Can Portland figure the offense out in the postseason?
The Portland Trail Blazers have a negative net rating on the season, and rank 20th in the NBA in that regard. And yet, here they are at 40-38, currently sitting in the Western Conference play-in picture with a real shot to make the playoffs. More importantly, everything is trending in the right direction.
Over their last 20 games, the Blazers have posted a plus-5.2 net rating, which ranks 11th in the NBA over that span. Over their last 10 games, that number has climbed to plus-11.4. And over the last five, Portland has continued to look like one of the hottest teams in basketball.
What has fueled that surge more than anything is the defense.
That part is not especially surprising, because Portland has been a solid defensive team all year. But lately, it has reached another level. The Blazers have posted the best defensive rating in the NBA over their last 10 games, and that elite play on that end is what has turned them from a respectable team into a dangerous one down the stretch.
The bigger question is still on the offensive side.
For the season, Portland remains a bottom-half offensive team. That has been the swing factor all year, and it is still what will determine how far this group can go in the play-in and, potentially, the playoffs. There are reasons for optimism, though. Injuries and missed time have played a role, particularly with Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant missing stretches, and when Portland is healthy, this roster has enough shot creation and scoring punch to be more dangerous than its season-long numbers suggest.
That is why the recent trend matters so much.
The Blazers are not just winning games. They are defending at an elite level and putting themselves in position to capitalize if the offense can be good enough. At 40-38, Portland currently holds the No. 8 spot in the West, which is the ideal place to be in the play-in format because the eighth seed gets two chances to win one game and advance. The Clippers are the main team chasing them, so nothing is guaranteed yet, but Portland has given itself a legitimate opportunity.
Given the expectations entering the season, that alone makes this a really impressive campaign.
Could this still end with a first-round loss if the Blazers get in and draw a team like Oklahoma City or San Antonio? Absolutely.
But that would not change the bigger picture. Portland looks like a team moving in the right direction, and if nothing else, this season has started to lay the groundwork for something much more meaningful going forward.