The Spurs may have handled Portland in five games last spring, but the Trail Blazers are shaping up as one of the Western Conference teams San Antonio can’t afford to brush aside.
Portland spent the summer reshaping its roster and changing its look. Micah Nori is in as the new head coach, and the Blazers now bring what looks like an All-Star-caliber backcourt, cleaner spacing and a deeper bench than they had a year ago. Just as important, this group is loaded with players carrying something extra into next season.
That doesn’t mean Portland is perfect. Health remains a concern, and there are still questions to answer. But the Spurs and Blazers are set to meet four times next season, and if everything breaks right, a playoff rematch isn’t out of the question.
The biggest change is on the offensive end. Portland’s numbers last season told the story of a team that made the postseason without much firepower: 17th in points per game, 29th in field goal efficiency, 28th in three-point shooting percentage and 21st in offensive rating, the worst mark for any team going into the 2026 playoffs.
That should look a lot different now. Damian Lillard is expected back and fully healthy, and even in his late 30s, he remains an elite three-point shooter.
Next to him is Ja Morant, whose rim pressure and playmaking give Portland a completely different gear. The fit is obvious: Lillard stretches defenses from deep, while Morant attacks them at the rim and creates for others.
That gives the Blazers a new big three in Morant, Lillard and Deni Avdija. If the group stays on the floor, it’s a dangerous trio.
And the supporting cast is no small thing either. Portland has depth with Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams III and Micah Potter all in the mix.
For San Antonio, that means a much tougher version of Portland than the one it saw in the playoffs. The offense won’t be leaning so heavily on Avdija’s paint touches anymore. Now the Blazers have multiple players who can generate their own shots and keep the floor spaced.
There’s plenty driving this team, too. Morant enters the season with a chance to reset the conversation around him after injuries and non-basketball-related issues slowed what once looked like a rapid rise with the Grizzlies. With Portland, he gets a fresh start and a chance to reclaim control of his story.
Lillard has his own motivation. At 36, he’s chasing a deep playoff run with the team that believed in him from the start. And as the Blazers are well aware, a locked-in Damian Lillard is a dangerous one.
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