- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The quality at the top end of the Western Conference may never have been higher. Last season’s runner-up may be no worse, but still slip down the ladder as a few familiar faces threaten to jump back atop the standings.
A couple of talented young teams also look primed to make a jump, making for a very competitive field.
So let’s take a look at how the conference will finish and why, including predicted records, starting with the top eight.
First: Golden State Warriors
The biggest challenge for the champs figures to be motivation. Their superstars in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson should be better, while the likes of Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes are comfortable of where they fit in this beautiful picture.
They led the league in defensive efficiency and were second in offensive efficiency, making them one of the truly elite teams we have seen. They struggled handling the phenomenon that is LeBron James early in the NBA Finals but once they got on top in the series, the result was never in doubt.
Rebounding remains pretty much their only weakness, but then again that is only a weakness in relation to how brilliant they are in all other facets of the game. They will most likely win 65-70 games and barring a major injury should repeat as champions.
Likely starters: Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, Bogut
Key reserves: Iguodala, Marreese Speights, Festus Ezeli, Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa.
Regular season: 68-14
Second: Oklahoma City Thunder
There is no more talented duo than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and that includes the Splash Brothers from The Bay. Durant enters this season coming off a serious injury and if he can get back to his former self then there is no doubt that the Thunders are a title contender.
Serge Ibaka completes arguably the best trio in the league and role players Enes Kanter, Steven Adams, Kyle Singler, DJ Augustin and Mitch McGary can be relied upon to consistently contribute.
One role player who cannot be relied upon for consistency is Dion Waiters, but if he can deliver anywhere near his potential then their weakest area (shooting guard) could well become a strength. The defence is far from elite but the offensive firepower and athleticism more than makes up for this deficiency. Both Durant and Westbrook are nearing their peak; if both stay on the court, the Thunder are as strong a title contender as anyone.
Likely starters: Westbrook, Anthony Morrow, Durant, Ibaka, Adams
Key reserves: Augustin, Singler, Kanter, Waiters, Nick Collison
Regular season: 63-19
Third: San Antonio Spurs
Key role players Marco Bellineli, Aron Baynes, Tiago Splitter and Cory Joseph departed the Spurs in the off-season, but given they were replaced by LaMarcus Aldridge, David West and Jimmer Fredette it doesn’t figure to be a problem for the four-time champs.
They are the team who play the game the way it should be played – no player worries about numbers, stats or reputation but instead they play within a system of spacing, passing and shooting which is unmatched. Despite being 39 years old, Tim Duncan shows no signs of slowing down and the all-time great will benefit greatly from having Aldridge and West supporting him.
If there is one concern, it is their health and age but that concern is alleviated by the depth at all positions. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are continually questioned as they near the end, but the San Antonio system hides their defensive deficiencies. If they slip offensively, the Spurs may be forced to turn elsewhere but there are options at every turn. A deep playoff run is all but assured, how deep that run goes remains to be seen.
Likely starters: Parker, Danny Green, Kahwi Leonard, Aldridge, Duncan
Key reserves: Patty Mills, Ginobili, Boris Diaw, West, Matt Bonner
Regular season: 60-22
Fourth: Los Angeles Clippers
Last season’s first round loss to the Houston Rockets was a choke job. Blowing Game 7 after leading by 23 points and being 3-1 ahead in the series may leave scars, with DeAndre Jordan the first casualty of a demoralising loss as he bolted for Dallas. He then had a change of heart, and one has to ask how he will be welcomed back to the Clippers given the reported volatile nature of his relationship with star point guard Chris Paul.
In Jordan and Blake Griffin, the Clippers have as good a big man combo as there is in the league and with Paul are yet another Western Conference team with a high-calibre triumvirate.
The Clippers added Wesley Johnson, Paul Pierce, Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson in a definitive statement about their confidence in their wing strength. All four figure to play significant roles along with JJ Redick, and provide the Clippers with as strong a top eight players as anyone in the league.
Coach Doc Rivers will want to be at his shrewd best to massage egos and manage the talent at his disposal, with plenty of players who need the ball to be effective and only so many minutes to go around. Bringing in Pierce, Smith and Stephenson are extremely risky moves and the Clippers have little room for error in such a powerful conference.
