Way too early 2024-25 NBA Power Rankings: Blazers remain at bottom of West
By Reese Kunz
The Boston Celtics are returning their core to defend their title in the 2024-25 NBA season. They sit at the top of the power rankings once again, but significant offseason acquisitions from other teams, including Paul George and Mikal Bridges, shake up the top ten.
But the offseason isn't over, and teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, or Miami Heat, which are looking to challenge the Celtics for the championship with veteran superstars of their own, could potentially make another move to improve their standing.
2024-25 NBA power rankings
1. Boston Celtics
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
5. New York Knicks
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Los Angeles Lakers
10. Phoenix Suns
11. Memphis Grizzlies
12. New Orleans Pelicans
13. Sacramento Kings
14. Cleveland Cavaliers
15. Indiana Pacers
16. Los Angeles Clippers
17. Orlando Magic
18. Golden State Warriors
19. Miami Heat
20. Houston Rockets
21. San Antonio Spurs
22. Atlanta Hawks
23. Charlotte Hornets
24. Toronto Raptors
25. Utah Jazz
26. Portland Trail Blazers
27. Chicago Bulls
28. Washington Wizards
29. Brooklyn Nets
30. Detroit Pistons
Why the Blazers' position is promising
The Blazers owe the Chicago Bulls their 2025 first-round pick, but it is lottery-protected. It is doubtful they make the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference this upcoming season, which is actually a positive.
The 2025 NBA Draft class has many promising prospects, including projected top pick Cooper Flagg. The Blazers and general manager Joe Cronin have done a solid job in their post-Damian Lillard rebuild of stockpiling up-and-coming assets, most recently with Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan.
However, they lack the star talent required to compete in the West, which is filled with superstars such as Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Anthony Edwards, among others.
The harsh reality is that Portland is far from contending for at least the next couple of years. Because of that, they are better off being the last Western Conference team in the power rankings, as opposed to a team that is aggressively trying to contend for a spot in the play-in tournament, for example.
manual