PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a hot start to the 2025-26 season, but mounting injuries may test the team’s depth in the near future.
Winners of three straight games, the team was dealt a brutal blow Sunday when they announced that reserve guard Blake Wesley would be sidelined indefinitely due to a broken foot suffered in Friday’s victory over the Denver Nuggets.
The team says Wesley, in his first year with the team, suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal base in his foot, and that there is currently no timeline for his return.
The news comes just days after the Blazers announced that fellow reserve, wing Matisse Thybulle, tore the UCL in his left thumb during Wednesday’s victory over the Utah Jazz, and that the veteran would be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks.
Portland entered the season already without the services of Damian Lillard - out for the year due to a torn Achilles tendon in the 2025 NBA Playoffs while playing with the Milwaukee Bucks - and fellow point guard Scoot Henderson.
Henderson, the 3rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, suffered a torn left hamstring during a September workout. On Sept. 26, the Blazers announced that he was expected to return in 4-8 weeks.
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The injuries to Wesley and Thybulle will test Portland’s depth, with several players likely in the mix to see an increased role - including third-year wing Ryan Rupert and rookie guard Caleb Love.
Through six games this season, Wesley has averaged career-highs with six points, three assists, and nearly two steals per game. He was averaging just over 16 minutes per game while serving as the team’s backup point guard behind Jrue Holiday.
Thybulle averaged five points and 2.5 steals over four games this season, with he and Wesley serving as key cogs in a tenacious Blazers defense - ranked fifth in the NBA in defensive rating entering play Monday.
The Blazers (4-2) will look to keep their winning streak going under interim coach Tiago Splitter, who took over prior to the team’s second game after Chauncey Billups’ arrest in a federal gambling probe.
Portland hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, who will be without leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves - in addition to LeBron James - according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.
The Lakers were also without Doncic and James when Portland defeated them 122-108 on Oct. 27 in the Los Angeles.
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