ESPN Projects Trail Blazers to Finish 10th in Western Conference

The NBA schedule is set to be released in the coming days, and that means it’s time for predictions and prognostication. ESPN released their NBA predictions this week, and it isn’t kind to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland, coming off a year derailed by injuries and tanking, was projected to finish 10th in the NBA Western Conference:

Another team looking to rebound from an off year is the Portland Trail Blazers. With Damian Lillard dealing with an abdominal injury, Portland slowly let its foot off the gas before going full tilt into rebuild mode late last season.

The Trail Blazers added Jerami Grant with a future first they picked up from the CJ McCollum trade. Portland also picked up Gary Payton II in free agency. Between a healthy Lillard, Grant and the addition of No. 7 overall pick Shaedon Sharpe the hope in Portland is that the moves equate to more than the 10-win jump the panel is predicting.

Various sports-betting sites have the Trail Blazers between 39.5 and 40.5 wins.