The Portland Trail Blazers and their players are gearing up for the 2022-23 season now that training camp is officially underway. The Trail Blazers starting lineup was decimated by injuries last season, and it resulted in them missing out on the playoffs entirely. But with the new season nearly upon us, the hope is that a clean bill of health will allow Portland to make it back to the postseason this year.

There are a lot of reasons for optimism, with the biggest of them all being the return of star point guard Damian Lillard. Lillard played just 29 games last year due to an abdominal injury, and will now return to the court with a very different Trail Blazers team around him. Longtime backcourt partner CJ McCollum is now on the New Orleans Pelicans, so Lillard will have to adapt to being without McCollum.

There is still a lot of talent alongside Lillard in Portland, and it should help him get back to the playoffs, assuming he can stay healthy this season. That influx of talent could make for some challenging decisions when it comes to settling on a starting lineup, and it could result in this presumed starter hitting the bench to start the season. Let's take a look at who that starter is and see why that may be the case.

Trail Blazers player in danger of losing starting job: Nassir Little 

Heading into the season, Nassir Little's name is penciled in at the Trail Blazers starting small forward position. But it's clear that his spot in the lineup isn't set in stone, and it looks like he will have some serious competition throughout training camp. Josh Hart and Justise Winslow also appear to be candidates to earn the starting small forward role for Portland, and it could make for an interesting position battle to watch throughout training camp.

The Trail Blazers are clearly high on Little's potential, and his versatility could help Portland take a step forward this season. Despite being 6'5, Little can play both power forward and small forward, and has shown the potential to be a strong two-way player early in his career. He's struggled to stay on the court early in his career, which has derailed his progress to an extent.

Little's main competition at this point appears to be Hart, who was picked up from the Pelicans as part of the McCollum trade last season. Hart had a strong 2021-22 campaign, and he looked great in his limited action with the Trail Blazers. Through 13 games with them last season, Hart averaged 19.9 points per game and shot 50.3 percent from the field.

Winslow could be a competitor, but at this point he seems better suited for a bench role. Winslow has a lot of potential, but he's never really come close to reaching it. Considering the fact that the Trail Blazers are hoping to make it back to the playoffs this season, starting Winslow doesn't seem very likely.

Both Little and Hart have pros and cons to being the team's starting small forward. Little could offer an alternate option at power forward and allow Portland to play Jerami Grant at small forward, which is where he spent most of his time during his breakout season during the 2020-21 campaign with the Detroit Pistons.

On the other hand, Little's versatility could be much more helpful off the bench for the Trail Blazers. Mixing and matching where to play him is a lot easier when he's coming off the bench than when he's starting. And if he excels in that role, he can then be moved to the starting lineup.

It also feels like it would be a very big risk for the Trail Blazers to ignore how productive Hart was for them to finish off the season. He's probably not going to be taking 14 shots a game now that Lillard is back and Grant is onboard, but he proved he can be an effective secondary scorer when needed, and that he can also match up against opposing wings and slow them down too.

Little may have the inside track, but it feels like the starting small forward role is up for grabs heading into training camp. Little has a lot of potential, but it feels like the Trail Blazers can't ignore how good Hart was for them to close out the season.

It's a good problem to have when it comes to crafting a lineup. Little's starting spot isn't secure, and it looks like Hart could make a serious push for the job during training camp. If that ends up happening, it wouldn't be surprising to see Little start the season on the bench for the Trail Blazers.