After an offseason of change, the Portland Trail Blazers have finally made it to the start line of the 2021-22 regular season. With a new coaching staff, new style of play on both sides of the ball and five new players, the product on the court this season will, if nothing else, look markedly different from what we’ve seen over the last five years. Hopefully it’ll be an improvement, even if it might take a bit of time to see it, but if nothing else, it will be different under first-year head coach Chauncey Billups.
But what hasn’t changed much? Where the Trail Blazers come out in the first NBA Power Rankings of the regular season. Sure, there’s not as much optimism this time around -- they were as high as No. 7 in the first rankings last year, while they come in no better than No. 12 this year -- but the average take seems to be that the Trail Blazers are an average team, both now and at this time last year. When you consider the similarities -- a first-round exit followed by some well thought of changes in personnel, though not to the core of players -- it’s not especially difficult to figure out why.
So here’s where Portland starts at they begin the NBA’s 75th season. If they managed to get off to a good start -- winning their opener versus the Kings and besting the defending Western Conference Champs on Saturday would be a strong opening salvo -- a quick accent up the rankings is certainly possible.
• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 17 to start the 2021-22 regular season...
Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Celtics at No. 16 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 18.
• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers smack dab in the middle of the pack at No. 15 to start the season...
The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 14 and ahead of the Grizzlies at No. 16.
• Colin Ward-Henninger at CBS Sports has the Trail Blazers at No. 14 to start 2021-22...
Ward-Henninger has the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 13 and ahead of the Celtics at No. 15.
• The panel of voters at Canadian sports outfit The Score has the Trail Blazers starting the year at No. 14...
Our friends up north have the Trail Blazers behind the Warriors at No. 13 and ahead of the Bulls at No. 15.
• Jordan Greer at Sporting News has Portland at No. 12 in his first rankings...
Greer has the Trail Blazers behind the Celtics at No. 11 and ahead of the 76ers at No. 13.
• Andy Bailey at Bleacher Report has Portland up at No. 12 to start the season...
Bailey has the Trail Blazers behind the Mavericks at No. 11 and ahead of the Celtics at No. 11.
• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 16 in his initial regular season rankings...
Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Clippers at No. 15 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 17.
• Josh Conelissen at HoopsHabit has the Trail Blazers at No. 13 to start the season...
Conelissen has the Trail Blazers behind the Celtics at No. 12 and ahead of the Knicks at No. 14.