Each year it gets tougher and tougher to accurately evaluate the Western Conference and it’s no different going into this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers last season finished 3rd in the unforgiving Western Conference. With all of the trade chaos, injury woes and the implementation of a new coaching system, it’s an impressive feat. But because the west is a nightly dog fight, the 3rd seed and the 8th seed were only separated by two games.
The Lakers, Nuggets and Clippers all finished with the exact same record at 50-32. Just one loss would’ve dropped the Lakers down from 3rd to 6th. The east is a much different story. For reference, the New York Knicks (3rd seed) finished fourteen games better than the Miami Heat (8th seed).
While the west standings can be difficult to predict, the expectation is for the Lakers to still be among the top teams in the conference.
West Playoff Standings Predictions: Seeds 1-3
The safest bet would be to assume the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder snatch the 1st seed for the 3rd year in a row. They’ve dominated the last two regular seasons, have loads of young talent and the reigning MVP. Since there’s no reason to believe they’ll regress, they’re still the favorites out west.
Right behind OKC at the 2nd seed are the Houston Rockets. The Rockets, who finished 2nd last year at 52-30, added Kevin Durant this summer along with names like Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela. They’re a team with talented young pieces surrounded by an established veteran presence. KD will undoubtedly take them to the next level.
At 3rd, the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is still heavily considered to be the best player in the league and has held that reputation for several years now. They’ve rounded out their roster nicely with some solid additions like Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. They were also the west team that pushed OKC to a 7-game series in the second round.
Seeds 4-6
Coming in at the 4th seed, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers noticeably improved their roster with the additions of Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia. L.A. will also have the benefit of a full season with Luka Doncic this time around. They’ll be a very, very good team but the Lakers are still a two-way player away from being solidified in the contender conversation. They’re right there.
Like last season, the Clippers land at 5th. L.A. brought in veterans Bradley Beal, Chris Paul and Brook Lopez this summer to round out their roster. Despite the skepticism surrounding the team’s overall age, they’re in no shortage of talent. While they’re not expected to make a Finals push, they’ll be a very competitive playoff team.
Filling in the last of the guaranteed playoff spots, the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs had the luxury of drafting the coveted number one overall pick Cooper Flagg. While they’ll be missing Kyrie Irving for most of the season, they still pose an intimidating defensive presence at their center and forward positions with Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, Max Christie, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
The Wild West
Much like the last few seasons, seeding doesn’t quite tell the full story when five or so teams finish within a game or two of each other. The 6th seeded Timberwolves just beat the 3rd seeded Lakers, but their records only differed by a single game. That same Minnestoa team also made it to the Western Conference Finals.
There are no “easy” nights in the NBA, but the west is a different beast. The teams who didn’t make the playoffs or aren’t even projected to make them can beat you on any given night. The league is more talented than ever.
The Lakers finished the season with only a +1.2-point differential, the lowest of any team above .500. On paper, they’re forecasted to be a better team this season. If they can win games more comfortably, they’ll be in prime position to surpass their 50-win total from last season.
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