Following back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and another W over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers are moving on up.

The stretch marked Portland’s first three-game win streak in over a year and brought its record to 6-8. The wins also caught the eye of NBA.com’s John Schuhmann. In his latest power rankings, Schuhmann moved the Blazers up five spots versus last week, jumping Portland from No. 27 to No. 22.

In a writeup accompanying the ranking, Schuhmann highlighted Portland shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe and the recent performance of Portland’s center rotation.

Shaedon Sharpe had played in just three games (and shot 1-for-13 from 3-point range) prior to the streak, but he’s been the offensive star, averaging 27.3 points on an effective field goal percentage of 58.5% over three wins. He also made some good decisions as he dished out five assists in the comeback win over the Hawks. If Sharpe could start putting it together (with some consistency) this season, he’d have a special combination of skill and athleticism.

Deandre Ayton has missed all three games, allowing Donovan Clingan (17 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks in the second win over the Wolves) to start and Robert Williams III to play 50 minutes over the two games for which he was available. Williams totaled 33 points (on 15-for-16 shooting), 17 rebounds, four steals and four blocks in those 50 minutes.

Despite the improvement in ranking and the optimism surrounding Portland’s players, Schuhmann noted that the road gets considerably harder for the Blazers moving forward.

The Blazers begin a five-game trip on Wednesday in Oklahoma City, where they lost by 62 points back in January. They also lost to the Thunder (at home) by 23 points earlier this month.

After the Thunder, the Blazers have back-to-back games against the red-hot Houston Rockets, before facing the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers.