Blazers Will Make The Playoffs and 3 Other Bold Predictions for 2025-26 Season

The Portland Trail Blazers are on the rise this season, even in the crowded Western Conference.

Just-extended Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin made a series of fascinating moves over the summer after the club's respectable 36-46 finish to its 2024-25 run. He bought out center Deandre Ayton and traded starting point guard Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics in exchange for six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday. Cronin then proceeded to sign injured ex-Portland superstar guard Damian Lillard, who'll miss the entire season recovering from an Achilles tendon tear.

The Trail Blazers also traded down in the 2025 NBA Draft to select former CBA center Yang Hansen with the No. 16 pick. Earlier this week, Cronin inked both All-Defensive forward Toumani Camara and shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe to lucrative contract extensions.

This is a Portland team in transition, armed with interesting young talent like Camara, Sharpe, Hansen, small forward Deni Avdija, starting center Donovan Clingan, and point guard Scoot Henderson — but also pricey veterans like Holiday, Lillard and Jerami Grant.

More news: Blazers Forward Predicted to Be In Contention For Major End of Season Award

Portland seemed to carve out a defense-first identity during the season's second half. Bringing in Holiday for Simons and boosting Clingan's role seems like a surefire way to build on that progress.

This year, the Trail Blazers will have the talent to make the play-in tournament as a lower seed in a tough Western Conference. Our prediction here is that Portland will finish with a 41-41 record and the conference's No. 9, and has the talent to surprise some teams and make the playoffs proper.

We're not projecting they'll be able to topple the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets or Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. But they have the ability to at least get there. Here are three other predictions for their 2025-26 season.

Toumani Camara Is Going To Level Up On Offense

Camara made his first All-Defensive Team in just his second NBA season, while improving his output and starting all 78 games he played. He and Deni Avdija have definitely been locked in by Chauncey Billups as the team's new starting forwards, with Grant — the team's priciest player — now coming off the bench.

More news: Former NBA Guard Responds to Possible 'Adidas Curse' Causing Damian Lillard's Achilles Tear

Last year, Camara averaged 11.3 points on .458/.375/.722 shooting splits, 5.8 boards, 2.2 dimes, 1.5 swipes and 0.6 blocks per. In 2025-26, look for him to boost his scoring output while maintaining his defensive excellence. We're projected he scores 15 points a night, pulls down at least five rebounds once again, and improves his passing to three assists per. We also see another another All-Defensive Team honor in his future this spring.

Jrue Holiday Will Shore Up Portland's Backcourt Defense

Holiday, 35, may no longer be an All-Star, but he's still a quality two-way player and one of the NBA's most universally beloved teammates.

Could his tutelage help improve Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe's dicey defense? Time will tell.

Deni Avdija Will Become An All-Star

For our 41-41 record and play-in prognosis to become a reality, someone's going to need to play like a borderline All-Star. Across the second half of 2024-25, someone did — and that was Deni Avdija.

Across the 40 games he played once the calendar flipped over to 2025, the 6-foot-9 pro averaged 19.8 points on .492/.369/.774 shooting splits, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals a night. If the 24-year-old can produce at that level over the course of a full year, and Portland can hover around a .500 record, he absolutely as a shot at making his inaugural All-Star team this season.

Latest Trail Blazers News

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.