NBA Power Rankings Week 1: The rise of the Brooklyn Nets

Last Week: Lost to Utah Jazz 120-100, Beat/OT Houston Rockets 128-126

This Week: 12/28/2020 at Los Angeles Lakers, 12/30/2020 at LA Clippers, 1/1/2021 at Golden State Warriors

This is not the start to the season that fans of the Portland Trail Blazers could have envisioned. A 20-point loss to the Utah Jazz is disheartening but can almost be written off due to a lot of roster turnover and a bad Damian Lillard game. The struggles with the Houston Rockets, or what remained of them, is another issue entirely.

Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for nearly 80 points in the game and they still needed every bit of overtime to outlast a team missing plenty of their roster. The fact that only two other Blazers scored in double figures is a worry. This team still has top-10 talent but needs to be right and fast because this conference will not wait for them to do so.

Last Week: Beat Portland Trail Blazers 120-100, Lost to Minnesota Timberwolves 116-111

This Week: 12/28/2020 at OKC Thunder, 12/31/2020 vs. Phoenix Suns, 1/1/2021 vs. LA Clippers

Rudy Gobert looks like he is trying to earn his new contract fully in the first two games. He has been a two-way force that steered the Utah Jazz to a dominant win in the first game and kept them in throughout the eventual loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Donovan Mitchell struggled much of the second game but still hit a couple of late threes to almost bring Utah all the way back. It is rare for him to have as bad a night as he did on Saturday so expect things to only get better from here. Their bench is better than last year and having Bojan Bogdanovic back is huge.