple: when factoring in shot difficulty, distance, clutch gene, the fear one puts into defenses, and year-to-year excellence at the top of opponents’ scouting reports, there aren’t eight players on planet Earth who did it as consistently as No. 0 did.

Nonetheless, it’ll be a fascinating topic for the rest of Lillard’s career and beyond. 2026-27’s season will offer additional chances to add to his already-Hall-of-Fame-bound legacy.

Plenty of Respect for the Blazers’ Defenders

Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday defends against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here’s to hoping this writer isn’t the only one, but when thinking of Portland’s 56-year NBA history, lockdown defense isn’t something that immediately comes to mind.

Which, of course, made it surprising to see that eight different Blazers cracked the list: Don Buse (No. 99), Theo Ratliff (No. 87), Rasheed Wallace (No. 73), Buck Williams (No. 69), Bill Walton (No. 56), Jrue Holiday (No,. 35), Marcus Camby (No. 33), and Scottie Pippen (No. 8).

That led to an intriguing case study on the before-my-time Blazers. For instance: over a four-year stretch from 1989-90 to 1992-93, Portland’s defense — anchored by Buck Williams in the middle — finished no lower than fourth-best in the NBA. 

Notably, the Blazers’ defense has only finished first in opponents points allowed just once, in which the Walton-led 1977-78 squad boasted the Association’s most stout defense.

Similar results held true for the Rasheed-Pippen pairing, which routinely helped Portland rank among the elites defensively, headlined by a No. 2 rank in defensive rating in 1999-00. 

Both players also ranked among the list’s "50 Greatest Trash Talkers,” with famous one-liners that are still discussed today. On that note, the “ball don’t lie,” and neither do the rankings.

What Current Blazers Feel the Most All-Time-ish?

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells loses control of the ball as Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday and forward Toumani Camara defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The greatest of his through-the-air highlight reel feel like they’re in the rearview mirror, but Ja Morant — No. 17 on the “50 Best Dunkers“ list — could ascend higher in his new environment. As could Shaedon Sharpe, who settled in at No. 43, despite having what NBA.com deems to be the second-highest-rated Dunk Score in each of the last two seasons.

As it relates to the Blazers’ success, though, it would be more important for the likes of Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, and Jrue Holiday to continue their trajectories towards becoming elite defenders in today’s game.

If lists of this type are created years from now, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Camara somewhere among the unquestioned top talents. 

The statistics already speak to that potential, from the NBA single-season record for charges drawn (106) to his versatile role on a defense that ranked as the third-stingiest after the All-Star break.

In any case, the list — like most — accurately tells the story of Portland’s franchise and its players quite well. Noteworthy, outstanding, and maybe, debatedly, underrated in some aspects. A deep postseason or two could go a long way in changing that, if next season’s Blazers are up for the challenge.