The Portland Trail Blazers will enter the new season looking to be much more competitive than a year ago. Portland finished the year with a record of 21-61, which put them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
However, this team has a nice, young core on the roster and they are looking to slowly rebuild themselves into a contender. But with the season starting in about a month, that means fantasy basketball will also be returning for fans.
While fantasy basketball isn’t on the same level as fantasy football, it is still popular among fans. The Trail Blazers will have a few players who could make a difference this season, with one in particular being labeled a potential bust for the year.
Zak Hanshew of NBC Sports broke down each division in the NBA and weighed in on the fantasy potential of some of the players. Veteran forward Jerami Grant, who has been dealing with trade rumors all offseason, was listed as the bust.
“Grant could be in line for a bounce-back season after notable declines in rebounds and blocks and an increase in turnovers in 2023-24. Those declines could also be the new norm for a player who has relied heavily on scoring and three-pointers to maintain top-100 fantasy value in recent seasons. The emergence of other reliable scoring options like Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija, as well as a quality rebounder and shot-blocker in Donovan Clingan, means Grant could finish outside the 10th round for the second straight season.”
Not only will trade talks potentially have Grant wondering when his last game in Portland will be but the Trail Blazers did add more depth. This could hurt his playing time, especially if the team wants to give younger players more minutes.
The addition of Deni Avdija is the main candidate that could threaten minutes from Grant, especially if he is being used as a trade chip. Portland would likely not risk any injury to Grant so they could lower his minutes to try to avoid any issues.
But the veteran has shown that he can still make an impact, making the Trail Blazers have a tough choice. Last year, Grant averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, while also shooting 40.2 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
If Grant performs well, Portland may have no choice but to play him. This would be music to the ears of any Grant owners in fantasy but it’s all dependent on his playing time this season.
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