The NBA Draft has been completed, free agency is slowing down and the picture of what this season’s NBA teams will look like is falling into place. So with all that said, here are the way too early preseason rankings of the Western Conference.
Cream of the crop – Golden State, San Antonio and Houston
While the offseason moves have been impressive for a lot of teams, there has not been one that is big enough to supersede the Warriors roster. Now the big four the team is built around will be sure to assert their dominance for at least two more seasons after locking in Kevin Durant for two years and Stephen Curry for five.
The big flip at the top of the Western Conference could be between the Spurs and Rockets. While the Spurs have kept their role players around Kawhi Leonard, the Rockets added nine-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul. If the Rockets’ additions of Paul and PJ Tucker fit next to James Harden, then this is by far the No. 2 team. Figuring out how to play Harden and Paul together with only one basketball on the court is key here and only time will tell if the move will make or break the team.
While doubting the Spurs even slightly seems like folly, assuming they slip a few notches this season seems reasonable. Leonard is one of the very best players in the league, but needs more pieces around him to get past the Warriors, and now potentially the Rockets.
One star away – Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Portland
Minnesota is everyone’s favorite team to go to as the new up and comer — and for good reason. Jimmy Butler immediately gave this team’s defense a significant edge over where it was last season while adding another consistent scorer alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. The Wolves upgraded at point guard from Ricky Rubio to Jeff Teague, giving them a better shooter at the position and still kept their bench depth intact with the additions of Justin Patton via the draft and Taj Gibson in free agency. They also took a lot of pressure off Andrew Wiggins, who was struggling in the number one role but should flourish as a second or third option with his scoring ability and defensive prowess. The Wolves gave their defensive minded head coach, Tom Thibodeau, better defensive pieces along with plugging in upgrades at every spot while teams in the middle of the playoffs, like Utah and the L.A. Clippers, lost talent.
They also took a lot of pressure off Andrew Wiggins, who was struggling in the No. 1 role but should flourish as a second or third option with his scoring ability and defensive prowess. The Wolves gave their defensive-minded head coach Tom Thibodeau better defensive pieces along with plugging in upgrades at every spot while teams in the middle of the playoffs, like Utah and the Clippers, lost talent.
The Thunder are also back in the mix after swapping Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for Paul George. While both All-Stars love vying for the last shot in the game, this pairing could prove better than the one in Houston because of George’s defense-heavy game.
Portland is the real wild card here. Their Damian Lillard/C.J. McCollum backcourt has always had the offensive teeth to make them dangerous. This team needs their frontcourt to play better on the glass on both sides, and their draft picks performing is the first step. Zach Collins out of Gonzaga and Caleb Swanigan from Purdue are both players who need to have big rookie seasons for a team that has trouble finding a solid piece to put in the post since LaMarcus Aldridge.
Fringe teams – L.A. Clippers, Memphis, Denver, New Orleans and Dallas
The thing these teams all have in common is a few solid pieces, followed by very little backing them up. The Pelicans have DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis but outside of Jrue Holiday, a very shaky rest of the roster. The Nuggets frontcourt of Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap and Kenneth Faried will put up points and play aggressive in the paint, but the inconsistencies at guard (especially point guard) have been problematic. The Clippers also have their problems with retaining Blake Griffin but losing Chris Paul and still having a center who cannot play in crunch time because of his free throw shooting. Even Memphis, with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, are in the group because of the lack of performance from Zach Randolph (now with the Kings), Chandler Parsons and a thin bench.
The best team from this group is the Mavericks, with Dirk Nowitzki making shots from the fountain of youth, young guards coming in like Seth Curry and Dennis Smith Jr. and Nerlens Noel on defense. Even Harrison Barnes finished strong last year. This team has by far the most potential of the outliers.
Mail it in until the Warriors are old – Phoenix, L.A. Lakers and Sacramento
The bummer of it is this: These teams will all be really fun to watch. Transition offense with Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and Marquese Chriss should prove to be just delightful. The Lonzo/LaVar Ball Lakers paired with Brook Lopez will be the best show in Hollywood and Sacramento with D’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield should make for some fun highlights. The problem with every one of these teams is that they are depending almost entirely on rookies or second-year men to supply the bulk of the defense. With players who are still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, defense falling squarely on their shoulders will prove to be a problem, especially in the back end of a long season. The other factor that makes this difficult is the speed that these teams will be pushing the ball down the court, leaving the defense spread out and exposed after a miss early in the shot clock. What these teams need is experience, and aging of the studs they hope they drafted.
With players who are still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, defense falling squarely on their shoulders will prove to be a problem, especially in the back end of a long season. The other factor that makes this difficult is the speed that these teams will be pushing the ball down the court, leaving the defense spread out and exposed after a miss early in the shot clock. What these teams need is experience, and aging of the studs they hope they drafted.
Wrapping it up – The West is stacked
The arms race to try to compete with Golden Sate is at an all-time high, as teams have clearly stated to operate themselves into two major groups: The teams which are trying to give the Warriors a run versus the teams letting the young guys get good enough to win when Curry and company are old. The regular-season action showed be wire-to-wire as teams try to sneak into what looks to be a packed conference.
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