Los Angeles Clippers
2017-2018 record: 42-40
ESPN.com Pre-Season Power Ranking: No. 21
The Clippers have one of the most experienced teams in the league. Their top seven players are capable veterans who know how to contribute. Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari, Marcin Gortat and Lou Williams have all been great role players their entire careers. While most experts believe a team needs a star, the Clippers have more than enough solid veterans to win games. They will need everyone to work cohesively and hope that old age does not bring about injuries.
Veteran Presence
The Clippers have formed a small army of above average veteran players. Teaming them up could be a solid strategy, since they will have not have a problem with dominant ball handlers. Williams, Gallinari and Harris are very good offensive players, that can score at ease. Gortat, Bradley and Beverley are very good defensive players. If their young guys, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezl Harrell, can contribute, then the Clippers will have a very solid team. Health willing, their veteran craftiness will surprise a lot of teams.
Can The Vets Stay Healthy?
Veterans and injuries go hand in hand. We all know, the older we are the more prone we are to injuries. The whole roster has had trouble with late-career injuries, which could lead to a big pile up on the trainers’ table. Gallinari, Beverley and Bradley need to kick their injury tendencies aside, to help them win ball games. Williams will need help on offense. Last season he carried the Clippers and that will most likely not happen again. Harris will be called upon to help shoulder the load, in his first full season with the Clippers. They need to maintain their health, if they want to have a shot at the playoffs.
Sacramento Kings
2017-2018 record: 27-55
ESPN.com Pre-Season Power Ranking: No. 30
The Kings have put together a group of very young, talented players. While they may be talented, many of them have only begun to scratch the surface of the NBA. De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein will be called upon a lot this season, since the veterans moved on from Sacramento. The Kings seem to be heading in the right direction with their player development. They just need time for everyone to grow.
Princes To Kings?
These young players have the talent, but will need to mature to contend in the West. Fox and Bagley are the two most hyped players on the team. They have been the Kings’ top draft picks the last two seasons and have shown glimpses of star ability. Harry Giles was a draft and stash player, due to his injury, but has yet to be seen on the court. He was a hyped prospect coming out of college, but had too much injury risk. If he comes somewhat close to what scouts see in him, then it will be a steal for the Kings. Hield, Cauley-Stein and Bogdan Bogdanović are the most experienced players on the roster. They will be important for the Kings to become successful and they need to take the next step this season. The Kings’ youth will make them exciting, but they will need to learn how to play in the NBA to become successful.
Young and Inexperienced
Being young is exciting for the future of a franchise. Fox and Bagley appear as if they will be special players, but youth comes with inexperience. They lost their veteran presence to trades and free agent signings this past offseason. The young guys will need to learn how to mature in this league in order to become successful. They will make too many mistakes as they try to learn, which will equal another rebuilding year. The Kings are on the cusp of becoming contenders and will have to hope this team can mature. The playoff drought is almost over in Sacramento.
Los Angeles Lakers
2017-2018 record: 35-47
ESPN.com Pre-Season Power Ranking: No. 8
The Lakers went from rebuilding to possibly being Western Conference Champions. The LeBron James effect will have that kind of factor on a team. His signing was the highlight of the offseason and will improve the Lakers dramatically. Promising youngsters Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram will look to develop under James this season. The process will start out slow, but having James on the team will pay off during his contract period. The Lakers will be champions very soon.
All Hail The King
Signing the best player in the game is no doubt a slam dunk by the front office. Surrounding their young core of Ball, Kuzma and Ingram with James’ knowledge will help them develop. These three players are the future in LA and will become important pieces alongside James. Signing veterans Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Javale McGee and Michael Beasley brings playmaking ability and depth to the roster. Everyone will have to get used to playing with a demanding star, like James, but his basketball abilities are unquestioned. His leadership paired with the young Lakers’ talent will become a force in the league. James has been one of the all-time greats and will look to write the next chapter of his Hollywood script.
What Just Flew Into LA?
