Our previous NBA Power Rankings Roundup took place on Dec. 16 while the Portland Trail Blazers were playing some of their worst basketball of the season. At the time, Rip City had a six-game losing streak, which was reflected in their average expert ranking of 26.8.
The Blazers have since turned things around, going 3-3. Except for their most recent 125-103 loss to Philadelphia, the Blazers look improved offensively, with their two up-and-coming guards, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, key contributors to that.
Trail Blazers struggling to find stability
However, inconsistency remains a glaring issue, not just for those two young guards but for the Blazers' roster as a whole. That's to be expected as they have such a young roster, with Jerami Grant being the only player in his 30s. Still, it's something that they desperately need to address as they move forward in their rebuild.
Those inconsistencies have resulted in a lot of exciting games, like the two recent game-winners from Anfernee Simons (vs. Denver) and Henderson (vs. Utah).
SCOOT HENDERSON WITH 0.1 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK 🔥🔥
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2024
Portland gets the victory in the final moments! pic.twitter.com/YpGvSr4MUk
Conversely, they've also led to far too many blowout losses. This season, the Blazers have lost nine games by 20 or more points, including two by 40 or more. Those blowout losses have skewed their statistics in terms of how they stack up amongst the rest of the league.
Despite being 11-21, which is sixth-worst in the league, the Blazers rank fourth-worst on offense (108.4 offensive rating) and third-worst on defense (117.5 defensive rating). The only team to rank worse than them in both categories is the 5-29 New Orleans Pelicans.
Additionally, Portland's point differential (-9.2) is third-worst in the league. The eye test suggests they are closer to their 11-21 record rather than a bottom-three team in the league, and the experts seem to agree.
Where the Blazers rank as of Jan. 2
Here is where Portland falls in the NBA Power Rankings according to experts from five major outlets, NBA, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, and NBC Sports:
Blazers rank | Site | Updated |
|---|---|---|
25 (+2) | NBA | Dec. 30 |
25 | ESPN | Jan. 1 |
25 | The Athletic | Dec. 31 |
25 | Bleacher Report | Dec. 27 |
25 | NBC Sports | Jan. 1 |
So far, Portland has only played two games against teams in the Eastern Conference, which is a league-low in terms of inter-conference games. Their brutal schedule continues with upcoming matchups on the road against the two NBA Cup champions, the Los Angeles Lakers (Thursday, Jan. 2) and Milwaukee Bucks (Saturday, Jan. 4).
The silver lining is that their schedule lightens after their game against Milwaukee, with the next three games coming against the Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks without Luka Doncic.