Blazers Stay Put at No. 20 in Power Rankings, But There's More Beneath the Surface
For the fifth week in a row, the Portland Trail Blazers are holding steady at No. 20 in the NBA’s latest power rankings. That kind of consistency might not turn heads at first glance, but in Portland’s case, it says a lot about where this team stands right now - and where it might be headed.
At 8-12, the Blazers haven’t cratered despite a rash of injuries and a string of close losses. They’ve dropped nine of their last 12 games, yet they’re still clinging to the 10th spot in the Western Conference. That says as much about the struggles of the bottom third of the league as it does about Portland’s ability to stay afloat.
This past week was another mixed bag. Portland opened strong with a 115-103 win over the Milwaukee Bucks - albeit a Bucks team missing Giannis Antetokounmpo - but then let two winnable games slip away in the fourth quarter against the Spurs and Thunder. That’s been a recurring theme: competitive basketball through three quarters, followed by late-game execution issues.
But if you’re watching the Blazers and thinking, “Man, they’re missing a lot of good looks,” you’re not imagining things. The numbers back it up.
According to tracking data, Portland ranks fourth in shot quality - trailing only the Thunder, Warriors, and Hawks. That means they’re generating clean, high-percentage looks.
The problem? They’re not finishing.
The Blazers sit 26th in effective field goal percentage, meaning they’re leaving a lot of points on the table. Only the Pacers have underperformed more when it comes to converting quality shots.
Some of the individual numbers are even more telling. Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara are both near the bottom of the league in field goal percentage relative to expected, among a group of 136 qualified players. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team trying to build momentum.
Still, there are bright spots - and one of the brightest has been Deni Avdija. The forward put together his fourth career triple-double on Sunday, and every one of those has come with him scoring at least 30 points.
He dropped 31 on the Thunder and lived at the line, earning 23 free throw attempts - the most OKC has allowed to a single player in the last three seasons. That kind of assertiveness is exactly what Portland’s offense needs.
Avdija isn’t alone in getting to the stripe. He and Jerami Grant are both drawing fouls at elite rates.
Among players with at least 200 field goal attempts, they’re two of just eight players averaging more than 50 free throw attempts per 100 shots from the field. That’s a sign of physical, aggressive play - and it’s helping keep Portland in games even when the shots aren’t falling.
Now, the Blazers hit the road again for a five-game trip that starts Tuesday in Toronto. From there, they’ll face Cleveland, Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans. It’s a stretch that could either stabilize their season or send them sliding further down the standings.
The good news? Portland’s playing hard, generating good looks, and getting to the line.
The bad news? They’re not finishing, and that’s the difference between being a scrappy 10-seed and a team that can make real noise in the West.
The margins are thin, but the pieces are there. Now it’s about putting it all together.