NBA Power Rankings: Sleeping giant awakes in West; Cavs ready to dethrone Celtics?

Our first regular season NBA Power Rankings have arrived.

Los Angeles Lakers v Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Lakers v Cleveland Cavaliers | Jason Miller/GettyImages
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26. Washington Wizards

To be perfectly honest, it hasn't been a great start for the Washington Wizards this season. The Wizards didn't enter the year with a ton of expectations but with the priority of trying to develop the young core. At least so far this season, the early returns haven't been great. Alex Sarr has gotten off to a rough start and aside from Bilal Coulibaly, this is a team that doesn't have a ton of potential foundational pieces on their roster. That doesn't mean this season will end as a failure for the Wizards but it's also not ideal for their long-term potential.

It's been just two weeks and a handful of games. It may just be a slow start for the Wizards and it was always going to take some of their younger pieces time to develop. However, for a team that doesn't have a clear direction heading into the future, it is somewhat concerning that some of their big-name young pieces haven't exactly answered the bell. The Wizards aren't going to be in the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference but that doesn't mean there still isn't much to accomplish this season.

25. Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have found themselves in a difficult situation. Their two "best" players on the team aren't exactly players that many presume to be foundational pieces for the future and their young core has continued to leave much to be desired. Something will eventually have to give for the Blazers but at least for now, there remains plenty of uncertainty regarding this team's future. Heading into the NBA Trade Deadline, the Blazers are certainly a team to keep a close eye on. But at this point, it's almost impossible to predict how they're going to operate.

In theory, the Blazers should be considered as a team with a bright future but when watching this team, there is much to be desired. It's still early on in the season and I suppose that is a silver lining for the team to hold on to for now, but there's no question this team has to choose a direction one way or another. And you'd have to imagine that has to happen sooner rather than later.