Blazers Notable in Athletic’s NBA Player Poll Results

PORTLAND, Ore. — In its annual anonymous player poll, The Athletic revealed that several members of the Portland Trail Blazers received recognition among their peers. Conducted with 158 players from all 30 NBA teams, the survey highlighted the opinions of players regarding various categories, including the most underrated players and the league’s best organizations.

Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara both tied for 13th place in the most underrated player category, earning 1.5% of the 136 votes cast. Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons led this category with 8.8% of the votes, while Norman Powell, a former Blazer, and Jrue Holiday received mentions too.

Anfernee Simons garnered one vote in this category. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs topped the poll for who will be the face of the league in five years, collecting 54.3% of the votes. Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe also received a single vote in this category.

In the category for the best organization, the Golden State Warriors led with 21.9% of the votes. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics followed closely behind. The Blazers received one vote for this category, putting them below the leaders.

Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Blazers, was mentioned in the best coach category, tying for 12th with 1.4% of the votes. Mark Daigneault of the Thunder received 21.8%, taking the top spot.

The poll also revealed player sentiment regarding upcoming trends in the league. A significant portion of respondents showed resistance to various proposed changes, such as the idea of shortening the game to 10-minute quarters, with 78.4% opposing this change.

In terms of the MVP race, Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder received the majority of the votes at 56.1%, while Nikola Jokic trailed with 37.4%. This aligns with the recent performance trends noted throughout the season.

While no Blazer captured a category outright, the diverse mentions demonstrate that Portland players are on the radar in significant discussions among their peers, leaving fans intrigued for the upcoming season.