PODCAST: Which Single Player Could Make Biggest Impact on Blazers Leap This Season

The Portland Trail Blazers have plenty of ways to get better this season, but if they want to make a legitimate leap in a loaded Western Conference, marginal improvement probably won’t be enough.

Ja Morant should give Portland another dynamic offensive engine, while Scoot Henderson has a chance to take another major step forward in his development. There are several other players on the roster who could become catalysts as well, and collectively, that growth should make the Blazers a better team than they were a year ago.

The bigger question is whether they can improve enough to separate themselves from the pack.

The West continues to get deeper, and simply being a little better offensively or winning a few more close games doesn’t necessarily guarantee a playoff spot. Portland needs someone to become a true difference-maker, and Donovan Clingan may be the player with the best chance to do it.

Clingan has the potential to emerge as a legitimate top-15 center in the NBA this season if he takes another step forward. His defensive impact, rim protection, rebounding and ability to anchor the paint already give him an incredibly valuable foundation. If his offensive game continues to develop on top of that, his two-way impact could completely change Portland’s ceiling.

There are plenty of important players on this roster, but Clingan may ultimately be the X-factor. If he makes the leap the Blazers are hoping for, Portland could go from simply improving to becoming a real playoff threat in the Western Conference.