National Basketball Association

NBA: Northwest Division Power Rankings: New Face On Top?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Nov 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots over Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA has seen another exhilarating week of basketball and the Northwest Division is the same way.

Another exciting week of NBA basketball is in the books, with multiple movements on this week’s power rankings. While Denver and Minnesota continue to go through their own issues, teams like Portland continue to ramp up the intensity as most teams finish their first 10 games.

The Wolves have begun to look better, while the Thunder have begun to slip from their impressive 6-1 start. Even with their recent struggles, Westbrook continues to show the true MVP candidate that he is, while Damian Lillard has made a small case as well. If the season ended today, three out of the five teams in the Northwest Division would make the NBA playoffs.

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Who is now the best team in the division, and who is the worst?

If you feel we missed something, let us know in the comments!

Nov 13, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) shoots in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-99. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

5. Minnesota Timberwolves.

I really had to fight with myself on who should be in this position. As it ultimately came down to the Wolves or the Nuggets, only one thing helped me make this decision. The Nuggets defeated the Wolves earlier this season.

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Don’t get me wrong, the Wolves are still a very talented team with the possibility of turning their entire season around. In their last game against the Los Angeles Lakers, they won by 26 points. That’s not even the most impressive stat, as their young small forward, Andrew Wiggins, dropped 47 points. This is only one example of the potential and fire-power that Minnesota has at their disposal. There are players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Kris Dunn, and Zach LaVine who could make a big impact on any game at any time as well.

The ultimate question to ask about this team is, “Is too much youth a bad thing?” This is an incredibly young team, with their biggest veteran in Kevin Garnett retiring at the beginning of the season. The young players are going to be great, but can Minnesota succeed with the great amount of youth they have now? That question, along with some others, will ultimately be decided later into the season.

Nov 13, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Andrew Wiggins (22) talk during a time out in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-99. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

I really like this team’s core, and I believe that they are starting to get hot. This being said, I need them to show me more in the next week for them to move up. Any team has a great game or two, the Wolves will have to prove that it’s no fluke. Their schedule in the next week consists of games against the Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Memphis Grizzlies.

Nov 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers forward Mason Plumlee (24) and forward Meyers Leonard (11) during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

4. Denver Nuggets.

Again, I really considered putting them at the last spot in the power rankings for this week. This past week has been anything but easy and successful for the Nuggets, as they lost every game. I could have put either team in the last spot and been fine with it, but I’m going to go with my gut on this list.

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There is one word that can explain most of Denver’s main struggles, and that word is turnovers. When the Nuggets are playing like they are capable of, they can compete with anybody in the NBA. A team cannot do this when they average the most turnovers in the league. Not only does that give the ball back to the other team, but any kind of momentum that the team held before it is lost.

As I said before, the Nuggets look like a great team when they play smart and to their potential. Emmanuel Mudiay has shown some flashes of a good point guard so far, while Jamal Murray has struggled to find his shot so far. A player that has truly impressed me in the little amount of minutes that he has played is another rookie, Malik Beasley. For example, the Nuggets got blown out by the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, and Beasley came in during the second half. For a stretch of possessions, he had ten of their twelve points. He’s got a smooth jumper, and he is very athletic too.

Nov 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) loses control of the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 125-101. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The thing that the Nuggets are going to have to work on is playing a full game. Their turnovers need to decrease as well, as they lose momentum with every one of them. Their upcoming schedule includes games against the Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, and Utah Jazz.

Nov 13, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) brings the ball up the court against the Orlando Magic during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

3. Oklahoma City Thunder.

I remember last week when I said that I didn’t think that the Thunder could keep up the impressive play for forever. Well, it happened quicker than I expected, as they have not looked like the team that started 6-1.

They’ve dropped three straight games, including one against the former Thunder player, Serge Ibaka and the Orlando Magic. Ibaka hit the game winning shot against his former team in his first return to Oklahoma City. One of the other games they lost was against the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that can make a case for the best in the league at the moment. I don’t believe that the Thunder are going to struggle for a while now, as they still have a ton of talent in their roster, but they did not play well in the past week.

Russell Westbrook is continuing to impress, as he is almost averaging a triple-double. At times he looks like he could win a game by himself, a true one-man show. Although I remember earlier this season saying that a one-man show can be risky to depend on. Even with the three straight losses, the Thunder are still 6-4, and Westbrook is arguably the favorite to win the MVP award at this point.

Nov 13, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) takes the floor prior to action against the Orlando Magic at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder should be able to find their footing and try to pick it up after this week. This week’s slate of games for OKC includes the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, and Indiana Pacers.

Nov 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) controls the basket against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Utah Jazz defeated the Orlando Magic 87-74. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2. Utah Jazz.

Once again this week, I had a dilemma to face. I had to choose between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Jazz for the number one and two spots. The Jazz have been playing some good basketball as of late, although it hasn’t been perfect. It has been good enough to lead the division, tied with the Blazers.

One word explains why the Jazz aren’t the best team in the division right now, and it is injuries. George Hill began this season showing what he is truly capable of, averaging around 20 points per game in Gordon Hayward’s absence. Now Hayward is back and is playing pretty well, but Hill has been out with a sprained right thumb. The injury bug will not give them much of a break, but the Jazz have done pretty well to overcome it so far.

This is a defensive first team, as they are second in the league in average points allowed per game, while in the bottom half of the league in points scored per game. This is a playoff team if they keep it up, especially when they get all of their players back and healthy. Like I stated before, they are now tied for the lead of the Northwest Division with the Portland Trail Blazers at 7-4. One of the main reasons behind this play is that they have been shooting the ball pretty well, as they are just out of the top ten in field goal percentage.

Nov 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) drives to the basket as Orlando Magic guard C.J. Watson (32) defends during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Jazz will look to possibly take sole possession of first place in the division this week. They take on the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets.

Nov 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) shoots over Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

1. Portland Trail Blazers.

In my pre-season power rankings, I placed the Blazers as the number one team in the Northwest division. They didn’t quite start the season the way that I expected, but they have picked up their game in the past few contests they’ve played.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love the Portland Trail Blazers’ back-court. Besides the Golden State Warriors, I believe that Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum is the best back-court in the league. Lillard is averaging over 30 points per game, and is quietly putting together a great stat-line. One of the most impressive things about this team is how much they feed off of each other. If nobody can hit, it’s not good, but if somebody’s on, then everybody’s on.

This team is offensive-based, as they are in the top five for points scored per game, but in the bottom five in points allowed. Again, they are tied with the Utah Jazz at 7-4 for the top of the division, but their losses are to either very good teams or right down to the wire. They’ve lost to the Clippers, one of the best teams in basketball right now, twice, the Warriors, and to the Phoenix Suns on an Eric Bledsoe game-winner.

Nov 11, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots over Sacramento Kings in the second half at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Can the Blazers make some separation between them and the Jazz this week? They will look to do so as they play against the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Brooklyn Nets.

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