Likely starters: Paul, Redick, Pierce, Griffin, Jordan
Key reserves: Jamal Crawford, Smith, Stephenson, Johnson, Cole Aldrich
Regular season: 59-23
Fifth: Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizz pushed the Warriors as far as anyone last season, leading them 2-1 before falling in six games in the second round. They should improve this season with Jeff Green having a summer camp and new acquisitions Matt Barnes and Brandan Wright likely to enter the rotation and make an impact immediately.
That’s the new, but the strength of Memphis is in what everyone knows they will do – execute, defend and hound, or as most tend to say, grit and grind. Frontcourt duo Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph remain among the league’s best, while point guard Mike Conley was ravaged by injury last season but is the poster-child for low-profile but high performing players.
Veterans Tony Allen, Vince Carter and Courtney Lee fill specific roles but will all need to play as well as they can at this stage in their careers to support a strong core.
Likely starters: Conley, Lee, Green, Randolph, Gasol
Key reserves: Barnes, Wright, Carter, Allen, Beno Udrih
Regular season: 56-26
Sixth: Houston Rockets
James Harden believes he is the best player in the league, and his performances last season made a decent case for that being true. He led the Rockets to the Western Conference finals where they fell well short against the Warriors, but Harden is at the peak of his powers and will be confident of at least replicating that performance.
The additions of Ty Lawson and Marcus Thornton provide scoring punch and depth in the back-court, lessening the load on Harden and releasing the pressure valve on Patrick Beverley, Jason Terry and Corey Brewer who are either too injury-prone or inconsistent to be relied upon. Dwight Howard remains our generation’s biggest tease, but in a frontcourt with Trevor Ariza, Donatas Motiejunas and Terence Jones he can concentrate on defence which remains his strength. Of course, the main challenge with Howard is staying fit, as always.
The Rockets may not be much worse than they were last season, but the lack of consistency outside Harden and to a lesser extent Ariza means they will fall down the pecking order and may well face a first-round elimination.
Likely starters: Lawson, Harden, Ariza, Jones, Howard
Key reserves: Beverley, Motiejunas, Thornton, Brewer, Clint Capela
Regular season: 53-29
Seventh: New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis might only be 23 years of age but he is arguably already the best all-round player in the NBA and is set to embark on a period of dominance over the next decade. There is nothing that Davis cannot do, and he will singlehandedly improve the Pelicans as he continues to develop into the next Tim Duncan.
Having said that, the Pelicans look likely to improve at every turn. Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon have had their injury concerns but the trio have the potential and talent to form one of the brighter backcourts in the league. Ryan Anderson provides instant offence on the bench. With Davis and Omer Asik in the frontcourt, defence does not matter as much for Anderson or any other small forward for that matter.
New coach Alvin Gentry comes from Golden State and is considered a mastermind of their offensive brilliance; while this side doesn’t match the Warriors for talent, there is enough strong shooting and talent to surround Davis to make one think this could be a Western Conference sleeper in 2016.
Likely starters: Holiday, Gordon, Evans, Davis, Asik
Key reserves: Dante Cunningham, Norris Cole, Kendrick Perkins, Anderson, Alonzo Gee
Regular season: 51-31
Eighth: Utah Jazz
The youth theme that runs through the Pelicans can again be found in Salt Lake City, where the exciting Jazz are set to return to playoff basketball. Despite the loss of young point guard Dante Exum to a serious knee injury, the spread of talent at Utah is remarkable.
Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, Alec Burks, Rodney Hood and Trey Burke are joined by first round draft pick Trey Lyles in the most talented young core this side of Milwaukee.
The Jazz were the league’s stingiest defence last season, conceding almost three points per game less than any other team and dominating the rebounding battle. The catalyst for these areas of strength was Gobert, who was a revelation and figures to be even better with another season under his belt.
The frontcourt of Gobert, Favors and Hayward is the envy of most other teams but even their brilliance won’t be enough to secure a post-season berth if the backcourt underperforms. While Burke, Burks, Hood and Raul Neto are unlikely to all thrive, it seems likely that at least two will improve enough and display the consistency needed to edge the Jazz into the eighth playoff seed.
Likely starters: Burke, Burks, Hayward, Favors, Gobert
Key reserves: Hood, Neto, Lyles, Joe Ingles, Trevor Booker
Regular season: 44-38
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.