Portland Trail Blazers

27-55, no playoffs

Overview: Now that their rebuild is complete, the

Trail Blazers are looking to build chemistry. The Blazers blew up their roster last season, trading away guard CJ McCollum and a host of others. They brought in new talent, building around six-time All-Star Damian Lillard and new backcourt partner Anfernee Simons.

But will it be enough to push the Blazers deep into playoffs, or perhaps to a second NBA title? That’s the question. Even Lillard doesn’t know what will happen — but he likes the fresh start.“I think that’s the biggest difference is how fresh it is. It gives you something to be excited about because you just don’t know, you know what I’m saying? You don’t know what to really expect. And that’s been fun for me,” Lillard said. The Blazers went 27-55 last season, their worst finish since 2005-06 when they won 21 games. Over the course of the season, the Blazers used 34 different starting lineups. Coach Chauncey Billups, embarking on his second year, said the key for the Blazers is connection. To spur that bonding, the team opened the preseason in Santa Barbara, California.

Quote: “The most connected teams are very successful. That’s our goal for our team and that’s the kind of team that I want to build,” Billups said. “I want to be the type of team that nobody really wants to play against.”