Blazers projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Portland Trail Blazers starting shooting guard: Anfernee Simons
There is such thing as too much of a good thing in the NBA. The Blazers have several small-ish guards in the mix right now. Odds are the inevitable Dame trade removes a very prominent figure from that mix, but there's still a question of how successful the team can be with Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons — both 6-foot-3, both at or below average on defense — as heads of the hydra.
Still, Simons took another major leap last season despite Lillard's return to the lineup. The IMG Academy product averaged 21.1 points and 4.1 assists on .447/.377/.894 splits in 35.0 minutes. He toggled effortlessly between on-ball and off-ball duties, frequently thriving as a catch-and-shoot threat or slasher next to Dame while anchoring the non-Dame minutes with the second unit.
A similar staggering of roles will probably develop between Simons and Henderson. Henderson is stronger and should ultimately prove much better than Dame on the defensive end, which should dissolve some concerns about Simons' place in the lineup. Simons probably gets underrated in the Tyler Herro/Tyrese Maxey tier of undersized, score-first guards. He's the best playmaker out of that group and, with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, there's time for him to develop into the best defender, too.
With five NBA seasons under his belt, Simons is still only 24 years old. He's on the upswing, making extreme progress with each passing season. With the obvious exception of Dame if he sticks around longer than expected, there's a strong chance Simons will be Portland's best player next season. He has earned that level of confidence from his coaches and his teammates. That Blazers' offense is going to have explosive potential.
Primary backup shooting guard: Matisse Thybulle
The Blazers matched Matisse Thybulle's three-year, $33 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks to keep the two-time All-Defensive wing in Portland. Thybulle's offensive limitations persist, but he shot a very encouraging 38.8 percent on 3.9 attempts per game from 3-point range with the Blazers last season.
Thybulle was consistently gun-shy in Philadelphia. His trade to Portland came with elevated confidence from his teammates and an offense not built around the post-heavy stylings of Joel Embiid. If Thybulle can keep his 3-point numbers up while continuing to stockpile deflections on the defensive end, he's going to play up to his contract.
Up next for Thybulle is diversifying his offensive output. He's a jumpy athlete who flashes on cuts to the rim, but if he can combine a decent 3-point shot with enough ball control to beat errant closeouts as a straight-line driver, then the Blazers are cooking with grease.
Other players who could receive minutes at shooting guard: Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Keon Johnson