The ten teams that have failed to qualify for the tournament ‘play-in’ They have already started the office work in order to position themselves for the low season, plan the summer and lay the first stones for the 2023-24 campaign.
After a notable start to the course accompanied by important expectations, the Portland Trail Blazers dissolved resoundingly until the end of the normal season in the 13th position of the Western Conference. Their 33-49 record emerges as the sixth-worst in the NBA, bringing them closer to picking among the top four picks in the 2023 draft if the lottery wins.
However, the context of the Blazers is different from that of the other franchises that aspire to select at the top of the draft, since they will prioritize being able to compete immediately over the development of young people. Thus, the media reports The Athletic that the Blazers plan to use their pick first round to reinforce the squad with some piece of a certain status. Obviously, as long as this selection is not number one, which they would keep like gold on a cloth. According to the portal Tankathonhave a 10.5% chance of getting said pick.
The Blazers already enjoyed a high selection in the 2022 draft. Those from Oregon chose the as promising as enigmatic Shaedon Sharpe, who, after a rather discreet start to the season, ended up showing his full potential in the final stretch. In his last ten games, he averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35.9 minutes.
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