Five Trail Blazers Make ESPN Top 100 NBA Players List for 2023

ThePortland Trail Blazersare a deep team heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, and five of their best players made the cut on ESPN’s top 100 players list.

The four-letter network’s NBA panel hasreleased their rankingsfrom 100-11 with Robert Williams III, Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton all receiving recognition.

They said this about Ayton, who came in at No. 49:

The former No. 1 pick helped the Suns reach their firstNBA Finalsin nearly 30 years in 2021, but the blockbuster trade that sent Ayton to Portland could work out for both sides, as the developing 25-year-old center will surely get more touches now than he would have with the win-now Suns squad,.

The recently-departed Damian Lillard is leaving behind 20.7 shot attempts for the Blazers to divvy up. Ayton increasing his shot attempts to 16 per game is likely and would make him a 20 and 10 center for the first time in his young career.

The lion’s share of those shot opportunities will go to Simons, who is expected to take the next step in his sixth season with Rip City. He came in surprisingly low at No. 85 behind reserves Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks) and a 38-year-old Chris Paul (Golden State Warriors).

Henderson also scored more points with the panel than Simons, coming in at No. 78. He has yet to take the floor in the NBA but his ceiling is high and he’s in line for heavy playing time at shooting guard.

His ability to attack the rim and use his athleticism to get to his spots should make his transition seamless, though he’ll have to overcome outside shooting struggles from his G League days.

Williams III took the No. 89 spot and saw a major drop-off from his 2022 placement at No. 58 overall. Expected to back up Ayton at center, Williams III was able to maintain production in 20 starts and 15 appearances off the bench for theBoston Celticsin an injury-shortened 2022-23 campaign.

He maintained his ability to block shots with 2.1 rejections per-36 minutes and averaged 8.3 rebounds in only 23.5 minutes of action while shooting 74.7 percent from the field. Williams III will anchor the Blazers’ defense and be a joy for head coach Chauncey Billups to use in a variety of situations.

Jerami Grant is widely regarded as Portland’s best player, yet he came in behind his new teammate Ayton at No. 58. Grant remains an elite two-way talent and is in line for his third season averaging 20 PPG or better. His career-high 40.1 percent clip from beyond the arc may take a dip with an increased offensive load and more defensive attention paid to him.