Where Do Blazers Rank in Marc Stein’s Power Rankings?

The first edition of Marc Stein’s NBA power rankings was released just a few weeks before training camp is set to begin. Stein’s first edition of the rankings focuses on how good a team’s summer was and the current injuries on their roster.

The Portland Trail Blazers came in ranked 17th in this first edition of the rankings.

The news we presume Blazermaniacs most want to hear — that Jody Allen has agreed to sell the team to longtime Nike impresario Phil Knight — has not yet materialized. The Blazers were as busy as they could be apart from a sale with the re-signing of Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons to new deals and the acquisitions of Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II, but the West looks so much deeper now that it’s difficult to see Portland avoiding missing out on the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Still: Our-star-is-back points nudged the Blazers to the brink of the league’s top half.

The Blazers come in ranked one spot below the Toronto Raptors and one spot above the Los Angeles Lakers.

The defending champion Golden State Warriors were ranked at the top spot. Just below them were the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics at the number two and three spots respectively.

You can read Marc Stein’s full power rankings on his Substack here.