The Portland Trail Blazers kicked off the 2025-26 season with a schedule that could make any team wince. They faced the league's second toughest lineup, just behind the Sacramento Kings, which put a damper on their hopes of building on last season's strong finish. Injuries didn't help either, throwing a wrench in their early aspirations.
But as we step into 2026, the Blazers are showing they're more than their 14-20 start. With a balanced 37-37 record, they've secured a spot in the Play-In Tournament. This turnaround comes as they've capitalized on a less daunting schedule, with matchups against teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings still ahead.
The Pelicans might be a bit of a wild card, thanks to a questionable draft-day trade with Atlanta that cost them their own 2026 first-round pick. Still, the Blazers are poised to benefit from facing teams that aren't exactly incentivized to win at this stage of the season.
Portland's early-season grind might just be their secret weapon. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has acknowledged the league's tanking issue, and despite proposed solutions, the Blazers are in a sweet spot.
They've dominated Indiana twice, a team aiming to stay in the draft's top four to keep its protected first-round pick. Brooklyn also fell twice to Portland, with a whopping 54-point combined differential.
Sure, the Blazers have the talent to win most of these games, but not necessarily all. Sitting 9th in the Western Conference, they're just half a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers and 1.5 games ahead of the injury-plagued Golden State Warriors.
Their play-in berth is secured, but the stakes are high as they aim to end a four-year playoff drought. The difference between being the eight-, nine-, or ten-seed could make or break their postseason dreams.
The Western Conference is a razor-thin battleground, and Portland's early challenges have set them up for a late-season surge. This momentum might just carry them into the playoffs, even if it means losing their lottery-protected first-round pick to Chicago. For a team in rebuild mode, clinching a playoff spot would be a significant leap forward.