The Portland Trail Blazers’ season ended in disappointing fashion, as they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Despite their postseason struggles, there is room for improvement, especially from their young players.
Blazers’ Young Core Talks Growth After Early Exit
The Portland Trail Blazers had a much better year than most people expected. Following a rocky start with the arrest of head coach Chauncey Billups, Tiago Splitter stepped in and led the Blazers to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Blazers’ young core played a huge role in their success alongside first-time All-Star Deni Avdija. However, they had a rough postseason, which could only fuel them moving forward.
Henderson’s Willingness To Learn Will Matter
Now that his third season is over, Scoot Henderson made sure to reflect on his year. Of course, his season was shortened by a torn hamstring before training camp. However, he learned a lot from his return in February until his standout playoff performances.
Scoot Henderson: "We were very resilient. The way we approached every game, we had ups and downs, injuries, but everybody came prepared. For me, overcoming a long-term injury that I had never experienced. It was tough, but my faith in the man above will always help me."
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) April 30, 2026
After a rough first few seasons in the NBA, Henderson had a coming-out party in the 2026 playoffs. While he averaged only 15 points per game, he was superb in the first three contests. He averaged 23.3 points during that stretch, while hitting jump shot after jump shot.
Before he became a Trail Blazer, Henderson’s projections showed he was going to be an athletic slasher. While he still has those traits, his first three seasons have helped him mature into a better shooter and defender. He still has a lot to improve on, including his playmaking.
He has shown flashes of brilliance there, but he will likely be an off-ball player. Playing alongside Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday will do wonders for him. This gets even better since he will take over as they get older.
Sharpe’s Potential Can Go A Long Way
In the opposite direction, Shaedon Sharpe had a rough go in the playoffs. He sustained a left fibula stress reaction in February, rendering him out for two months. He returned at the tail end of the regular season, playing under a minutes restriction.
Throughout the year, Sharpe showed he can still score at a high level. Considering he averaged 20.8 points per game, people had high expectations for the acrobatic guard. Unfortunately, Splitter had different plans, because Sharpe barely played in the series against San Antonio. Sharpe and Henderson were playing promising basketball, proving they deserved more minutes.
After the series, Sharpe reaffirmed that he will work hard to regain his spot. He has a long-term contract with the Blazers, so he has plenty of opportunities to do so. A reunion with Lillard can also go a long way because they had impressive chemistry during the 2022-23 season.
Shaedon Sharpe shared his thoughts on his playoff minutes and his conversation with Tiago Splitter about it #ripcity @KATUNews pic.twitter.com/2Nt32lEt5S
— Guillermo Motta (@GMottaTV) April 30, 2026
While Sharpe’s potential can also be appealing to other teams in trade packages, he seems committed to Portland. He knows he has a lot to work on, including his inconsistent energy. He also lacks some urgency, which is likely what Splitter saw as a reason to bench him. Moving forward, Sharpe has to fix that, because his potential is still sky high.
The Blazers’ Young Core Needs More Time To Grow
Aside from the young backcourt, Portland also has Donovan Clingan. The second-year big man had a bad series, and he admitted he needs to improve. Clingan became the Blazers’ franchise center mostly because of his defense and rebounding. Unfortunately, Victor Wembanyama was the biggest star in their first-round matchup.
Moving forward, Clingan and the rest of the young core will need to grow, even after a season that showed plenty of promise. Thankfully, they have leaders like Lillard and Holiday to guide them. Splitter’s standing is still up in the air, but no matter who goes through the door, they must maximize the youth.
© Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
