This Trail Blazers season has resembled a see-saw in many ways, but it is finally over. With Portland's 114-95 loss to the No. 2 seed Spurs on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first round Western Conference playoff clash, the Blazers have been eliminated from championship contention.
A disappointing end, to be sure, but one many within the organization probably would have been thrilled about six months ago.
Coaching Carousel
The season began with stunning news that coach Chauncey Billups was being charged by the federal government for his role in a mob-linked gambling investigation, just one game into the 2025-26 season.
His arrest left Portland without its coach and leader for the past four years. Such a turn of events could have derailed the entire season.
But Tiago Splitter, named interim coach after the Billups news, proved more than capable of keeping the train on the tracks. The former NBA center guided the Blazers through the off-court controversy, the franchise changing hands at the ownership level, and a variety of injuries to the roster's young talent.
The end result, given all those factors, was a big success: a 42-40 record and an upset win in the play-in tournament to qualify as the No. 7 seed in the West—the organization's first playoff appearance since 2021.
Deni Avdija's Breakout Season
The biggest development of the regular season was the leap taken by Deni Avdija. He took a huge year-over-year jump as a scorer, averaging 24.2 points per game after averaging 16.9 last year. His assists nearly doubled as well.
The sixth-year forward enjoyed explosive growth as an offensive hub and became one of the NBA's premiere foul-drawers, taking 9.2 attempts per game from the charity stripe. Avdija is only 25 years old and has proven he can operate as a No. 1 option in the NBA.
Avdija made his first All-Star team as one of the league's breakout players this season.
Supporting Cast
The roster around him got great veteran production from Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III.
Toumani Camara continued to solidify his place as an elite wing defender, with his offensive game continuing to come along. He is likely to make a second consecutive All-Defense team and shot 37% from deep on a career-high 7.5 attempts per game.
Donovan Clingan showed glimpses of an intriguing stretch center skillset, which could be enormously valuable if he continues to progress as a rim protector.
Scoot Henderson played out of his mind for much of the postseason, giving genuine reason to believe he can avoid bust status.
Shaedon Sharpe broke the 20-ppg mark this season.
Season Outlook
Portland got off to a somewhat rocky start, which lines up given the Billups situation. The Blazers lingered in the back half of the conference standings through the All-Star break before riding a wave of wins in March to pass the Warriors and battle with the Clippers for the No. 8 seed.
There's a lot to be excited about, even if the new ownership hasn't inspired much confidence with early moves.