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NBA power rankings: Blazers 'need another star'

"Until then, this team will be stuck in the pretty-good-but-never-a-serious-contender category," writes CBS Sports' Reid Forgrave
Credit: Christian Petersen
From left to right, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trail Blazers.

PORTLAND, Ore. — As we move into the second half of the regular season, the general consensus of most NBA experts is that the Trail Blazers are pretty good, but not good enough.

In other words, this team will probably get close to 50 wins this season and make the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season. But as the roster currently stands, the Blazers' ceiling remains a second-round postseason exit, at best.

CBS' Reid Forgrave, who ranked Portland 11th in his latest NBA power rankings, put it this way: "They need another star to take the burden off Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Until then, this team will be stuck in the pretty-good-but-never-a-serious-contender category."

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LISTEN: 3-on-3 Blazers podcast: Second-half expectations

Forgrave, and other experts, did note Jusuf Nurkic's improvement. He's averaging 19.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 steals and shooting 59 percent from the field over the past 10 games and is having the best season of his career. But even though Nurkic playing this well does move the needle for the Blazers, Forgrave still said he wouldn't qualify the Blazers center as a star.

The Blazers' Big 3 of Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic outscores opponents by 8.2 points per 100 possessions when they share the court. It's a good mark, but falls a bit short of the production of the NBA's best three-star lineups.

  • Warriors (Curry/Durant/Thompson) +12.0
  • Raptors (Leonard/Lowry/Siakam) +11.4
  • Celtics (Irving/Tatum/Horford) +11.3
  • Pacers (Oladipo/Sabonis/Turner) +10.2
  • Jazz (Mitchell/Gobert/Ingles) +9.2
  • Thunder (George/Westbrook/Adams) +9.0
  • Portland (Lillard/McCollum/Nurkic) +8.2
  • Nuggets (Jokic/Millsap/Murray) +7.9
  • Bucks (Antetokounmpo/Middleton/Bledsoe) +5.5
  • Spurs (Aldridge/DeRozan/Gay) +1.5
  • 76ers (Embiid/Simmons/Butler) +0.1
  • Rockets (Harden/Paul/Capela) -2.9

It's unlikely that Portland is able to acquire another star by the February 7 trade deadline. No one knows if a star player will become available for trade, and even if one does, it's unclear if the Blazers have enough attractive assets to get a trade done.

But even if they can't get another star in the next month, the Blazers should be buyers at the trade deadline this season. They're in the hunt for homecourt advantage in the playoffs for a second consecutive season, and this roster needs an upgrade at small forward and to its bench.

Here's a look at how the Blazers fared in this week's NBA power rankings:

Sports Illustrated: Blazers rank No. 6 (up 5)

What they wrote: Portland was on a four-game winning streak going into Sunday’s matchup with the Nuggets, and one more defensive rebound after Jamal Murray’s late miss might have turned that into a five-game winning streak. For now, the Trail Blazers have to settle for their 1-5 record against the top three seeds in the West. — Khadrice Rollins

NBA.com: Blazers rank No. 9 (up 1)

What they wrote: Jusuf Nurkic shot 68 percent over the Blazers' four-game winning streak, averaged 14.9 rebounds per 36 minutes over the four games, and tied a career high with eight assists against Charlotte on Friday. But the Blazers' loss in Denver on Sunday was their fifth straight to Nurkic's old team (after winning the first two post-trade meetings) and featured the Nuggets shooting 18-for-26 in the restricted area. A big part of the Blazers' sixth-ranked defense last season was the league's lowest opponent field goal percentage in the restricted area by a wide margin (55.4 percent). They still rank sixth there this season (60.8 percent), but have seen the biggest increase in how well their opponents have shot near the basket, though Nurkic still ranks as one of the league's better high-volume rim protectors. — John Schuhmann

The Athletic: Blazers rank No. 10 (up 2)

What they wrote: The Portland Trail Blazers surprised everybody last season by being a really good defensive team that struggled a bit on offense. For years, this Blazers team and the core of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum danced all over your grave on offense while just hoping to keep it together enough on defense to win games. Last season, they went the opposite route. Defense fueled a lot of their victories and they just hoped that Lillard and McCollum were good enough on offense to pull them to victories. It was actually an encouraging sign for this season because it seemed like the Blazers would get back to being a dangerous offensive squad thanks to health and continuity.

Last season, Portland ranked 13th in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating. This season, the Blazers are back in the top 10 in offense at ninth, but they’ve also fallen to 15th in defensive rating. Last season, their defense worked because they didn’t give up a high percentage of shots going in, and they also managed to crush the defensive boards to end possessions. They still rebound really well to end possessions this season, but preventing shots from going in has slipped quite a bit. The Blazers still win a bunch of games because the backcourt is that good. However, the absence of Ed Davis has certainly been felt on that end of the floor. — Zach Harper

CBS Sports: Blazers rank No. 11 (up 1)

What they wrote: The early-season conclusion: They need another star to take the burden off Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Until then, this team will be stuck in the pretty-good-but-never-a-serious-contender category. What it looks like now: Pretty much the same, except Jusuf Nurkic has looked like the same player who was so damn good for the Blazers two years ago when they traded for him midseason. He's not a star, but Nurkic playing at this level — 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 57.1 percent true shooting, all career highs — nudges the Blazers' ceiling upward. — Reid Forgrave

ESPN: Blazers rank No. 11 (up 1)

What they wrote: Luckily for the Blazers, all their games aren't in the Western Conference. Portland is a surprising 14-15 in the West, 2-6 in the Northwest division and 12-3 against the Eastern Conference. If only geography could move Portland to the opposite coast. — Marc Spears

Jared Cowley writes about the Trail Blazers and other topics for KGW.com. He's also the co-host of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast (listen here). You can reach him on Twitter @jaredcowley.

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