With the NBA All-Star break behind them, the Portland Trail Blazers are ready to take on the stretch run of their 2023-24 season.
While the Blazers have struggled to a 15-39 record through the first two-thirds of the season, there are still some intriguing storylines for fans to follow in the last 28 games of the season.
With that, here are some Portland Trail Blazers bold predictions for after the All-Star break.
Scoot Henderson finally looks like a future star
Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson has had an up and down start to his NBA career. After a brutal opening month, Henderson has looked much more comfortable on the floor. Just before the All-Star break, Henderson had played well enough to reclaim the starting point guard spot that he held to open the season.
Scoot's improvement, combined with being surrounded by the Blazers starters, will culminate with some electric, albeit low-stakes, play to close the season. Henderson's outside shooting has drastically improved, while he's successfully reduced his turnover and foul rates. At this point, Henderson is a ‘left-handed finishing move' away from unlocking the next level to his game. Look for Henderson to scratch that surface over the rest of the season, averaging somewhere around 16 points and seven assists.
Deandre Ayton is a double-double machine
After being acquired from the Phoenix Suns, Deandre Ayton was expected by Blazers fans to put up big numbers on a team that didn't feature a lot of offensive firepower.
Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way. Injuries and unfamiliarity stopped the Blazers from developing chemistry with Ayton and, while he showed flashes, he couldn't string together enough difference making performances with any consistency.
But, after missing 12 games with knee tendonitis, Ayton started looking like the player that the Blazers envisioned. In his last 10 games before the All-Star break, Ayton averaged 17.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Notably, his teammates seemed to all of a sudden realize that Ayton is a serious lob threat, finding him for 1-3 alley oops per game. Expect that trend to continue. Ayton will average 18 points and 11 rebounds the rest of the way, and Blazers fans will again convince themselves that Ayton can be a star.
Anfernee Simons will struggle (relatively speaking)
Blazers guard Anfernee Simons is the team's best scorer, capable of catching fire at any time. His game is relatively one-dimensional, but he is undoubtedly the best weapon the team has when he has the ball in his hands.
In the name of developing both players, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups stated that he is going to be starting Henderson and having he and Simons alternate who initiates the offense and who plays off the ball. Both players need the ball in their hands to be successful, though Henderson is much closer to a traditional point guard.
As the two players work through these situations where they aren't as comfortable as normal, look for Simons to struggle, at least relative to his normal production. Ant has elite spot-up 3-point shooting skills, but he's much more used to creating his own shot off the dribble, whether from beyond the arc or at the rim. Relying on other players to find him instead of essentially taking turns playing one on one with Jerami Grant is going to be an adjustment. Look for Simons to average 19.5 points per game over the course of the rest of the season.
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