The Portland Trail Blazers have garnered an early-season reputation as giant slayers, and the media has taken notice. Following their nail-biter win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, CBS Sports has ranked
the Blazers fifth (!) in their most recent power poll.
CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin writes:
Amazing start for the Blazers at 5-3 with wins over the previously undefeated Thunder, Lakers, Warriors and Nuggets. Jrue Holiday has made a huge difference; the Blazers came into Wednesday’s game vs. OKC outscoring opponents by 6.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, per CTG. Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija are off to roaring starts and the defense is a top-10 unit led by Holiday, Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara. Now we just need Shaedon Sharpe’s shooting to come around and see what Scoot Henderson can do when he eventually suits up.
The Blazers’ ranking sees them higher than numerous presumed playoff teams, including the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Blazers jumped up 18 spots, tied with the Bulls for the largest increase from CBS’ previous list.
Deni Avdija has played no small part in the Blazers’ success. His early-season dominance has warranted all-star consideration. Avdija seems to have reached “He had a bad game, but he still has 27 points” level of good—true star stuff. Through eight games, Avdija has averaged 24.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 46.5/36/85 splits.
As Botkin notes, Shaedon Sharpe’s shooting woes continue to haunt this team. On the season, Sharpe has converted only 26.3% of his threes, and 37% of his field goals. Both optimism and statistics tell us that his percentages should improve. If they do, the Blazers should continue to find themselves in the upper-half of power rankings.
The Blazers look to keep the good times rolling this Saturday at 5pm against the Miami Heat.
