The Portland Trail Blazers all-decade team is full of star power. The 2010s was the first decade that the Trail Blazers were the only team in the Pacific Northwest. However, they have been able to represent that area well over the past decade. This was because both Vancouver and Seattle lost their NBA teams in 2001 and 2008.
The Trail Blazers had a rather successful decade. They made it to the NBA playoffs six times in a row. They also have been in the playoffs eight times in the decade, including the NBA playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011. As a result, the Portland Trail Blazers produced several great players throughout the previous decade.
Portland Trail Blazers All-Decade Team
Portland Trail Blazers All-Decade Team – Starters
Jusuf Nurkić – Center (2017-Present)
The first player on this list is Jusuf Nurkić. According to NBA.com, Nurkić was acquired along with the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2017 first-round draft pick from the Denver Nuggets. In return, Portland gave up Mason Plumlee, a 2018 second-round draft pick and cash considerations. As a result of a new home, Nurkić was able to breakout.
Nurkić was a huge steal for the Trail Blazers. His stats dramatically improved with the Portland Trail Blazers. In the 2016-17 NBA season, he averaged 15.2 points per game. This was a jump of more than five points per game when he was with the Denver Nuggets in the same 2016-17 NBA season.
He would continue averaging points at this rate. This includes the 2018-19 NBA season, where he averaged 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1 steal, and 1.4 blocks per game. Unfortunately, an injury has kept him out of action during the 2019-20 NBA season. According to RotoWorld, the Bosnian professional basketball player was planning to play on March 15th against the Houston Rockets. However, this was not to be as the NBA suspended the season on March 11th.
LaMarcus Aldridge – Power Forward (2006-15)
LaMarcus Aldridge was drafted second in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. For the first half of the previous decade, Aldridge was the Trail Blazer’s best player. In his 2011-12 NBA season, he made his first-ever NBA All-Star game appearance. In that season, he averaged 21.7 points, 8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
His best season as a Portland Trail Blazer was the 2013-14 NBA season. In that season, he averaged 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1 block per game. In the 2014-15 NBA Season, he would average a career-high 23.4 points per game.
Nicolas Batum – Small Forward (2008-15)
The French international basketball player was drafted 25th in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. The Portland Trail Blazers acquired him via trade with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets received both Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey from Portland.
Nicolas Batum played for the Portland Trail Blazers for the first half of the decade. In the 2010-11 NBA season, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
His best season with the Trail Blazers was the 2012-13 NBA season. In that season he averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. One of his most iconic moments as a Portland Trail Blazer was hitting the alley-oop. This shot sealed the Trail Blazers’ comeback against the San Antonio Spurs.
CJ McCollum – Shooting Guard (2013-Present)
CJ McCollum was drafted 10th in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. His rookie stats were not impressive, averaging 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. However, in the 2015-16 NBA season, he made a huge jump. He averaged 20.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
McCollum would win NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award in 2016 and he would never look back. He has continued to average over 20 points for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard – Point Guard (2012-Present)
Damian Lillard was drafted sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. In his rookie season, he averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. His first NBA All-Star appearance was in 2013-14 NBA season, where he averaged 20.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
His best season though was the 2019-20 NBA Season for the Trail Blazers. He is averaging 28.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1 steal, and 0.4 blocks per game. His most notable game was scoring 50 points, including hitting the game-winner against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2019 NBA playoffs. As a result, the Trail Blazers advanced to the second round of the Western Conference.
There are some exceptionally good players on this list. There are two perennial NBA All-Stars with Lillard and Aldridge, and a potential NBA All-Star in McCollum.
Portland Trail Blazers All-Decade Team – Bench
Maurice Harkless (2015-19) – Small Forward
Maurice Harkless was acquired from the Orlando Magic in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick according to NBA.com. His first season with the Portland Trail Blazers was the 2015-16 NBA Season. In that season he averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. His best season with the Trail Blazers was in the 2016-17 NBA season, where he averaged 10 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
Brandon Roy (2006-11) – Shooting Guard
Brandon Roy was picked sixth in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. As a result of debilitating knee injuries, Roy’s career in Portland was shortlived.
However, according to the Portland Trail Blazers website, Roy was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return, the Timberwolves received Randy Foye.
He would make three NBA All-Star appearances with the Trail Blazers. However, only his 2010 NBA All-Star game appearance was counted in this article as it was the only NBA All-Star Game appearance in the last decade.
In the 2009-10 NBA season, he averaged 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. Unfortunately, after the 2009-10 NBA Season, he would not be the same. In the 2010-11 NBA season, he averaged 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. He would not play another NBA game again after the 2012-13 NBA season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wesley Matthews – Shooting Guard (2010-15)
Wesley Matthews was signed by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2010. In the 2010-11 NBA season, Matthews averaged 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. His best season with the Trail Blazers was in the 2013-14 NBA season. In that season, he averaged 16.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
Al-Farouq Aminu – Power Forward (2015-19)
Al-Farouq Aminu signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016 according to the Portland Trail Blazers website. His best season offensively was his first season where he averaged 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. However, why Aminu is on this list is because of his defense. According to Austin Carroll of FanSided, he had a positive defensive box plus/minus. This was despite guarding the best players of the opposing team.
Nicknamed the “Chief,” Amimu had 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets on April 7th, 2019.
Ed Davis – Power Forward (2015-18)
It was a tough choice between Ed Davis and Andre Miller. However, Ed Davis gets the nod as the last bench player for the Trail Blazers. According to NBA.com, he was signed in 2015 by the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 6.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in the 2015-16 NBA season. However, what differentiated him from Miller was his intangibles. This was what Lillard said about Davis according to Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest:
“Look man, for me, the same way D-Wade was in Miami all those years and Udonis Haslem was there because he brought something to the team nobody else had … that’s how I feel about Ed,’’ Lillard said. “I always want Ed to be on my team. That’s the best way I can put it. I always want him on my team.’’
Davis’ play is not the prettiest, but it gets the job done. Lillard talks about Davis’ impact on games in the video below.
Overview of the Portland Trail Blazers 2010s Decade
The Trail Blazers made it to the NBA playoffs eight times in the last decade. This includes making it to the 2019 Western Conference Finals, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, their recent success is not translating in the 2019-20 NBA season. They are currently ninth in the Western Conference with a record of 29 wins and 37 losses. The Trail Blazers are currently 3.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the final NBA playoff spot in the Western Conference.
However, this does not take away the great decade the Trail Blazers had experienced. Making it to the NBA playoffs eight times in a decade is a hard feat to accomplish. Only a few teams in the NBA as qualified for at least eight NBA playoff appearances in the last 10 years.
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