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The Portland Trail Blazers are in the early stages of training camp as preseason action tips off next week. In an early look at where teams sit in the NBA hierarchy, ESPN ranked the Blazers No. 10 in their latest power rankings. Zach Collins is seen as Portland’s breakout candidate this season:
We got a glimpse of things in the 2019 playoffs, particularly in the Blazers’ second-round series against the Nuggets during which Collins became an X factor defending Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap. But as Jusuf Nurkic continues to recover and with the departures of Enes Kanter and Meyers Leonard, there’s more opportunity for Collins. He needs more offensive consistency, but Collins is a savvy pick-and-roll player with elite defensive potential.
Portland is below the Celtics (9) and ahead of the Nets (11). Western Conference teams ranked ahead of the Blazers: Clippers (1), Lakers (4), Rockets (5), Nuggets (6), Jazz (7), Warriors (8).
What do you think of these rankings? Let us know in the comments.