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The West is going to be a bloodbath next season. We got 13 teams all fighting for a spot in the playoffs. Even the teams that were out of it last season, took a step forward and will be a tough matchup on a nightly basis.
Except for Utah and Portland, the others have something to play for.
Even the Spurs who were 14th last season could make a run at the play-in zone now with veteran additions in CP3 and Harrison Barnes. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that if we put the Spurs in the East for example, they’re a lock for the play-in.
Just think how much easier it would be for Wembanyama who didn’t even have a point guard to play off of, and now has a legend in CP3 teaching him the pick and roll game and who knows what else. Even though he turned 39 in May, and this following season can easily be his last, Paul brings so much more than a point guard presence to this young team. A starting 5 of these 2 plus Barnes, a pure scorer in Devin Vasell and pick one from Keldon Johnson, Sochan or Zach Collins - this is a solid lineup.
The Chris Paul effect could be stronger than ever possibly, with a superstar on the rise, this team could easily improve by 10+ wins.
Sacramento is another team that missed the playoffs but now got significantly better.
With the acquisition of DeMar DeRozan, the Kings established themselves as a top 6 team in the West. At least on paper.
With sharpshooters Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray surrounding the big 3, Malik Monk exploding from the bench, and a couple of solid additions in Jalen McDaniels and Jordan McLaughlin, the Kings have a deep roster ready to compete with the west juggernauts.
If the fit wasn’t going to be ideal for Demar on the Lakers, with this team he can be his old self. They don’t need another 3 point shooter, and DeRozan can operate with Sabonis in the pick n roll, or play off of the attention that Fox requires. He’s a mid-range assassin, and along Swipa they’ll form one of the best mid-range duos in the league. Also, he’s adding experience and clutch shooting to a team that was in the playoff hunt till the very end, but couldn’t hold on. Sacramento fell down to the 9th seed at the end of the season, as they went 4-6 in their last 10 games and let important games against direct opponents slip away, before getting knocked out of the play-in by the Pelicans. But with Demar on the roster, things could be different next season.
The situation in Memphis should be different as well, given all the time they need to heal and prepare for the upcoming season. Ja Morant led this team twice to the 2nd seed in the conference before they fell victim to injuries and non-basketball related matters. Adding 7 '5'’ rookie center Zach Edey to an all defensive core in Marcus Smart and JJJ, should really tighten up the defense and opposing teams will have trouble scoring against them.
If healthy and focused solely on playing basketball, the Grizzlies could easily return amidst the West elite.
The Warriors on the other hand, might not get back in that group, but certainly recovered well after losing Klay. And if you compare the pieces that left the team in Thompson, CP and Dario Saric with the new signings of Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De'anthony Melton, one can argue that the quality of the team overall remained the same. There are still a lot of questions about Wiggins' future in Golden State as he could be on the move, and hopefully for a serious upgrade like Lauri Markkanen. However, it will be a waste if Steph Curry doesn’t get more help towards the end of his prime.
The Rockets are another team that just missed the playoffs, and they’re going to get better simply by their young guys taking a natural step forward playing a year plus together.
And when you consider that almost every one of the playoff teams got better, you see how wild the west will be.
To me, it looks like we have a clear divide between the 4 best teams and the rest. Dallas and OKC with their newest additions are the scariest teams in the conference.
The Thunder are going to be a defensive powerhouse with Caruso and Hartenstein while Klay could be the X factor for the Mavs providing a lot of floor spacing for Luka and Kyrie to just cook.
KLAY KLIP
Minnesota didn’t even need to do too much, they’re still right there. Denver is also in the mix despite losing a key piece in KCP and not replacing him up to this point.
Then you have the other teams like Phoenix with their big 3 and a new coach.
The Clippers made a bunch of moves and who knows what they’re going to look like next season.
If healthy, the Pelicans are always dangerous, and now they have a nice upgrade at the guard position in Dejounte Murray.
And of course, you gotta mention the Lakers, however the roster looks, they still have Lebron and AD.