The Portland Trail Blazers are 5-8 and in the midst of their first winning streak of 2024-25 after back-to-back victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Donovan Clingan is coming off of a monster breakout game with 17 points,12 rebounds, and eight blocks in 31 minutes, all of which were career highs. Shaedon Sharpe is back and already showing that he could eventually become the All-Star level player that Portland is desperately missing, having a career-high game himself with 33 points.
It remains to be seen if they can sustain this level of success throughout the entire season, but the Blazers are finally getting healthy. More importantly, a legitimate rebuilding core is starting to form.
Where the Trail Blazers rank as of Nov 15
Here is where Rip City sits as of the latest updated Power Rankings for each major outlet:
Blazers rank | Site | Updated |
|---|---|---|
27 (+1) | NBA | Nov 14 |
27 | ESPN | Nov 13 |
27 (-5) | The Athletic | Nov 12 |
26 (+2) | Bleacher Report | Nov 15 |
24 (-4) | CBS Sports | Nov 14 |
Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports writes, "Just when you think the Blazers are destined for the bottom of the standings, they rattle off back-to-back wins over the Timberwolves. To be 5-8 with the league's second-worst offense can either be smoke-and-mirrors, or a testament to their ability to get timely stops and buckets (third in the league in clutch net rating so far). We'll see which one it is as the season plays out."
It could be in Portland's best interest in the long term if their clutch net rating regresses as we get deeper into the season. It's entertaining that they are this competitive to start 2024-25, but the top priority should be player development, positioning themselves for a top pick in 2025 in the process.
If they continue to win at this 38.5 percent rate, they will finish the season with around 32 wins. Last season, that would have put them tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the ninth-worst record in the association—a measly 4.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, which will likely be Cooper Flagg.
Rip City Project's rankings
In the Week 1 Power Rankings, the majority of outlets had the Blazers ranked No. 27 overall, while we had them at No. 26. Now with a 5-8 record, Portland's standing amongst the league hasn't changed much according to experts, with an average ranking of 26.2 amongst the five outlets. We're a bit higher on the Blazers, although that's also due to the fact that we are ranking them after the back-to-back wins, which some sites have yet to account for.
Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Celtics | 10-3 |
2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 11-2 |
3 (+2) | Cleveland Cavaliers | 14-0 |
4 (+6) | Golden State Warriors | 10-2 |
5 (+2) | Phoenix Suns | 9-4 |
6 | Los Angeles Lakers | 8-4 |
7 (+2) | Denver Nuggets | 7-4 |
8 (-4) | Minnesota Timberwolves | 7-6 |
9 (-1) | New York Knicks | 6-6 |
10 (-7) | Dallas Mavericks | 5-7 |
11 (+8) | Houston Rockets | 9-4 |
12 (+2) | Orlando Magic | 8-6 |
13 (-1) | Miami Heat | 5-6 |
14 (-3) | Memphis Grizzlies | 7-6 |
15 | Sacramento Kings | 7-6 |
16 (+4) | Atlanta Hawks | 6-7 |
17 (+1) | Indiana Pacers | 5-7 |
18 (-2) | L.A. Clippers | 6-7 |
19 (+3) | San Antonio Spurs | 6-7 |
20 (-7) | Milwaukee Bucks | 4-8 |
21 (-4) | Philadelphia 76ers | 2-10 |
22 (-1) | New Orleans Pelicans | 4-9 |
23 (+3) | Portland Trail Blazers | 5-8 |
24 (+5) | Detroit Pistons | 6-8 |
25 | Brooklyn Nets | 5-8 |
26 (-2) | Chicago Bulls | 5-8 |
27 (-4) | Charlotte Hornets | 4-7 |
28 | Utah Jazz | 3-8 |
29 (-2) | Toronto Raptors | 2-11 |
30 | Washington Wizards | 2-9 |
Shooting too high up the rankings could wind up negatively impacting the Blazers' long-term outlook. But it's also encouraging that their up-and-coming players are key contributors to their recent wins. The obvious solution to this problem is trading away veterans before February's deadline.
Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, and Anfernee Simons are the names to watch as the season progresses, especially now that their long-term potential replacements—Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, and Shaedon Sharpe—are playing so well.