3 reasons for the Portland Trail Blazers’ current struggles

After a hot start, the Portland Trail Blazers have hit a rough patch over the last seven games. Here are three reasons why this may be happening.

On Nov. 13, things were looking up for the Portland Trail Blazers.  They were 10-3, their best start to a season since 2014, and ranked second in the Western Conference. They looked elite, sporting the fourth-best offense, fifth-best defense and third-best net rating in the NBA. The next day, they would set off on a six-game road trip that would put those high rankings to the test.

Fast forward six road games and a home tilt later and the Blazers find themselves 12-8 through 20 games. With such little margin for error in the conference, they’ve now dropped from second to sixth place.

Portland mustered up wins at the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. Conversely, they also suffered double-digit losses at the Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors. During this span, the Blazers had the eighth-best offense, second-worst defense, and third-worst net rating in the league.

It has been an unpleasant two weeks in Rip City. However, it helps to look into why the team has been trending down lately. Here are three possible reasons behind the Portland Trail Blazers’ tough seven-game stretch.