Evaluating the Western Conference
The imbalance in the Eastern and Western Conferences has been well-documented for a long time, but it may have hit its peak this year. There are a dozen teams in the West that could very well be playoff teams if they were in the East. So naturally, there will be quite a few quality teams who miss out on the postseason, just because of how deep the conference is. Let’s take a look at the different tiers of teams in the West.
The Locks for the Playoffs
Golden State Warriors: This doesn’t need much explanation. The Warriors steamrolled through the playoffs last year, only dropping one game all postseason. Then they upgraded, bringing back all major parts, while also replacing Ian Clark and JaVale McGee with Omri Casspi and Jordan Bell, who they drafted after buying the 38th overall pick.

Houston Rockets: The Rockets had an excellent season last year, and although they had a rough ending, expect bigger things to come for them. The reason: Chris Paul. Bringing him in to play alongside James Harden will be a huge addition for them. They’re both ball-dominant, but they are both brilliant players who will learn to coexist well. They might also add Carmelo Anthony, but even without him, watch out for the Rockets to make some serious noise.
San Antonio Spurs: No matter how the roster is constructed, the Spurs always are fantastic. It’s unbelievable, really- you could show me any roster and tell me it’s the Spurs and I’d say they’d win 60 games. I’m not sure how they’ll do it, but they’re going to remain an elite team.
The Risers
Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets added Paul Millsap this season, giving them a fantastic big-man duo of he and Nikola Jokic. Both are capable shooters, fantastic passers, and Millsap gives them much needed interior defense. They seem like a team that is probably bound for the playoffs now, but their success will likely depend on the development of their guards- if Emmanuel Mudiay, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris can all have major impacts on the team, they could be a lot better than many people think.

Oklahoma City Thunder: In stealing Paul George away from the Pacers, the Thunder give Russell Westbrook a much needed secondary playmaker. They also made a fantastic signing by getting Patrick Patterson, who will add what OKC is desperate for- shooting. However, their fate will ultimately be determined by Westbrook- can he revert back to being a somewhat selfless player to accommodate George? Or, will he keep on being the stat-padding, me-first, selfish player he was last year?
New Orleans Pelicans: With a full offseason under the belts, the Pelicans will enter next year with a plan of how to use the twin towers of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. They re-upped with Jrue Holiday, and made a very interesting choice to sign Rajon Rondo to share the backcourt with Holiday. But where they really need production in order to become a serious team is on the wings. E’Twaun Moore and Solomon Hill are both on hefty contracts, and if they can’t shoot well from beyond the arc it will hurt their team tremendously.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves certainly had an eventful offseason, replacing Zach Lavine, Ricky Rubio and Kris Dunn with Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson. And while the sheer talent level will get them into the playoffs, but they lack floor spacing. They’ll certainly be a good team, but they can’t be a great team unless all of their key players improve their jumpshots.
The Fallers
Utah Jazz: The Jazz are obviously going to take a hit after losing their only true go-to option in Gordon Hayward. But don’t expect them to fall off entirely- they still have Rudy Gobert, who is too good to let a team be bad. He, along with role players like Rubio, Joe Ingles and others, will have a tough job- but they’re ready to get it done. However, the production from the shooting guard position will make or break them. This is a huge year for both Rodney Hood and Alec Burks, and incoming rookie Donovan Mitchell could very well become a star.
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers have solid role players now around their star duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Milos Teodosic, Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, Willie Reed, and Montrezl Harrell make for a solid supporting cast, much better than any they’ve had before. But what will decide whether or not they return to the playoffs is Griffin. If he can become a superstar again when he returns, they’ll be set. If not, they’ll be in trouble.

Memphis Grizzlies: The “Grit and Grind” era has come to a close, with Zach Randolph and Tony Allen on their way out of Memphis. And they also seemingly aren’t interested in bringing back JaMychal Green, which is a very weird decision. Aside from Mike Conley, they have a bunch of core players who are on the decline. Unfortunately for a team that has always been a mainstay in the playoffs, they might be on their couches come playoff time next year. But, if Mike Conley can take a big step in his game and become a bonafide star, they will be back.
Portland Trail Blazers: While everybody else bulked up and added talent, the Blazers just talked. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have talked about getting Carmelo Anthony, a virtually impossible outcome, and have actually done nothing. They still have quite a few bad contracts, and haven’t made a single addition in all of free agency. However, if Lillard and McCollum’s supporting cast can show up, the Trail Blazers will once again make the playoffs.
The Young Guns
Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks are going to be incredibly entertaining. With a freakishly athletic rookie in Dennis Smith Jr., fun spark plug scorers like Seth Curry and Harrison Barnes, two solid bigs in Nerlens Noel (when they eventually come to terms on a new deal) and, of course, Dirk Nowitzki. They can’t be considered a team with a good chance of making the playoffs yet, but they have a very solid core in place and will be an awesome team to watch. But if they were to make the playoffs, it would come off the backs of Barnes and Noel, the two best players on the team, making big strides on both sides of the ball.

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers will certainly be interesting to watch- the development of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are keys for them. Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for one year will make them much more competitive, as he is a huge help on defense, specifically for Ball. Brook Lopez is a fine big, but he isn’t a good defender. If they somehow made the playoffs, it would be because of guys like Pope and Julius Randle making big improvements to their games.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns are full of young talent, most notably Devin Booker. The biggest goal for them this season should be to develop their other young pieces, Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender. They won’t come anywhere near the playoffs, but if those four players can take strides, this will be a successful season.
Sacramento Kings: The Kings drafted relatively well, getting De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles in the first round, and entered the free agency period with the most cap space in the entire NBA. They could’ve been like the Nets and taken on bad contracts to acquire draft picks as compensation, or been like the Hawks and taken shots on young players with the tools to become a quality player. But instead, they signed three veterans- Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and George Hill. Those are all fine players, but they have no use for a bottom-feeder like the Kings. They should’ve used their cap space to acquire long-term assets, but instead they threw away money and gave it to old veterans.
The West will certainly be wild next season, and just about anything can happen from seeds two through eight.


