Western Conference Predictions
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
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.
12. New Orleans Pelicans
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.
13. San Antonio Spurs
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.
14/15 (Tie) Houston Rockets/Oklahoma City Thunder
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.
Playoff Predictions
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 ConferenceĀ
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.