The Western Conference is loaded. With very talented teams all throughout the conference it is believed to the more superior of the two conferences. This is definitely the case when discussion teams 4-15, as the conference is much deeper than the East is. The top teams in each conference are much more equal but this is not about that. It feels like there are 7 teams that you could justify making the West Finals and 12 that could be play-in teams. However, there are 5 teams that are legit contenders to win the West, the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets. All 5 teams are really good and have a case to win the conference. Let’s dive into each team and their playoff outlooks.
The Utah Jazz are in first place of the conference, after being defeated in a 7 game heartbreaker last against Denver, in which Donovan Mitchell was awesome, the Jazz have been even better this season. Mike Conley looks like the player Utah thought they were getting when they traded for him in June 2019. He has been the exact fit Utah has needed next to Mitchell as ‘Spida,’ as he is referred to, continues to take his game to the next level. Rudy Gobert is one of the best (if not the best) defensive players in the NBA today. Players will avoid the paint when playing Utah because when you enter Gobert is right there to either block or effect your shot. They also have Jordan Clarkson as a sixth man who has all the confidence in the world as a scorer and is having a career year for Utah. Royce O’Neale is the team's best perimeter defensive stopper, as he starts with Bojan Bogdanovic on the wing. Bogdanovic missed the bubble last year with a thumb injury and Utah missed him dearly as he was the teams second scoring option next to Mitchell, however he is not a great defensive player which could create problems for Utah. Joe Ingles is one of my favorite NBA players. He does everything well, and even though he is not great at anything in particular, he is very good at everything, he can handle the ball, he can shoot the ball, he can pass it, and he is a plus defender for Utah, Joe Ingles helps any team he plays for. Rounding out Utah’s rotation they have Derrick Favors, who is Gobert’s primary backup at center, and sharpshooters Georges Niang and Matt Thomas, who came over in a trade with the Raptors at the trade deadline. Utah is one of if not the deepest teams and are the best 3 point shooting team in the Association and as the top seed is a legit threat to win the conference.
The job Monty Williams is doing in Phoenix cannot be overstated. He took a team that looked like it was just going to waste Devin Booker’s prime, and with the help of President of Basketball Operations James Jones, has turned Phoenix into a legit contender in just two seasons. The trade to acquire Chris Paul has been a massive addition as he is a guy who is a pure winner and makes every situation he enters so much better. For example the Thunder traded both Paul George and Russell Westbrook, their best 2 players, last season and somehow improved with Paul as the lead star, almost defeating Paul’s former team the Houston Rockets in the first round. Pairing Paul and Booker in the same backcourt is lethal. Booker is a guy who can get any shot he wants and Paul is called the ‘Point God’ for a reason, as he is one of the greatest passers of all time. CP3, as Paul is also known as, has also done wonders for young big man DeAndre Ayton as a pick and roll partner, and wings Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges are defensive stoppers who can go toe to toe with some of the best players in the NBA. Bridges is also a very good shooter from the outside, as he is shooting a career best 40% from 3 point range on a career high 4.7 attempts outside the arc per game. A line up of Paul, Booker, Bridges, Crowder, and Ayton is elite, the way they can score and defend is a force out west and their bench has been solid as well. Guys like Cameron Johnson, Langston Galloway, and E’Twaun Moore are shooters that can come in to hit 3 point jump shots if needed, and Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric are big men that can stretch the floor as well. The Suns have a very well rounded roster that has the potential to do damage in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Clippers completely blew it last year. They were my pick to win the championship and they were supposed to at the minimum go up against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. They did not get to that point losing in 7 games to the Denver Nuggets. They lost a series they were up 3-1 in, they were up by 16 at one point in a closeout game 5 (16 point lead was in the 2nd half as well). They were deep and had just added the reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the offseason, so yes it was a disappointment. I think the Clippers have the best roster in the West, but I am scared from last year, and the fact the Clippers have never been to the West Finals. Maybe they have changed, maybe it was the mental effects of the bubble that made Paul George struggle so much, and maybe they have changed into a roster that better fits with Kawhi and PG, adding guys like Rajon Rondo, Serge Ibaka, and Nic Batum. Guys like Ivica Zubac, Patrick Beverly, and Marcus Morris need to be better than they were last season and I think they will be. The Clippers need to be able to close out games and series if they want to get where they had big plans on going when they added 2 mega superstars to their team.
