Warriors preview: Ranking the Clippers and other West contenders

Western Conference Golden State Warriors Go through it, and Won in 2022 NBA Finals.. On paper, it looks almost the same.

Indeed, there are some changes.The Utah Jazz 3 times defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert Minnesota Timberwolves Turn the latter into a star-studded force (although it’s still a long way off in my eyes) and push the former towards reconstruction.Jerami Grant Trade Portland Trail Blazers — And there was a major contact to keep Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jusuf Nurkić — indicating that PNW is still trying to compete.

Kevin Durant’s trade demands are Phoenix Suns — His favorite destination — But now everything is calm in that respect.And calmly, everything is mellow Los Angeles Lakers Front after Kyrie Irving opts in to him Brooklyn Nets Trading — Russell Westbrook’s swap potential irving story is still emerging.

Once the dust has settled (at least for now), it’s time to bring the Dubs competition back to the west.

There is always the potential for a team to leap — health New Orleans Pelican The team is horrifying and the wolf may make things click brilliantly. However, at present, there are six teams that can knock out healthy western warriors.

it’s not. But it was possible. In my eyes, dub is a favorite of the Western Conference entering the season, and only one other team has justified it as a favorite.

But in order here are the six teams I think can compete for the crown on dub.

Why can they challenge the Warriors: It’s easy to forget a few things for a very long time after seeing the Clippers healthy. In short, Kawhi Leonard’s superstar, the brilliance of LA when both he and Paul George are in good health.

The Clippers insist on the title of the NBA’s best duo, and despite the failure of the “Pandemic P”, both players, especially Leonard, have been proven in the playoffs. They reunited with John Wall, who may have far more gas in the tank than we think, and they are one of the league’s best coaches as well as role players. It has a tremendous core.

2022-23 The Clippers have the third highest salary in NBA history … after last year’s Warriors and this year’s Warriors.

Why they struggle: Leonard is prone to injury. George is prone to injury. Beyond that, Walls are prone to injury and some of their role players are on the old side. The Clippers have a chance to run through the league completely in the playoffs, but missed last year’s playoffs. It is still possible that it will happen.

Why can they challenge the Warriors: The first round series of dubs with the Nuggets may have been their easiest series in the playoffs, but it was still not easy. And that was the Nuggets team losing their second and third best players.

If Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are healthy, the Nuggets are a stacked team. They would also be seemingly defensive … the Nuggets had surprisingly good defenses from 2021 to 22 but Nikola Jokić struggled on the other side of the court. It collapsed in the playoffs because I had to carry a huge baggage.

Why they struggle: Relying on two players who played a total of nine games last year is not an absolute plan.

Why can they challenge the Warriors: The Golden State saw first-hand how dangerous this Grizzlies team was. And with almost every key player of age who needs to take a step forward next year, and now with a wealth of playoff experience, Grizz will be horrifying.

This may seem too high for Memphis rankings, but they play dub very tough.

Why they struggle: Grizz is still young. Ja Morant is still trying to figure out how to defend and get the team to pay when he fires him and packs paint. They had some injuries concerns. Losing Kyle Anderson hurts.

4. Phoenix Suns

Why can they challenge the Warriors: Phoenix was the best regular season team in the NBA last year. Three of their four best players (Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges) are still improving. Their fourth (Chris Paul) continues to go against his father’s time.

I don’t think their playoff fight refers to anything other than getting injured at the wrong time.

Why they struggle: They get hurt at the wrong time! Do you really expect Paul to be healthy in May and June? And if not, do you really expect Sands to compete with Warriors? Paul is a little snake bit in that respect. He managed to stay healthy this year, but he couldn’t booker.

Why can they challenge the Warriors: Even if the Golden State ran through them at the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks were a terrifying team. Mainly one reason: Luka Doncic. Luca is still getting better and it’s clear that she’s the type of star who can be the best player on the championship team. He may be able to get the most out of Christian Wood, and a healthy Tim Hardaway Jr. will be of great help.

Why they struggle: I’ve just seen the Warriors dispatch them relatively easily, but Dallas’ biggest move in the off-season was to lose his second best player, Jalen Brunson. They need a lot to go right, not only to overcome that loss, but to be a better team.

6. Los Angeles Lakers

Why can they challenge the Warriors: Does this give the Lakers too much credit? absolutely. Are they more likely to miss the playoffs than to win the West? definitely.

However, the Lakers are still only two years away from the champion and have the same star duo. Betting on LeBron James in the playoffs is still uncomfortable. If both he and Anthony Davis are healthy, it’s a terrifying team, despite their obvious weaknesses and laughable dysfunction. And it’s not very unlikely that Irving will somehow get to their team and be ready to play with inspiration.

Do you expect the Lakers to turn the dub over? Absolutely not. But if you squint, can you see how it can happen? yes.

Why they struggle: Lol you don’t have to answer this for me.