Portland Trail Blazers
May 14, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers players during a timeout against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 104-82. Reuters

Can the Portland Trail Blazers go to the next level and be among the elite West teams in the upcoming 2014-2015 NBA Season? With young guns such as LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, the Oregon squad has two stars they can build around with to be competitive atop the tough West. Can both continue their growth into top stars in their respective positions.

Can other Trail Blazers also take the next step? Nicolas Batum is a role player extraordinaire— or a borderline star— looking for consistency in an 82-game grind and the postseason; then there’s energy guy Robin Lopez who’ll try to cover the paint and help out Aldridge underneath plus now-veteran Wesley Matthews, who has the ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.

Portland Trail Blazers Roster/Depth Chart:

Point Guard: Damian Lillard/Steve Blake/Diante Garrett

Shooting Guards: Wesley Matthews/C.J McCollum/Will Barton/Allen Crabbe

Small Forwards: Nicolas Batum/Dorell Wright/Victor Claver

Power Forwards: LaMarcus Aldridge/Thomas Robinson

Centers: Robin Lopez/Chris Kaman/Meyers Leonard/Joel Freeland

Key Losses (new team): Mo Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Key Additions (previous team): Steve Blake (Golden State Warriors); Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Lakers)

Season Outlook: The Portland Trail Blazers will bring back practically the same line-up from the last season. Gone now are veterans Mo Williams and Earl Watson but only the former saw major minutes for the Blazers last year and will be replaced in the roster by another veteran PG in Steve Blake, who came over from West rivals Golden State.

The rotation is set here; Lillard, Matthews starts at the backcourt while Batum, Aldridge and Lopez will take care of the front court. The first five is no doubt one of the better staring line-ups in the entire NBA but as seen from last year’s postseason play they group needs to grow up fast to be at par with the elite team in the West.

Damian Lillard in crunchtime:

(YouTube/NBA)

The greenness of the Trail Blazers was exposed in their second round match-up in the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs. Portland lost the best-of-seven series, 4-1 to the Spurs, which had an average margin of victory of 19.5 points. Of course, San Antonio was a different animal in that postseason and simply outclassed everyone— including the might Miami Heat in the NBA Finals— during their run to the 2014 NBA title.

The Trail Blazers were probably satisfied already of their minor upset of the favoured Houston Rockets in the opening round of that postseason as Portland hacked out a six-game series victory courtesy of a buzzer-beater from Lillard (20.7 PPG and 5.6 APG). The third year point guard is expected to carry the Trail Blazers at crunch time once again along with franchise player LaMarcus Aldridge (23.2 PPG and 11.1 RPG).

(YouTube/NBA)

Key Stat From Last Season: 46.4 team rebounds per game - no. 1 in the entire NBA

Rebounding was key for Portland success in 2013-2014. Aldridge, Lopez and Batum took care of the paint for the Trail Blazers as the trio averaged 37.1 RPG between them. With the addition of Kaman, a veteran center and a maturing player in Thomas Robinson, Portland is once again pegged to have a rebounding edge against most opponents.

Key Weakness For Upcoming Season: Bench Play, particularly from the wings.

Mo Williams (9.7 PPG in 24.8 MPG) is old but was effective in spot minutes behind Lillard. Can Blake have the same effect? Like Williams, Blake can slide to the 2-spot because of his outside shooting. Second-year guard McCollum and third-year guard Barton are too young for heavy minutes especially in the postseason and the Blazers will need Blake more to stabilise the bench.

Portland Trail Blazers - Potential Breakout Player: Nicolas Batum

Batum is no doubt behind Aldridge and Lillard in the team’s scheme of things on offense. But his value on both ends of the floor? The 25-year-old versatile forward could be the best Trail Blazer from in the roster from 1 through 12. Batum is coming off a break out performance in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain where he led the French team to a bronze medal finish. In the semifinal vs. Serbia, he finished with 35 points on 8-of-12 shooting from behind the arc. In the battle for third against Lithuania, he ended up with 27 points.

Batum exploding vs. Serbia:

(YouTube/FIBA)

Prediction: The Portland Trail Blazers will continue their growth especially on the defensive end. A home court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs is not out of reach battling the likes of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors for the fourth spot in the conference.