The Portland Trail Blazers enter their 2026-27 NBA regular season campaign this week with a roster drastically transformed by high-profile roster moves and a brand-new coaching staff. Portland opens its schedule facing the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, presenting fans with an entirely new-look team following an active offseason.
Last season, the Trail Blazers finished with a 42-40 record, securing the eighth seed in the Western Conference before falling in the first round of the playoffs. Despite ending a four-year postseason drought, the front office made sweeping changes over the summer, notably bringing in a third head coach in less than 12 months with Micah Nori taking over the reins from Chauncey Billups and Tiago Splitter.
Backcourt Overload and the Return of Damian Lillard
The most anticipated storyline in Portland is the return of Damian Lillard. After spending a year rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon, Lillard is back in a Trail Blazers uniform and ready to play for the Trail Blazers once more. Early results look good for Lillard.
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In addition to Lillard, the organization acquired Ja Morant in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant joins a backcourt that also features Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. Managing the distribution of touches among Lillard, Morant, Henderson, and Deni Avdija remains one of the team’s primary rotational challenges.
Frontcourt Grit and Second-Chance Dominance
While the backcourt features an influx of ball-dominant guards, Portland’s frontcourt relies heavily on established interior defense and relentless rebounding. Center Donovan Clingan anchors the paint after a campaign where he led the league in offensive rebounds with 4.5 per game. Alongside Clingan, Robert Williams III signed a three-year, $44 million extension, giving the team a mobile and athletic defensive presence.
The Blazers’ offensive efficiency last season was heavily sustained by second-chance opportunities. The team averaged 18.4 second-chance points per game, marking the second-highest average in the 30 seasons the statistic has been tracked. Clingan and Williams ranked second and seventh respectively in offensive rebounding percentage among qualified players, offsetting a bottom-10 shooting performance and a league-high 16.9 turnovers per 100 possessions.
Schedule Challenges and Key Matchups
Portland faces a demanding opening stretch to the regular season, playing 12 of its first 17 games away from home. The early-season calendar features several notable dates:
- October 21: Season opener against the Suns.
- October 23: A road matchup against the Kings.
- November 10: The Oklahoma City Thunder arrive at the Moda Center for the first of back-to-back games.
- November 16: Coach Nori takes his crew into Target Center for two games in two nights.
- November 19: Lillard returns to face his former team when the Trail Blazers play the Milwaukee Bucks.
- February 6: Morant is scheduled to make his return to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.
With a win total set at 42.5, the Trail Blazers’ ceiling will depend on how quickly a heavy rotation of guards and a mobile defensive scheme can gel under Nori’s leadership.
Offseason Additions and Roster Battle
Portland added several key pieces during the offseason, including Branden Carlson, Jeremy Sochan, and Micah Potter alongside Morant, while sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies in late June. Deni Avdija served as Portland’s MVP last season, increasing his scoring average from 16.9 to 24.2 points per game and finishing third in Most Improved Player voting. Meanwhile, Toumani Camara led the NBA in offensive fouls drawn with 106. In the frontcourt, nobody has clearly won the training camp battle between Yang Hansen, Micah Potter, and Branden Carlson for reserve center and potential power forward minutes.
