Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers.
In the last article, I addressed my predictions for what I think will happen in the Eastern Conference. We are now addressing my thoughts about how the Western Conference (Including The Portland Trail Blazers) will shape out.
Sometimes stability pays off. I like almost everything about this team. The way they focus on defense, the humbleness, and the maturity of its stars. Along with a rabid fan base that continues to make Salt Lake City one of the most challenging places to win in over the last 30 years or so. I don’t think Utah is the most talented team in the West, but they will be consistent enough to capture the top seed again.
Some might point out the riskiness of bringing in a player that can’t space the floor for Lebron James. Who often requires the ball in his hands to have an impact on the court. However, when you compare those risks to the idea of standing pat and expecting improvement from within, I think you have to take that risk.
There will be growing pains and lapses where the team plays badly for a few games. However, this might be LeBron’s most talented roster ever. Lebron’s age and team chemistry will be the deciding factors on how far this team goes.
Similar to Utah, I think the Suns will be a solid regular-season team. Though they won’t catch teams off guard like they did last season. I think Chris Paul‘s leadership will keep them moving forward. Deandre Ayton not signing an extension could provide some trade chatter in the background, but I doubt Phoenix makes a move. I also wouldn’t count on running into three straight playoff teams missing one of their two best players happening again this upcoming season.
We can be honest and admit Portland did not look good in the preseason. We can also be honest and admit that Portland has one of the best starting lineups in all of basketball, anchored by Damian Lillard, and arguably improved their bench with defensive-minded role players that know how to shoot. I put an asterisk next to the four because I don’t think Portland will have the same roster going into the second half of the season.
I felt the re-signing of Norman Powell, and stacking the bench with wing players who are lethal from three-point range, is an attempt at replacing some of C.J. McCollum‘s abilities after a potential trade. Portland is smart for waiting for the right player.
Still, when it eventually happens, I expect Powell and Robert Covington to be better used to their abilities. I also see Ben Mclemore having somewhat of a comeback season and gelling with a bench unit that has Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little, Larry Nance Jr, and Cody Zeller.
The return of Klay Thompson will be what takes this team from play-in fodder to borderline contenders. I added the asterisk because I think the roster will have a significant upgrade by the trade deadline. Along with Andrew Wiggins’ contract, all of the young talents will lead to a move to acquire another star. If this team can acquire another star without moving its big three, I think the rest of the league should be on notice that the Warriors are back.
To be clear, if Denver were starting the season with a healthy Jamal Murray, I would have them at the #2 seed. The lack of Murray for the first half of the season will allow a few Western Conference teams to pass them up in the standings. Come playoff time, Denver will be a nightmare to face in the first round. Aaron Gordon has fit in nicely with Nikola Jokic, and Murrays’ absence has allowed Michael Porter Jr. to further develop into the team’s 3rd-star player.
The team seemed to come together and rally after Kawhi Leonard went down in the 2nd round series against Utah. Eric Bledsoe is an upgrade over Patrick Beverley, and if they can hold on until Kawhi comes back, we might be in for a treat in a potential first-round series between the Clippers and Lakers. Similar to my thoughts about Denver, a healthy Clippers team is a legit threat to any team in the west and should be considered a contender.
I’m not a fan of the offseason moves Dallas made. Moving around role-players is like moving around chairs on the Titanic. This team has shown improvement in its few seasons with Luka Doncic, but they are way too reliant on him.
Their other star, Kristaps Porzingis, needs to stay healthy and have the kind of impact he was expected to have when the team traded for him a few Summers ago. Otherwise, they are looking at the bottom seed in the playoffs and a likely play-in game against another up-and-coming team with more balance.
The talent is there to have an elite backcourt. Now it’s just working on chemistry and fit. De’Aaron Fox is starting to look like a real leader for this team, and Tyrese Haliburton has star potential. The team might be a trade away from making the playoffs, but I have them at least making the play-in. Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes might end up as trade assets to bring in a more long-term answer at one of the forward positions. But I like the direction this team is going with its young backcourt.
After back-to-back play-in losses, just losing out on the eighth seed, I think this team stalls a bit this season as it figures out its contract situations with some of its young players. Ja Morant keeps this team above water but gets beat out by the Sacramento Kings by just a hair.
Anthony Edwards takes another step and gives Minnesota a legit poor man’s big three with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. The team will improve upon last year’s record and contend for the play-in spot but ultimately lose out.
This team would be ranked higher if there was more certainty surrounding the health of Zion Williamson. Talent-wise, this team should be ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, but they seem to keep finding ways to hold themselves back. Brandon Ingram could be on the move if the team comes out looking like a league bottom feeder. On the flip side, if this team has a healthy Zion and can acquire a third star, they could be nipping at the heels of the Western Conference Elites.
For a team that lost out on its two best players within the last year for very little in return, they’ve managed to make small acquisitions that could pay off in the near future. This team may need a bad season with a high lottery pick to finally recoup some of the talents they’ve lost in recent years. Still, a well-coached team that always plays above its talent level.
We might be watching an intense two-team race for the leagues’ worst record between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The West is just too stacked right now for either of these teams to make any real improvements on their records.
There are a few nice players to keep an eye on, and the eventual trade of John Wall will have people at least briefly talking about the Rockets. But I don’t see either of these teams winning more than 25 games this year. The bright side is both teams have stockpiled draft picks and should be able to turn things around quicker than the average rebuild.
It will be interesting how the four and five seeds actually unfold. I have both teams making big changes by the trade deadline. Either of them could be capable of knocking out Utah in the second round. Sorry Jazz fans, all the positive stuff I said about them is mainly about how I view them as a regular-season team. The Western Conference is still too stacked for them to get to the finals.
Denver knocks out Phoenix and then loses a tight seven-game series to the Lakers. From there, the Lakers defeat Utah (pending what Golden State and Portland look like, post-trade deadline) in the Western Conference finals. Followed by a loss in six games to a motivated Miami Heat team that just beat the Brooklyn Nets. 2022 NBA Champions- Miami Heat.
Related Story: Eastern Conference
What are your thoughts on these predictions? How do you think the NBA season will pan out? Let us know in the comment section below.