Evanson Says: The Trail Blazers’ season begins Oct. 21, are you excited? You should be

Published 5:23 pm Thursday, October 15, 2026

The Portland Trail Blazers tip-off their season at home against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 21, and despite the turmoil of the last six months off the court, it’s hard not to be excited or at least curious about what this season will bring with it.

I know, with the arena fiasco and the well-documented penny-pinching of new owner Tom Dundon dominating the headlines since the 2025-26 season ended last April, it’s been difficult to focus on the team and their prospects for 2026-27. But on the cusp of what’s ultimately NBA Christmas, I’m less concerned with the Grinch and more excited for the residents of Whoville who have been awaiting the return of their Kris Kringle since he re-signed with the Blazers in July of last year.

To be clear, Dundon is the Grinch, Whoville is Portland, and Santa Claus is Damian Lillard who himself is the only gift fans of the team want under this year’s tree.

I know, the guy hasn’t played a game since tearing his achilles in the 2025 playoffs, he’s 36-years-old, and for both reasons history would suggest his best basketball is behind him. But for fans of the team, his presence on the court is less about what could be, and more about what’s been for Rip City’s favorite son.

Trail Blazer fans are easy. This isn’t New York where criticism rains from the sky, Boston where they demand excellence, or even Philadelphia where they notably booed Santa (not Lillard). This is Rip City, where they coddle and defend their team like a loving mother at a Little League or youth soccer game.

Portland loves the Trail Blazers, and since the team arrived here in 1970, the city has been loyal in a way few have — even through the worst of times.


The “Jail Blazers.”

Sam Bowie.

Greg Oden.

Brandon Roy’s knees.

Heartbreaking losses like the one to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.

Trading Lillard to Milwaukee.

And now, an owner who appears at face value to be more interested in moving the team rather than taking advantage of a fan base that believes it walks on water.

But while the past six months have been turmoil, the next six can help turn that frown upside down as the result of a little thing called winning.

That starts with Lillard who, while likely not what he was, still brings leadership, cache and enough ability to the table to be a difference-maker for a group that needs just that.

This year’s team returns all-star and dare I say, budding superstar, Deni Avdija; spry young talent like Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara; and standout veteran Jrue Holiday.

Then there’s career project Scoot Henderson who is perpetually ready to “make that leap,” and of course the enigmatic Ja Morant who was brought to Portland via trade late last June.

I haven’t even mentioned big man Robert Williams, and of course everyone’s favorite lightning rod, Yang Hansen, who people either love or hate dependent almost entirely upon whether one believes the glass to be either half full or half empty.

That’s not a roster prognosticators are excited about, but is one that at the very least should pique even the biggest cynic’s interest.

Last year’s Blazers finished with the ninth best record in the Western Conference and earned a spot in the play-in round before advancing to the playoffs, where they were quickly dispatched by the No. 2-seeded San Antonio Spurs. But despite the unceremonious exit, it was a step forward for the team, and something to build upon going forward.

Now, with Lillard’s return, the addition of Morant, and the possibility of further development of players like Avdija, Sharpe, Clingan, Camara, and dare I say Henderson — are you not entertained?

It would be easy to point to holes in the roster, redundancies, a first-year head coach, and a stacked Western Conference as reasons this team can’t compete, but sometimes the things that make the least sense offer the biggest return.

I can’t explain that, but that’s how sports often roll.

Maybe Portland’s young players grow up.

Maybe Morant regains his mojo.

Maybe Lillard has a renaissance.

And maybe Dundon is in fact the smartest guy in the room.

That’s a lot of maybes, but that’s also a recipe for a pretty interesting team — at least to start.

I’m in. How about you?