Embracing the Chaos Around the Blazers

The Church of Roy podcast returned just in time to celebrate Anfernee Simons’ stellar performance in the Trail Blazers’ victory over the Hawks. Hosts Brian Wilcox and Steve Dewald opened with a discussion that touched on Simons’ promising scoring ability.

Along with highlighting Simons’ 43-point night, Brian explained that the 22-year-old guard could be in the middle of pushing his developmental ceiling even higher. Steve followed up Brian’s assessment by pointing out that Simons still has room to grow as a lead facilitator, but the scoring punch is clearly present. One thing is clear, both Brian and Steve agree that Simons’ big night is on a short list of positive stories from the 2021-22 season.

Damian Lillard’s injury status took center stage in the back half of the episode. Right before recording, a series of local reports suggested that the Blazers could look to timeline that keeps Lillard sidelined for an extended period of time. What would a prolonged absence from Lillard mean for Portland’s postseason chances? Is it time to embrace a lost season?

You can listen to this week’s episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.