I am nervous about the defending champs. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both out for the Los Angeles Lakers, and have been/will be out for a significant amount of time. So they rely on Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, and newly signed Andre Drummond to lead the way for the time being. That is not good enough to compete in the gauntlet of the Western Conference. Sure, they’ll stay afloat and be in the playoffs or play in but they will likely not have home court in round 1, and definitely won’t in round 2, should Davis and James return fully healthy. Marc Gasol has been a liability all season, he gets burned on defense far too often, as he has become very slow due to old age. Montrezl Harrell has been good this season but if you saw him in the bubble last season, you know not to trust him come playoff time. As a result, Drummond slides in and becomes the starting center. He is the best rebounder in basketball but how much does that help? With teams shooting all these 3 pointers and stretching the floor, elite rebounders are not necessary anymore. The Lakers were at their best last season when Anthony Davis played center. That should hold up this season, with the Jazz having Rudy Gobert, the Suns having DeAndre Ayton, and the Nuggets having the best big in the NBA, Nikola Jokic, Davis must be healthy for the playoffs or the Lakers won’t win the West. I have zero doubts LeBron will be ready, as he is always ready. Talen Horton-Tucker is the best young asset the Lakers have, he is a 20-year-old wing who can shoot the ball and defend, and the Lakers love him. Guys like Markieff Morris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Alex Caruso were big for LA in the bubble last season and will need to do the same this year. The Lakers need their stars back, or they simply will not do anything in this loaded Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets are loaded. After moving to the Conference Finals last year, with two 3-1 comebacks involved, the Nuggets lost Jerami Grant in free agency to the Detroit Pistons. As a result, they needed to fill the void Grant left, a guy who could defend the wing and be the 4th scoring option. Enter Aaron Gordon. Gordon, who was acquired at the trade deadline for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton, and a first round pick, looks like a massive pick up for Denver, in the first couple of games he has played. They are undefeated since the trade and have beaten both the Clippers, and the East’s 1st seed, the Philadelphia 76ers. Gordon fits perfectly, he can defend the opposing team's best wing player and is an elite cutter on offense for Jokic to pass too. There will be passes Jokic will make during a game where your jaw will fall to the ground and you’ll say ‘wow this guy is just incredible.’ Jamal Murray is the team's point guard and after having a breakout bubble, has continued to play well this season. Michael Porter Jr. is the Nuggets 3rd scoring option and can put the ball in the hoop at the 4 spot. When Jokic, Murray, and Porter are on the floor at the same time, Denver is unguardable. Now add a guy who is an elite defender who does not need the ball, is a great cutter, and is really athletic. That’s what Denver is getting with Gordon. Guys like Monte Morris, Will Barton, Facundo Campazzo (who is an elite passer himself), Paul Millsap, and JaMychal Green will also help with the depth of Denver’s roster. If the Nuggets can stay healthy, they are absolutely a threat to win the conference and may even be my pick come playoff time.
The West is extremely talented, I did not even mention the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks who also are really good teams. However, it feels like these are the 5 teams that could be legit threats to win the conference. Utah shoots the lights out of the ball, Phoenix has a complete roster that can defend, pass, and shoot, the Clippers have all the talent they need, the Lakers are the champs and have LeBron James, and Denver might have the most complete roster out of all of these teams. All of the matchups between these teams would be so much fun and one (or more) of them is going to lose in the first round. With the NCAA tournament wrapping up, the NBA playoffs are on deck and it is going to be so much fun to watch.
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