A few days I wrote the Eastern Conference edition of this article, coming up with one word for each team to describe what to expect for their upcoming 2020 season. Today, the West has its turn.
Dallas Mavericks
Hopeful. The Mavs have the best young player in the game, a 7’3 knockout shooter, and tons of complementary role players. They lost in the first round of the playoffs last year to a conference favorite Clippers, which is as good as the were hoping without Porzingis. The Mavericks have every reason to believe that this year could mean a big jump into the top of the West, if they can stay healthy. More specifically, if Porzingis can stay healthy. He hasn’t managed to do that yet, but if he does? This Mavs team might be the only team that can actually keep up with LeBron and AD’s Lakers on paper.
Denver Nuggets
Ascending. This Nuggets team showed in the bubble why they are scary, and they look like they are only getting better. Denver only lost a few role players this offseason and kept every key player, meaning they should only keep growing, barring injuries. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are already superstars, and Michael Porter Jr. in an expanded role might take them to a whole new level of frightening.
Golden State Warriors
Displaced. Poor, poor Dubs. A few one word answers could’ve been used here, but this seemed the most apt. Many felt like Warriors fans had it too good for too long, and last years drop to the worst record in the NBA was some sort of karma. But this year, after losing Klay Thompson for the season yet again, everyone in the NBA is a bit more melancholy. The Warriors at full strength should be a top tier playoff team, but we might have to resign ourselves to more of what we saw last season. At least the growth of Wiseman and fully unleashed Steph Curry will be fun.
Houston Rockets
Chaos. With only a few weeks before the beginning of the NBA season, I still have no idea what the Rockets roster is actually going to look like. They just traded Russell Westbrook for John Wall and a first-round pick, but now the question is will they trade James Harden too? Or was Wall acquired to be his partner in the backcourt? Either way, the additions of Chris Wood and Boogie Cousins suggest they will be going back to a more traditional style of basketball this year. Whether Harden will want to be around for that is yet to be seen. But this is not a championship contender, which suggests he might want out earlier rather than later.
Los Angeles Clippers
Desperate. After last seasons collapse versus the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers have a ton to prove. They fired head coach Doc Rivers, promoted assistant Tyronn Lue, signed Serge Ibaka, and lost Montrezl Harrell. Other than that, though, the team remains the same, and more should be expected from Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. If you are going to rest your stars in the regular season they better show up in the playoffs (looking at you, Paul George). The West will most likely go through purple and gold side of LA this year, and I’m not sure the Clips have the pieces to beat them. The Clippers will have to play desperate this year.
Los Angeles Lakers
Champions. This is the only one word answer that accurately describes their ambition this season. The Lakers were the best team last season, and have only improved their roster. They lost some experienced vets, but brought in Montrezl Harrell and Denis Schroeder who are at their peak (as well as Marc Gasol). Unless injuries derail them, the Lakers are easily the team to beat in the NBA this year.
Memphis Grizzlies
Incomplete. If this was a one word to describe each superstar article, I would have used a different word. Ja Morant is the truth, and he’s already shown he is going to be an all-star in this league. The problem for Ja, though, is that the rest of the roster needs a lot of work. If there are any positives, Morant will have absolutely no pressure this season and can focus on improving his all-around game. They got close to the playoffs despite the team weaknesses last year, but not so much should be expected in a west that is only getting better at the bottom.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Beguiling. I had to open the dictionary for this one. Beguiling is “charming or enchanting, often in a deceptive way” which seems like a perfect one word description for the T-wolves team. They have two all-stars on the squad and had the top pick in this year’s draft, but no matter how attractive that trio sounds, I can’t trust it. They were horrible with their best player on the floor, and didn’t get much better (or worse) when D’Angelo Russell was traded to the team. That being said, they only played once together, so much more is expected of them this season. It’s not a make-or-break year for the playoffs, but they better get close or big questions will be looming for this team’s next offseason.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66598161/usa_today_14032201.0.jpg)
New Orleans Pelicans
Compelling. The Pelicans have been one of the luckiest franchises in terms of drafting; Chris Paul, then Anthony Davis, and now Zion Williamson. GM David Griffin was able to use the Davis trade to build what looks like a playoff ready squad this season, if the team can avoid injuries. They also lost veteran leader Jrue Holiday, but this team looks like it could explode into something either this year or next. The acquisition of Steven Adams from OKC means they have a great complimentary front court player for Zion, and Brandon Ingram is quickly becoming a top player in the league. Let’s see how well it can mesh.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Stockpiling. Another one word answer could be rebuilding, but the Thunder rebuild in a very specific way. They accrue as many picks as possible, and leverage the weaknesses of other teams to extract as much as they can for assets. It was Chris Paul this year, Paul George before that, Russell Westbrook before that, and so on. Even OKC stalwart Steven Adams was moved this fall for some young players, picks, and a $27.5 million trade exception. Sam Presti is known as an asset collecting guru, and under him the Thunder are in good hands.
Phoenix Suns
Competent. Finally, after years of incompetence, the Suns have shown that they finally understand that this team and its star player is getting tired of carrying a team that sucks without any hope of improving. But after the trade for Chris Paul, they’ve made a statement of intent. They actually want to be good. Time will only tell if it will work out but the Suns finally have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot. Paul’s veteran leadership can only help put a fire under the young player’s behinds. The Suns actually seem good, and it sounds so strange I don’t even want to fully believe it yet.
Portland Trailblazers
Persistent. The Blazers show as much persistence in the NBA as anyone else, along with San Antonio, Miami, and Dallas. They have one of the best and most entertaining backcourts in the league, and they even decided this season to bring back Enes Kanter, who had a resurgence with the team two seasons ago. Terry Stotts is the fourth longest tenured coach in the league, and they are always competitive. If only they played in a market that could attract free agents…
Sacramento Kings
Disappointing. When I talk about the Kings I feel like a parent who just watched their seven-year-old kid eat a crayon. They manage to surprise me in sadder ways every day. Sure, they will never attract free agents, and yea, they draft horribly every year, but at some point choosing in the top 10 every year has to eventually pay off, right? De’Aaron Fox is a star, but everyone else on this team is expendable. And that is amazing considering the amount of lottery picks they’ve had. Buddy Hield is still rumored to be unhappy, and at some point they should accept that his value will only diminish further if the league knows the Kings have to move from him. If I could have used another word for Sacramento it would be hopeless, but let’s not compare them to the Knicks just yet.
San Antonio Spurs
Unassuming. Last season many NBA fans got to witness the Spurs missing the playoffs for the first time. I have to admit, it felt weird. I even thought Pop might retire given the task of rebuilding at his age. But he hasn’t, and the Spurs keep doing Spurs things. It’s not exciting, but it looks like the Spurs know that they have an aging core with limited upside. They will either move those players for assets or hold them to help young players grow. Either way, I expect the Spurs to have a quiet year while still somehow exceeding expectations. In the future, their drafting ability will be important, but the Spurs know what they’re doing.
Utah Jazz
Established. It’s pretty fair to say the Jazz are in their prime right now. They have two legit superstars in Donovan Mitchell and infamous COVID spreader Rudy Gobert. They have several role players that are as smart as they are reliable. The ceiling of this team, though, doesn’t seem to be at the heights with the likes of the Lakers. With that said, getting to watch Mitchell drop 50 in every other playoff game is still a pretty freaking great consolation.
Liked this article? Follow me @ShmeedShmeed on Twitter and check out all of our other NBA content here at Belly Up Sports.
