After finishing the 2024-25 NBA season with an encouraging stretch of play, the Portland Trail Blazers have had an up-and-down start to the 2025-26 season.

Head coach Chanucey Billups was accused of being involved in a major NBA scandal early in the year, and the team has been forced to continue its season under the tutaledge of Tiago Splitter. Currently, the the Trail Blazers hold a 7-9 record, but have notched a few impressive wins this year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s only loss through the team’s first 17 games came at the hands of Portland, and on Friday night the Blazers notched a win against a solid Warriors team.

In that contest, the team was led by a pair of players who scored 26 points apiece, pushing Portland to a narrow 127-123 victory. Deni Avdija, who is having an impressive season for the Trail Blazers notched a 26-point double-double, while his teammate unexpectedly erupted off the bench.

Caleb Love, an undrafted free agent in the 2025 NBA Draft class, scored 26 points in the win, shooting 9-of-20 from the field and 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. Love added 7 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while committing just 1 turnover in the win.

The former Arizona and North Carolina standout has appeared in 8 of Portland’s first 16 contests, averaging 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 33.8% from the field and 27.3% from 3-point range.

While Love’s shooting efficency isn’t stellar early in his career, the talented guard has shown the ability to be an effective scorer for Portland.

Love’s college career started with 3 years at UNC before transferring to Arizona, where he spent his final 2 seasons. In 2024-25, the former five-star high school prospect averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 39.8% from the field and 34% from deep.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, the 24-year-old has enough scoring prowess to potentially earn a spot in Portland, or elsewhere around the league beyond the 2025-26 season. Still, Love will need to continue improving his efficiency and versatility to become a regular piece of an NBA rotation.

If the Trail Blazers stumble in the second half of the season and appear to be out of playoff contention, the team could elect to give younger players, like Love, more time on the floor to explore the roster.

So far, Love has gotten more playing time than Yang Hansen, the team’s first-round pick in 2025.