The NBA season is inching closer and closer to the official tip-off. Preseason games are nearly coming to an end, and here at Belly Up, we are looking at the biggest question each team has heading into the season. Up next is the Western Conference’s, Pacific Division!
Golden State Warriors – Is D’Angelo Russell the answer?
The Warriors lost arguably the best player in the NBA this offseason. They didn’t lose him for anything though, acquiring all-star D’Angelo Russell in the process via a sign-and-trade deal. With no Kevin Durant this season, and with Klay Thompson missing most of the year with a torn ACL, the Warriors are going to count on Russell to keep them prominent.
The Warriors still offer a formidable 1-2 punch. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. Draymond Green is one of the league’s best defenders. Russell will slide into the backcourt with Curry as the third star, at a time when the league has transitioned into star duos.
So what is the problem here? Well, many questions Russell fits next to Curry. Some also speculate that Russell was acquired just as trade bait for later in the season. The biggest issue, however, maybe, with the money, they have committed to Thompson, and the money they now have to pay Russell (who doesn’t come cheaply), it left little to fill out the rest of the roster.
The Warriors currently project Alfonzo McKinnie and Kevon Looney as the other two starters. They’ve started for a combined 39 games over their careers. So was bringing in Russell and sacrificing some depth the right move? In the Pacific Division, the Lakers and Clippers shuffled around their rosters, so will the Warriors be able to keep up with the ever-changing NBA landscape?
Los Angeles Clippers – How Healthy is their star pair?
Load management is a fairly new trend in the NBA. Resting star players to keep the wear and tear of an 82 game season down may not always be a fan-favorite approach to the game, but as we saw last year with Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, it can work.
The new-look Clippers are going to be in full load-management protocol this season. Their star pair, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, could end up as the best duo the NBA has to offer. To do so, those two are going to need to be healthy to make a deep run in the playoffs.
George hasn’t missed many games over his career, but he is currently recovering from a couple of offseason shoulder surgeries. Currently, he’s going to miss at least the first 10 games of the season. Leonard played in 60 games last season, and only nine games the season before.
The benefit the Clippers have on their side is depth. They can afford to rest their star players to some degree, and the next man up should be ready to keep the team competitive. However, if both George and Leonard have to miss significant time, the Pacific Division isn’t going to slow down. Most teams will face uphill battles if their star players lose time. But things are already starting off shaky for a Clippers organization with title aspirations.
Los Angeles Lakers – Can the supporting cast, support?
The LeBron-led Lakers finally got their wish when they landed Anthony Davis. What did it cost them? Everything, or close to everything. The Lakers swapped out a promising young core, for one of the best players in the NBA.
The Lakers might have the best duo in the NBA right now. However, outside of those two players, how does their roster compare to other teams? Well… it doesn’t look so good. Last season, the Lakers were nicknamed the “meme team” for the roster they built around Lebron. It featured Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley-all players known for being knuckleheads of some sort. Or, at the very least, they are known to have had some hiccups in their careers.
They brought back Rondo and McGee this season and they added new wrinkles to the drama in DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, and Jared Dudley. Cousins will miss the entire season with a torn ACL he suffered in preseason workouts. Dudley isn’t a known instigator, but he’s also not necessarily a silent partner on most matters. Howard can be a productive player. But there always seems to be one of those low-budget traveling circus’ you see in old parking lots following him around from team to team. This will also be his fifth team in five seasons.
So the big question for this team is, can someone not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis be a productive player? They did add two-time champion Danny Green, and they have Kyle Kuzma who could be their third offensive-threat. Is that enough to win the Pacific Division?
Sacramento Kings – Are they victims of the West?
The Kings are going to be a fun team this season. Led by young point guard De’Aaron Fox, they finished last season on the outside looking in. 39-43 was good for ninth in the West, a good nine games behind the 8th-place seed.
Last season was a breakout season not only for Fox but only for Buddy Hield. Hield saw his scoring go from 13.5 points per game to 20.7 as a starter. The Kings drafted promising big man Marvin Bagley III 2nd overall in the draft, and he too had a pretty good season as a rookie. They’ll get a full season from Harrison Barnes who they acquired mid-season last year. They also added Dewayne Dedmon, Trevor Ariza, and Cory Joseph to support their young core. Is that going to be enough?
Every team in the Pacific Division got better in the offseason, with the exception of the Warriors. If the Kings hope to sneak into the playoffs, they’ll need their young guys to take another leap. It’s possible, but it’s also possible they find themselves sitting as the ninth best team in a crowded conference still a year or two away from competing.
Phoenix Suns – How valuable will Rubio be?
Devin Booker is an incredible scorer. Not every guy in the league can drop 70 points in a game, especially not at 20-years old. Yet even being a great scorer hasn’t been enough to get his team to 25 wins. Many note the Suns lack of a point guard over the past few seasons as one of the reasons Booker has been hindered from getting his team to the next level.
There is probably some truth in that too. The Suns haven’t necessarily drafted well either, given the position they’ve been drafting from. Swapping out coaches every other season hasn’t helped Booker’s case either. However, this offseason things may have changed.
The Suns signed Ricky Rubio, who may be a bit past his prime, but instantly becomes the best point guard to share the backcourt with Booker. Booker is no longer going to have to be the guy to facilitate the offense, while being the primary scoring threat. He’ll be able to freely focus on carving up defenses at will.
Last season’s first overall pick, Deandre Ayton, should also be excited about the prospects of playing with a pass-first ball handler. Ayton had a really good rookie season, putting up 16 points and 10 boards a game while having to deal with the physicality of the NBA. Rubio should be able to come in and provide some stability to the offense and allow both Booker and Ayton to do what they do best.
