Shuffle the cards up and down! Western Youth Army, is the future coming?

On the NBA stage, there is never a shortage of miracles, and some teams that do not play according to routines are often the best at creating surprises.

This sentence is quite appropriate to describe the Trail Blazers in the new season. For this weak team, they did not make crazy reinforcements in the offseason, nor did they raise prices and force transactions. Although the record is sluggish, the team still makes frequent operations.

They replaced Simmons with veteran Holiday, acquired Yang Hansen in the draft, bought out Ayton, and then took over Lillard. Judging from this series of operations, it is a complete reverse plot. Others clean up the lineup, they go against the flow; others cut salary, but they accumulate more and more.

The Blazers at this stage seem not to be rebuilding, but to engage in a youth gamble, but the question also arises. Can these seemingly brave moves really allow them to win? Or is it just another trial for newcomers?

For the Blazers in the new season, compared to the previous generation's guard-dominated offensive system, the current Blazers have fully shifted to forward mobility. They are a modern team that pursues speed and emphasizes defense and offensive space.

In this main axis of offense and defense, the main core lies in the two young strikers Avdija and Kamara. Judging from last season, these two almost supported both ends of the team's offense and defense. Their partner in the new season is championship guard Holiday. In the past few years, the Trail Blazers have been in chaos on the defensive end, and Holiday's joining is exactly the key to this.

As for the inside, rookie Klingen has excellent shot-blocking value and frame-protecting ability. Compared with other traditional defenders, Klingen's defensive awareness and defensive positioning are quite good, and he is the first choice for the team's future defensive center.

But the question is, who is the last piece of the puzzle besides the starting five?

The most suitable candidates come from Sharp and Grant, one old and one young. The former is young enough and has full talent, but his performance is ups and downs; the latter, although experienced, has declined significantly. This is also the choice dilemma for coach Billups in the new season:

Should he bet on youth or stability?

Judging from his trading style last season, it is likely that defense comes first.

This link is also the key to the Blazers in the new season. If the Blazers have any ability to turn around in recent years, it must be defense. According to reporters, in the middle of last season, coach Billups said directly in a team meeting:

"If you don't defend, just sit on the bench!"

After the All-Stars, this team also played a top defense that ranks fourth in the league. The key to this mainly comes from forwards Kamara and Thybulle, plus the newly joined Holiday, this defensive lineup can at least maintain the team's bottom line. As for the inside position, the new season will mainly revolve around Klingen and Lowe, plus potential star Yang Hansen.

Of course defense is the foundation of success, but if you want to win, defense alone is not enough.

Looking back on the previous era, the Blazers basically relied entirely on guard isolations in offense. Especially during the reconstruction period after Lillard left, this problem became more obvious. However, in the second half of last season, coach Billups finally learned the lesson:

To win, you have to make the ball move.

So we began to see more pick-and-roll fakes, hand-to-hand cooperation and weak-side cuts; Avdija and Grant can also advance with the ball, while Sharp and Thybulle are responsible for running without the ball; even two young insiders, Klingen and Yang Hansen, have certain passing vision and will have the opportunity to play an offensive role in high-post support in the new season.

Such a system, although not as good as the top offensive teams, has at least begun to take shape.

Of course, the biggest uncertain factor on the offensive end is the three-point shooting rate. Over the past two seasons, the Trail Blazers have ranked in the bottom half of the league in outside shooting percentage. Even if open opportunities can be created, it is still difficult to grasp the hit rate. Billups basically fixed the offensive problems last season, but if the defensive problems are not solved, it will be difficult to win steadily no matter how efficient it is.

In addition to the lineup system, in terms of the team's lineup, the most noteworthy players in the new season come from Avdija and Henderson.

After last season's All-Star season, Avdija has completely transformed, with multiple statistics improving across the board, and he has been promoted to the team's core position. Especially considering its advantageous contract with a decreasing structure, for the management, it is a high-quality asset in the long-term plan for the future. If he can continue his stable performance since March last year, he may even have a chance to become an All-Star in the new season.

Besides Avdija, another key factor is Henderson.

For this young point guard who once had high hopes, he is likely to face a fork in his career in the new season. As a former favorite, his performance in recent seasons has been quite unstable. With Holiday and Lillard returning to the Trail Blazers, the competition in the future backcourt will naturally be more intense than before.

For Henderson, he may need to prove his value in a limited time faster, otherwise he is likely to be excluded from the core plan or even become a victim of the team's transition phase.

It is no exaggeration to say that for Henderson, this season is also his last final exam.

The last step comes from the coaching level and the team's top management.

Billups has coached the team for four years, and new general manager Cronin has also ushered in his fourth season in charge of the team. Compared with this aspect, the focus that deserves more attention is the change of ownership of the team in the new season.

According to reports, investor Tom Dunton spent US$4.25 billion to acquire the Trail Blazers. If the new owner is willing to cut through the trouble quickly, it is not ruled out that the team will accelerate its reconstruction in the future, and the team's direction will also undergo a U-turn.

For the Trail Blazers, the new season is not only an assessment period for young players, but also a trial opportunity for the entire management.. And when the team's offensive and defensive system is stable enough, youth will no longer be their excuse.

By then, this team that has been ignored may have the opportunity to set off a new storm.