NBA Western Conference Power Rankings

Kahlil Calloway, In Our School, In Our Town|October 12, 2018

NBA Western Conference Power Rankings

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  1. Golden State Warriors

Golden State is an obvious choice at #1. The Warriors have a stacked roster with 5 all stars. The Warriors also have a great bench with Iguodala, Cook, Ulis, Livingston, and Bell. The Warriors are the best team in the league by far and are an easy choice to win the NBA championship again.

  1. Houston Rockets

Houston will likely going to be the #2 seed. The Rockets have the 2018 MVP in James Harden and all star Chris Paul. The Rockets were one game away last season from beating the Golden State Warriors, but lost on the road in the Conference Finals. With the addition of Carmelo Anthony it makes the Rockets better offensively and helps to space the floor. The Rockets did lose Trevor Ariza which hurts them on defense, but it was important to bring back Capela instead of Ariza. Houston is going to be hungry after knowing they were one game away from beating the Warriors.

  1. Utah Jazz

Utah is very high on this list because of their stellar defense. Quin Snyder coached this team extremely well and changed the landscape in Utah. The Jazz have great depth and have players that can shoot and play defense exceptionally. Donovan Mitchell is a star in the making and is on the brink of a breakout season. He performed well last year, but he could have an even better impact in the league this season. Rudy Gobert is looking to have breakout season as well, being the defensive anchor for the Jazz. The combination of these two will be deadly, with Mitchell on the offensive side and Gobert taking over on defense.

  1. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a team with the best player in the world, LeBron James. With James, the Lakers are almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Along with James, the Lakers have a young group of players that are still developing and growing, such as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers can definitely get a playoff berth and make it past the first round, but it is hard to tell with a fresh new team with guys, who have never played with each other.

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a team that is usually average, but is always a team to watch out for. This season the Thunder lost Carmelo Anthony, but acquired Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel. With the additions of Schroder and Noel it adds depth to the Thunder’s bench which they lacked last season.  The Thunder re-signed back Paul George, who is looking to become the dominant duo in the NBA with Russell Westbrook.

  1. Denver Nuggets

Denver is high on the list, but the Nuggets are still considered an underdog after falling just short to the Minnesota Timberwolves last year to miss the playoffs. The addition of Paul Millsap had a positive effect on Denver, but Millsap went down with an injury half way through the year and it hurt the team’s chances of making the playoffs. The Nuggets made sure to pay their star center Nikola Jokic ahead of the season, and point guard Jamal Murray is looking to have a breakout season himself.

  1. Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are a team to watch out for in the playoffs. After getting swept in the playoffs by New Orleans, Portland is a team that is looking for revenge this season. The Blazers have star players Damian Lillard, C.J McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic, and in the draft, they added two great young shooters in Gary Trent Jr and Anfernee Simmons. These two additions give this team more shooting off the bench and hope for the future.

  1. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are a great franchise and have brought in new pieces after a large amount of drama concerning Kawhi Leonard. In the end, the Spurs decided to trade Leonard to the Raptors, acquiring all star Demar Derozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 1st round pick in exchange. Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest coaches of all time and hopes get a championship run in with Derozan. During the draft, the Spurs had a very low pick and were able to get a promising shooting guard, Lonnie Walker IV. This could be Gregg Popovich’s last project in San Antonio before he retires, and the Spurs hope to send off their longtime coach with a championship.