Draymond Green says to watch out for the overlooked Trail Blazers

Don’t sleep on this year’s Portland Trail Blazerswhich he handed over Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors their first loss of the regular season. They also hold the fourth-best record (4-2) in the Western Conference as a team on the rise. Shaedon Sharpe of the Blazers could have a breakout season and the same could be said for Portland’s leading scorer Danny Avdia, who leads the team with 22.7 points per game.

Green talked about the Trail Blazers impressive startincluding the win over the Warriors, and why he believes the young team will be much better than many expected in 2025-26, according to The Draymond Green Show.

“Portland is a tough, tough game. They have a bunch of long, switchable guys. Defensively, they’re all 6’7, 6’8 can move their feet. They can guard positions one through five,” Green said. “The leadership of Jrue Holiday has proven to be invaluable to this team. They have centers, they have wings. They have young shooting wings that can get it. They have defenders, they have a true point guard in Jrue Holiday.

“That team is a young team that I don’t think a lot of people look at that I think will have a good year.”

The Blazers defeated the Denver Nuggets 109-107 in the NBA Cup game for their fourth win in six attempts. Avdia’s 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting led six players in double figures, including Sharp with 19 points and Jerami Gran with 16 points, who led the way off the bench.

The addition of veteran Jrue Holiday has undoubtedly bolstered the Blazers’ backcourt defense, while second-year center Donovan Clingan is off to a great start. That’s the kind of combination of veteran and young talent that could make for a competitive season, according to Warriors veteran Draymond Green.

Tumani Kamara’s defense led to a four-year extensionworth 82 million dollars. He is one of Portland’s defenders who can guard positions one through five while averaging 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

The Trail Blazers are emerging as a top 5 defense in the NBA

Two weeks into the 2025-26 regular season, the Trail Blazers have the fifth-best defensive rating (110.1) in the NBA, trailing the defending champion Thunder (104.2), Spurs (108.2), Heat (108.9) and Nuggets. It’s still too early to tell if this Blazers defense is sustainable throughout the regular season.

However, emerging young talent throughout the roster should contribute to a fruitful season as the rebuilding team looks to continue to make significant strides in the competitive Western Conference.