Despite adding Ja Morant, Portland faces a ruthless playoff hunt as twelve Western Conference rivals battle for postseason positioning in an era where tanking has lost its luster.
The Western Conference is going to be a gauntlet this season. In fact, there are really only two or three teams projected to be bottom-tier, surefire lottery teams. Outside of that, effectively 12 other teams are going to be gunning for a spot in the postseason, creating an incredibly crowded race in the 2026-27 campaign.
With a less talented 2027 NBA Draft class, fewer teams are going to be incentivized to bottom out. And with the current lottery rules, teams already have less incentive to completely tank. All of that could make this one of the most competitive Western Conference races in quite some time, which is significant for a Portland Trail Blazers team looking to take another major step forward.
Portland will be without Shaedon Sharpe for the first few months of the season, but it’s largely running back a roster that earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference last year, with some notable changes. The Blazers added Ja Morant, which is obviously a massive addition, and there’s a collection of young players on this roster who should naturally be better with another season of experience and another offseason to develop.
Still, it’s important to level-set expectations. There’s no guarantee the Blazers make the playoffs this season, because progress in the NBA isn’t always linear. Portland had to make the postseason through the play-in tournament last year rather than earning one of the conference’s six automatic playoff spots. The Blazers had to go earn the No. 7 seed, and they’ll likely face another difficult path this season.
Portland certainly has what it takes to improve again, but the West as a whole could be better too. Training camp will be extremely important, and the Blazers may even need to make a move around the trade deadline if they want to solidify themselves as a playoff team and potentially advance beyond the first round.
That’s worth remembering as expectations rise throughout the season. Even if Portland is marginally better than it was a year ago, that doesn’t automatically mean its place in the standings will improve when nearly the entire conference is fighting for the same postseason spots.
To be clear, Portland could absolutely take a huge leap forward this season. But it won’t be as simple as just having a better roster or being a better team. The collective conference competitiveness will also rise this season as well.
