The NBA season is a little more than halfway over for the 30 member franchises vying for the 2026 NBA Playoffs race. In honor of the event, Kevin Pelton of ESPN has offered grades for each team based on the season so far. The Portland Trail Blazers did not earn an A, but they got the next thing to it. Projected at 33.5 wins at season start, now forecast for 39, the Blazers (and their 22-22 record) have exceeded expectations enough to earn a B+ from Pelton.
He explains:
Given their long injury list, the Blazers have perhaps overachieved more than their preseason line would indicate. Portland has yet to get guard Scoot Henderson on the court, played nearly two months without Jrue Holiday and also saw reserve guards Matisse Thybulle and Blake Wesley simultaneously sidelined. Deni Avdija has filled the void by emerging as the Blazers’ primary ball handler and performing at an All-Star level, averaging 26.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 6.9 APG.
Oh, and Portland has done it all after its head coach, Chauncey Billups, was arrested as part of an FBI investigation into gambling, with Tiago Splitter seamlessly sliding into the role of acting head coach. The only quibble is that the Blazers’ minus-1.9 point differential isn’t quite as strong as their record.
Granted, the praise is as much circumstantial as organic to the team, but given those circumstances, the Blazers will take what they can get.
The list of teams earning an “A” from Pelton reads: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs. In addition the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder earned an A-.