While the four veteran offseason signings were beneficial, many people question what their role is in LA. Last season in Cleveland, James struggled to find help at the perimeter and these signings do not improve that. They have great playmaking and defensive ability, but their shooting is the weakest link. Surrounding James with shooters seems to be the best formula to win. If they cannot find shooting from some of the younger players, then the offense will stagger. Their inability to stretch the floor will show just how necessary shooting is to win a championship. They cannot win all season by watching James put up 50 points a game. He most likely will not survive that much physical tear on his body. If the Lakers can find shooters, then they will flourish.
Phoenix Suns
2017-2018 record: 21-61
ESPN.com Pre-Season Power Ranking: No. 28
Much like the Kings, the Suns are very young and inexperienced. Two differences are that they have a star in Devin Booker and a first overall beast in DeAndre Ayton. These two players are going to wreck the league for many years, but the Suns need to get talent elsewhere to compete. Their batch of young players will show off this season, but it will lead to another rebuilding effort.
Number One Pick and Devin Booker
Booker really kicked down the door to stardom when he dropped 70 points against the Celtics last season. He will look to improve even more this season, to look at making the Suns competitive again. Ayton was the first overall pick this past draft and will carry a lot of expectations with him. He is a legit 20 point double-double threat every night. If free agent Trevor Ariza can step up it will give Josh Jackson and Mikal Bridges time to develop and get better. Once again, a young shining team is forming out West. They just need to hope everything falls into place and they can develop their young stars.
No Point Guard and Inexperience
The Suns’ biggest problems on the court last season were ball movement and inexperience. Their point guard position is abysmal this season and does not appear to be fixable within the rotation. The signing or drafting of a playmaking point guard will go a long way for this offense. They need a point guard to orchestrate the offense and spread the ball. Lastly, young teams will often struggle due to their inexperience and growing pains. Josh Jackson has taken longer than expected to develop and they have drafted a few busts, such as Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. The inexperience will fix itself, but they need to continue to draft great players like Booker and Ayton. The Suns have to hope they can make the right decisions moving forward.
Golden State Warriors
2017-2018 record: 58-24
ESPN.com Pre-Season Power Ranking: No. 1
The league’s best team got even better this past offseason. They signed Demarcus Cousins to a one year deal and will be returning their four All-Stars. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green were already enough for the league to handle. They will look to run away with the league again and capture their third straight title.
They Really Just Did That
Just when everyone thought the league was becoming somewhat interesting with all the big offseason action. The Warriors went and did the unthinkable. They signed All-Star big man Demarcus Cousins. There was no way the Warriors could become better, but they went and showed everyone wrong. Curry, Thompson and Durant are unstoppable on offense and can make the score unreachable in minutes. Green leads a solid defense, but they really do not need much defense. Two MVPs will make things extremely easy. If they can stay healthy, the Warriors will run away with the league. I still cannot believe they signed Cousins.
Can They Survive Until The Playoffs?
Their starting lineup usually covers any problems they have in a season. They have few problems, but a couple things could happen to make them sweat it out. The season is long and the starters need to remain healthy for them to be successful. If Curry’s ankle and Durant’s back have problems at the same time, then they will become very exposed. Behind Andre Iguodala, they have a cast of nobodies on the bench. However, their terrible depth is often overlooked when the starters are healthy. They will just need to hope they can last until the playoffs, because every win will be important in the West playoff race. If their health does not stand and they lose too many early games, then they could be in trouble. No one will be able to stay with them in a seven game series, which is why they cannot wait for April.
Division Winner: Golden State Warriors
Big surprise, the Warriors will win the Pacific Division. The rest of the division is very weak, outside of the Lakers and Warriors. The only reason the Lakers are considered is because of the presence LeBron James has on any team. However, they are not good enough yet and have too many question marks. They will get off to a slow start, while the Warriors will do what they normally do. Adding Demarcus Cousins to the roster was an insane move and will no doubt make them unstoppable. The Warriors look very likely to repeat as champs this season.
Reference links:
http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/2018-19-summer-west
Check out my previous blog posts below!
Atlantic Division: click here
Central Division: click here
Southeast Division: click here
Northwest Division: click here
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