Trail Blazers Not Ranked Last for NBA Championship Chances

ThePortland Trail Blazersare not slated for success during the 2023-24 NBA season. Most prognosticators have them among the lowest echelon of championship hopefuls. This week, Ricky O’Donnell of SBNationranked all 30 NBA teamsbased on their chances of holding up the gold trophy at the end of the year. And yeah, Portland was low, but at least they weren’t last.

O’Donnell has the Blazers 29th out of 30 teams, offering the oft-repeated refrain of development with a new, young roster:

The post-Damian Lillard Blazers are going to be a lot of fun to watch, but don’t expect many wins. Portland has tanked the end of the last two regular seasons - winning only seven games combined after the All-Star break — even with Lillard on the team. This season will be about letting Scoot Henderson grow into a star role, evaluating what they have in Shaedon Sharpe, and seeing if a change of scenery really can unlock Deandre Ayton.

The one team O’Donnell had lower than Portland? The not-so-mightyWashington Wizards. Like the Blazers, they’re rebuilding. But they haven’t finished trading off their current assets yet, nor replaced them with new talent to the extent Portland has. That’s why, for one year at least, Portland fans can bring out the old, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?” chestnut.

O’Donnell’s Top 4 candidates for a title are the Denver Nuggets,Milwaukee Bucks,Boston Celtics, andPhoenix Suns, in that order.