14. Portland Trail Blazers

Last Week’s Ranking: 16

The Blazers could have climbed up the rankings if they did not blow a 20-point lead to the Bulls. They rebounded nicely with easy wins over the Wolves and Kings. 

A good sign for Portland last week was Jusuf Nurkic’s play. His scoring and rebounding went up while he racked up 4.3 assists per game.

As a team the Blazers are sporting a top-five offense, but their 23rd-ranked defense is holding them back. Even though it was not top-notch opponents, the Blazers put up a defensive rating of 103.5 last week. It will take time, but they have plenty of defensive tools. Gary Trent Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. are doing well as point-of-attack defenders with Robert Covington rotating on the weak side. 

The Blazers would climb up the rankings if they find their defensive gear. 

Source: bleacherreport.com
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