![]() He demonstrated as much in the 2022 playoffs and the youngster is thirsty for respect and a spot on the All-NBA team. That said, their best player is Anthony Edwards. How he and Karl-Anthony Towns mesh will dictate how effective the Wolves will be in their quest to overwhelm opponents with size and mismatches. Minnesota Timberwolves: This will be Year One of the Rudy Gobert experiment and there’s plenty on the line for the Wolves to make all of that Draft capital they surrendered to get Gobert from Utah worthwhile. The Mavericks could reach the West finals again … or lose in the first round.Īfter adding Rudy Gobert (center), Minnesota is hoping to take a big step forward this season. will make an injury return and new addition Christian Wood might be the best frontline player Doncic has ever had in Dallas. They’ll miss Jalen Brunson to an extent, but Spencer Dinwiddie has the tools and experience to fill the vacancy. Now, whether the Mavericks can make any noise in the 2023 playoffs will be decided by the players orbiting around Luka. Then it’ll come down to matchups and whether Jackson will be ready to flex in springtime.ĭallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic is one of the preseason favorites for Kia MVP. Everyone anticipates Ja Morant blossoming into a top-10 talent (if he isn’t there already), and Desmond Bane is playing for a contract next summer, so the Grizzlies will be in the mix. possibly being out until January will leave them lacking a supreme defensive player for a few months. That, plus injured forward Jaren Jackson Jr. Memphis Grizzlies: It’ll be a task to top what they did last season - 56 wins and stretching their postseason into May - because the Grizzlies won’t sneak up on anyone this time. Can Chris Paul keep defying age? Given the hike in competition in the West, the Suns will need to be better than the last two seasons in order to represent this June. Devin Booker has the ingredients to be an MVP finalist, Deandre Ayton isn’t sweating over his contract anymore and Mikal Bridges really wants that Kia Defensive Player of the Year award. This season, they return the meat of that rotation, which means the Suns will have a major say in how the West is won. Last season, they finished with the best record in the NBA. Phoenix Suns: Two seasons ago, they won the West. The only way this doesn’t happen is if there’s an injury setback with Murray and/or Porter, or the supporting cast, led by newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, comes up weak and meek. Those two previously injured talents can and likely will make a reasonably big difference with the Nuggets and vault them into title conversation. and Jamal Murray to two-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic, it equals a Big Three, 50-plus wins and a deep postseason run. Stephen Curry and the Warriors once again enter a new season as the West team to beat.ĭenver Nuggets: Simple addition says when you add Michael Porter Jr. ![]() Even better, can one or more of them make the generous leap of importance like Jordan Poole did last season? A repeat title may depend on it. So that’ll be the test, then: whether Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman can keep up with franchise stalwarts Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson and learn from them. Golden State Warriors: Rarely does a championship team return the next season with untapped upside, yet such is the case for the Warriors, who’ll throw the kids into the mix and hope for the best. Can the Clippers distance themselves from their unlucky past and finally reach the promised land? Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and friends are antsy and anxious to see what new addition John Wall is bringing, but that stigma thing is pretty tricky … and oh so sticky to the franchise. The Clippers have the top-shelf talent and depth to overcome the first two. LA Clippers: Now that their injuries are in the past - at least they hope - the biggest threats to the Clippers are perhaps two or three teams in the West and stigma. This promises to be both an emphatic and entertaining season within the conference, where the only unquestioned winner will be the viewers, who get to gobble up all the glorious basketball. Overall, then, the West is bringing lots of depth and also a handful of teams that can realistically envision the taste of champagne in June. Count the LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans in that select group and tell those medical staffs to take the rest of the day off. That’s because this is the Year Of The Comeback, where very good teams will welcome back previously-injured centerpieces and therefore loom as very dangerous threats. Well, this year, that notion goes next level.Ĭompeting in the West will be tough- er. ![]() Folks say it every year: Competing in the West will be tough.
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