The only people not surprised by the current success of the Portland Trail Blazers are the players on the team.
This is a squad full of athletes who have serious belief in themselves and knew they could do a lot this season, even though everyone else had seemingly counted them out.
Sure enough, the team is off to a great start with a 7-3 record.
That’s good enough to make them the third team in the West currently, better than the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and more.
So far this season, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, and Josh Hart have hit game-winners for the Blazers.
Dame Time is in full effect in Portland 🙌 pic.twitter.com/bFAfxBJUIL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) November 8, 2022
One of the things that make the Blazers so great right now is that multiple players are performing incredibly well.
In the past, the team was seen solely as the Damian Lillard show.
That is because he’s one of the best, most clutch guards in the league.
But so far this season, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, and Josh Hart have all hit game-winning shots for the team.
A few years ago, all of these shots would have been attempted by Lillard.
Now he has a whole team of young guys aiming to play like him.
Dame Time Continues
There are always a few teams who are counted out and then overperform in the NBA.
This year, the Blazers are one of those teams.
Most people expected them to sit towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings for 2022-23.
In fact, some thought they’d be in contention to land Victor Wembanyama in the upcoming draft.
But the team has been surging from the get-go and they have been playing some fun, skilled basketball, even during games when Lillard has sat.
And they aren’t playing against weak teams either.
The Blazers have defeated the Phoenix Suns twice, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat too.
This team is proving it’s the real deal – and it’s proving it doesn’t just need Lillard.
NEXT: The Trail Blazers Ended Monday Night With A Bang