WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW: 2022-23 SEASON

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS:

WESTER CONFERENCE PREVIEW: 2022-23 SEASON

15. SAN ANTONIO SPURS - I don't really see a scenario where they aren't a bottom-3 team in the West. They traded away their only reliable, competent player, and their second best player is a 6' 6" power forward. They will likely slide him over to the 3 to start Sochan, but as talented as Pop is as a coach, they just don't have the talent. There will be glimmers of hope from their fans throughout the year if guys like Primo, Tre Jones, and Vassell can take some jumps in their production, but on a competing team, most of these guys would be back end rotation players if they even play.

14. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER - Without Chet, they have no reason to win. Giddey and SGA will be a solid backcourt, but they don't have any talent anywhere else on the floor. Lu Dort is a fan favorite and a good role player, but Poku, Bazley, and the rest of their roster just won't be able to get it done. By the end of the season you'll start seeing guys you've never heard of get 30+ minutes per game, just so they can hopefully win out the lottery for a dream Chet-Vic front court. They will possibly be in and out of the bottom-3, but ultimately land in that range by the end of the season.

13. UTAH JAZZ - They're probably the best of the worst teams. They still have some solid veterans until they get moved, and they have the most talented overall roster of the bad teams. Markkanen and Sexton are intriguing options for them throughout the season and many are excited to see if Kessler can replicate his elite blocking at the pro-level. They will have an outside shot to fight for a play-in slot, but realistically, I think with all of the draft picks they've accumulated, this is more of an assessment year for this team as they try to rebrand.

12. HOUSTON ROCKETS - They'll be a very popular League Pass team this season. Guys like Kevin Porter Jr, Jalen Green, and Jabari Smith Jr will be polarizing figures and could see a ton of success. Porter and Green had strong end of season showings and Jabari Smith comes in with a ton of hype. With Christian Wood now in Dallas, we'll get to see another high-level prospect in Sengun get a full workload of minutes and while they may be productive, are unlikely to translate that to wins. The back end of their roster is abysmal, which will ultimately be their downfall. I expect them to be bad for one more year before they make a push for playoffs.

11. SACRAMENTO KINGS - I think people are sleeping on the Keegan Murray pick. For their long-term future, I didn't really love the pick, but in the short-term, I expect them to be better overall with him on their team. When you were starting Metu last year, this is an obvious upgrade. Their team seems more balanced with Fox edging out Haliburton as the PG of the future and Sabonis is a significant upgrade over Richaun Holmes in the starting line-up. They are still a relatively young team, so they will need someone to breakout to be moved up higher.

10. LOS ANGELES LAKERS - This is probably my biggest hot take. I think they will experience a lot of issues and a lot of struggles. Between the volatility of their personnel, the aging of LeBron James, and the current injury risk of the remainder of their roster, I don't see how they expect to be much better than last year. Russ is the obvious one to get traded and they might go up in these if they can get some help in the front court. The addition of Beverley is nice, but I don't know if he'll be able to move the needle with such a gaping talent gap at the 2-guard. They are weak in too many positions and don't have a lot of depth.

9. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS - I might be a little more optimistic about this team than most, but I really like how their squad has shaken out. I think Simons is more than capable of filling the void left by McCollum, I think they are significantly better at the wing with Jerami Grant, they will have Nassir Little back, and they drafted a very skilled rookie in Shaedon Sharpe. There are some big question marks if Nurkic can stay healthy, but with a player as talented as Dame on your team, you at least have a shot. They also added a legitimate defensive stopper in Gary Payton, a solid two-way wing in Josh Hart, and they have decent back end roster players in Winslow and Watford.

8. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS - The addition of Zion will obviously increase their win totals, but they still have issues on their roster. I think they have one of the larger variances in their success or failure this season, but I really like how this roster is structured. They are vastly underrated as a defensive team. Guys like Grand Theft Alvaredo, Herb Jones, and their rookie Dyson Daniels are all elite defensive options. They will likely evaluate after the first 40 games to determine if it's time to push in the chips, or give this a go next season. They are on the cusp of being a serious team, but just need one more guy.

7. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS - Even with the return of Kawhi, the addition of John Wall, and the ambitiousness of Paul George, I'm not super high on them. A lot of their key role players have gotten old on them, I'm still iffy on Zubac as their primary center, and their team, much like the other LA team, is just riddled with injury risk. They could very well be a top-3 team by the end of the season, but I feel like they have already peaked. We may see a tear down if things go really sideways for this team, as we are now entering the 3rd attempt at this roster and it's not working out.

6. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - I think people are overreacting to the addition of Gobert. Yes, he will help them in rebounding and defense, but they have a lot of issues on the perimeter. D-Lo and Edwards are not necessarily known to be lock down defenders and they are taking a gamble having McDaniels as their primary wing defender. Kyle Anderson could usurp him at some point but after their top-6 players, I don't really love this roster. They leveraged a lot of their future to bring in Gobert and I don't know if this will help them get significantly further in the playoffs.

5. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES - I think they will probably win enough games for them to be a top-4 team in the West, but I just don't think they have the right mix of players to make it far in the playoffs. Dillon Brooks is hyper inefficient, Ja Morant is oft-injured, they lost Melton and Anderson this off-season, Adams looks sort of washed, and Jaren Jackson might miss most of the season. Desmond Bane was a nice surprise last season, but it's possible we've started getting close to or seen his ceiling as a player already. The Grizzlies are a fun team to watch when healthy, but I just don't know if they'll exceed expectations.

4. PHOENIX SUNS - The success of this team will rely heavily on the health of Chris Paul. He seemed to break down a little bit at the end of the playoffs and there was a ton of dysfunction between the team and DeAndre Ayton throughout the season. Many remember his media day where he looked like a hostage victim. Even still, this team is very talented. Jae Crowder moving on from the team will probably be a net positive and Cam Johnson seems primed to step up. Their best players sans CP3 are all still young or entering their prime and they have a talented coach. They could very well be a top team in the regular season.

3. DALLAS MAVERICKS - Christian Wood was one of the first signings in the off-season and it was a very under the radar move. Because Wood has yet to be on a highly competitive team, many have written him off. His per-minute numbers are fantastic, he's entering his prime, and he's in a contract year. Pair that with a Luka Doncic that is entering the season significantly more fit than last year, getting wing help with Hardaway returning, and bringing a nice locker room presence in Campazzo. Brunson's contributions will be missed, but his production will get spread across guys like Ntilikina, Dinwiddie, and Green. They also finally have a legitimate center in JaVale McGee for situational starts and veteran leadership. They'll be solid.

2. DENVER NUGGETS - At full strength, this roster looks devastating. They squeezed out 48 wins last season without Porter Jr or Murray for all or most of it. They added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, and they have another year of development from Bones Hyland. Jokic will look to get his third MVP this season and is arguably the most skilled big man to ever play the game. The top of the Western Conference looks stacked, so it will be interesting to see if their squad at full strength will translate to more wins.

1. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - They're just too good. Even if they move off from Klay or Draymond for salary reasons, their team is just so deep. Curry will likely be in the MVP talks, although unlikely, Poole will look to build on his breakout campaign, they get Wiseman back, Kuminga has looked impressive with minutes, Klay looks to return to form, and I haven't even gotten started talking about Moody, Looney, Wiggins, and DiVincenzo. They'll try to run it back and will be the team to beat unless things go south for them health-wise.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2022]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DALLAS SUMMER LEAGUE

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: DALLAS SUMMER LEAGUE PROSPECTS: Derrick Alston Jr - SF/PF - A solid G-League prospect that averaged close to 20 PPG and some potential as a stretch shooter from the 4-spot. He is an above average passer and a good free throw shooter. From the eye test he does not appear to be an explosive athlete but he's a hard finisher and is often relied on to defend multiple positions. He could be useful down the line, but I don't see him being able to get minutes on a competing team. Grade: C- Marcus Bingham Jr - C/PF - Outside of Hardy, he might be the crowned jewel of this group. He's a true 7-footer, came from a solid college program, and showed improvement every year at Michigan State. His defense is much further along than his offense, but his efficiency has improved over time and he's added a 3-ball to his game. Foul trouble will be a major concern, but I think he could be a bench big within a year or two. His block rate is outstanding and I think if h...
Read more
UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: CAN THE PELICANS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? This article comes in the midst of the Pelicans being on a 4-game win streak. The Kings which got hot, finally ended their streak. Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Rockets seems to be in a slump. I wouldn't say the door is open for them, but there's at least a window. What has propelled this team? A lot. Let's start with the obvious. Zion and Ingram have played very well. During the win streak, Zion has scored 23.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.3 BPG. Ingram has averaged 25.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.8 BPG. While these numbers don't jump off the page, what's interesting from both players is the increased amount of passing. Everyone on these team seems to be getting involved in the offense, nobody on this team is selfish, and it's just a group effort in every facet of the game. The next player that has done phenomenal has been Lonzo Ball. He's almost the forgotten Ball brother since his younger brother, La...
Read more
UPYSDE SPORTS PRESENTS: Addressing the Viability of a Kristaps Trade: I myself, have been very critical of Kristaps. Ranging from his health, finding him overrated as a shooter, not assertive enough on offense, and feeling that his defensive stats are empty. Obviously, I can see his upside, it's the name of my blog, but I feel like he plays out of position, is too thin, and his biggest strength (his size), is also likely going to be what limits his potential. Now, I gave him time. When the trade happened originally, I was pretty excited. He was coming off an injury, but had a really nice All-Star season in New York. Most Mavs fans, myself included, had somewhat soured on Dennis Smith Jr, and we saw what Luka is - a superstar. Wanting to get some wins in his rookie contract, I was receptive of the trade. Tank for the rest of the season and then the following year we get the two Euro sensations. Didn't quite work out that way. He did play very well in the bubble - helping us get ...
Read more