3 takeaways from Portland Trail Blazers’ first 10 games

3. Efficient on both ends of the floor

Portland finished 2017-18 with the sixth-best defense in the NBA, but the 13th-best offense. Therefore, the challenge for them this year was to get the offense flowing again while also maintaining their defensive stature.

Somehow, the Blazers have found a way to do just that. Portland currently ranks fifth in the league in offensive rating (113.5), fourth in defensive rating (104.6) and fourth in net rating (+8.9).

The Blazers have really piled on the points in the early going, racking up 1,172 so far. It’s the most for the franchise in a 10-game start since 1990-91. They have shot a solid 46.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent for 3-point range. However, their free throw percentage has been the difference-maker here. Portland shoots an NBA-best 86.1 percent. That’s also a franchise-best mark over the first 10 games.

Defensively, Portland has the third-best opponent field goal percentage in the league (42.6 percent). They rank high defensively despite ranking 27th in steals, 21st in blocks and last in the league in turnovers forced per game. For the Blazers, it’s more about playing team defense and simply making the stop. So far, that plan has worked well for them.