Week 4 NBA Power Rankings: 20. Portland Trail Blazers (6-7)
Last week: (1-2) – @ LAC (L), @ PHX (L), @ HOU (W)
Offensive rating: 109.2 (8th in NBA)
Defensive rating: 107.4 (16th in NBA)
In a year where the Portland Trail Blazers should have been trying to convince Damian Lillard to stay, they haven’t done a very good job of doing that with their play.
Their offense has been alright, but, per usual, their defense has been subpar. Lillard’s own struggles to start the year definitely didn’t help much, either.
In addition to their on-court problems, the Blazers have been having issues off the court lately as well. The President and CEO of the team recently stepped down, and they have begun conducting an investigation into the President of Basketball Operations, Neil Olshey.
The team has been a mess so far this year, and this is not the spot they wanted to be in this far into the season. They should be fighting for a playoff spot, not a play-in spot.
Season outlook: The year started out with Lillard trade rumors running amuck. However, despite him squashing those rumors, the team still hasn’t been playing well. This season could mark the last one with this current core. Lillard’s time in Portland could be up if they don’t figure things out soon.