Where Do Blazers Land in New Week 9 NBA Power Rankings?

Portland has struggled of late.

Dec 13, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) scores a basket during the second half against San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The struggling Portland Trail Blazers have fallen to an 8-18 record on the 2024-25 season, and naturally rank among the NBA's worst squads. They currently occupy the Western Conference's No. 13 seed, and are already 4.5 games behind the No. 12-seeded Sacramento Kings (13-14), seen as the last contender for a play-in spot this season.

Portland's 107.1 offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) ranks 27th out of 30 NBA squads, while the team's 116.2 defensive rating isn't much better, ranking 25th. The team has at least been expedient in its scoring, notching a 99.8 pace, good for 12th league-wide.

In his Week 9 NBA power rankings, NBA.com's John Schuhmann keeps Portland ranked at No. 28, just where the club had resided last week. The Trail Blazers are only slotted in higher than the No. 29-ranked New Orleans Pelicans (5-22) and, of course, the 3-21 Washington Wizards, who recently wrapped up a franchise-tying record of 16 straight losses.

"The Blazers have been relatively competitive (no 40-point losses) over the last eight days, but they’ve dropped six straight games, becoming the sixth team that’s at least 10 games below .500," Schuhmann writes.

Schuhmann offers some fascinating takeaways from the team's season so far. Specifically, he notes that all three of the club's top three centers — $34 million starter Deandre Ayton, rookie lottery pick Donovan Clingan, and All-Defensive big man Robert Williams III — have struggled with availability across the past few weeks.

"Jabari Walker started at the five against the Spurs on Friday, when the Blazers closed with a frontline of Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant," Schuhmann writes. "They’ve played 71 total minutes with Grant at the five (no Ayton, Clingan, Duop Reath, Walker or Williams on the floor), and have only been outscored by four points (with the Blazers and their opponents combining to scored 125 per 100 possessions) in those 71 minutes."

Schuhmann adds that a relatively unheralded role player guard has been one of the team's best two-way contributors, at least in terms of point differential.

"With the younger guards that the Blazers need to develop, 25-year-old Dalano Banton is somewhat of an afterthought on this roster," Schuhmann notes. "But Banton has been playing regular minutes off the bench and the Blazers (who have the league’s fourth-worst point differential overall) have somehow outscored their opponents by 32 points in his 400 total minutes on the floor. The much bigger difference between his minutes on and off the floor has been on offense."

The Blazers have played just two games against the Eastern Conference, but still have five games left on a stretch of 12 straight against the West. Their first meeting of the season with the Nuggets (to whom they’ve lost seven straight) is Thursday in Portland.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henninger demotes Portland two slots, to No. 27, on his power rankings. In addition to the Pelicans and Wizards, Ward-Henninger also considers the Trail Blazers to be in less dire straits than the 5-20 Utah Jazz.

"Portland has lost four in a row and six of its last seven, allowing a staggering 125 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. During those seven games, the Blazers' defensive rating has ballooned from 119 (bad) to 127 (REALLY bad) with Deandre Ayton on the floor -- not great for your starting center."

This week, Portland faces off against the 14-10 Denver Nuggets on Thursday, December 19, and the 13-13 San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, December 21.

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