The landscape of the Western Conference has changed significantly thanks to some major trades that by now, the whole world has heard about. (Sorry, Dallas fans) A little after the All-Star break is typically when we get a good idea for where NBA teams are in terms of potential playoff success, current energy, gauging how much “gas” the team has in the tank, and most importantly, we can start to get an idea of who the real contenders for a championship are.
It goes without saying you shouldn’t count Steph Curry and the Warriors out. No, they’re not exactly “dominant” right now, but this team is outperforming expectations. Curry is NOT playing like a 37-year-old. Because we are fortunate enough to witness an era of basketball where veteran legends are putting up insane stats, we might not appreciate the greatness of their ability to continue to bring their teams success. Curry is putting up 24.5 points a game this year with 40% shooting from three, but that’s no shocker coming from the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
The last remaining fundamental from Golden State’s dynasty, Draymond Green has been a force on defense. Since the addition of Jimmy Butler to the squad, this team has been elevated. The Warriors are preparing to take on the Houston Rockets who have absolutely outperformed their expectations.
It only makes sense that for a first round matchup, we’ll get a team who’s averaging the third most three pointers in the league, versus a team who’s dominating the league in terms of rebounds. Houston has shown itself to be a strong defensive team, no one else has been better getting offensive rebounds, total rebounds, and defending the ball than the Rockets. They’ve been a thorn in the side of their opponents when trying to shoot the ball, and there’s no better aggressor than Dillon Brooks. Amen Thompson denies anyone who manages to slip by him, averaging 1.3 blocks per game this year. Fred Vanvleet is ninth in the league for steals per game and is scoring 14 points but on poor efficiency (38%).
Jalen Green has been the driving force on offense for this team with 21 points. But you can’t ignore just how dominant defensively Houston has been. Alpernen Sengun has been denying teams of second chance opportunities while making scoring opportunities of his own making the majority of his impact on the court on the offensive side of the ball. They’ll be preparing to take on a team who turned a trade into a season defining opportunity.
The Lakers have a veteran legend of their own in LeBron James, a player who everyone, whether you follow basketball or not, has heard of. They also have a new star that joined the team in viral fashion, Luka Doncic. The addition of Doncic has unsurprisingly propelled this team into the third seed, with the All-Star guard putting up MVP-like numbers in 28 points, eight rebounds, seven and a half assists and 1.6 steals per game. His counterpart, LeBron, is scoring 24 points a night in the dominant fashion as he’s done for his 22 seasons career.
The headliner trade gave this team an electric offense, but at the cost of their defense. As of right now, LA doesn’t have a clear leader on defense. They don’t have a big man who can consistently get more than 6.5 rebounds, they’re relying on their guards and frontcourt to handle that task. Even if the Lakers are shooting well and have improved their three point game, they can easily be outmatched by a “bigger team.”
And there’s no bigger team than the Denver Nuggets whom you can expect the Lakers to meet in the second round of the playoffs. The Nuggets are a team who use their height to their advantage and are built in the exact opposite way compared to LA. These players use their height and defensive abilities to force their opponents to make turnovers and capitalize on offense. This team is shooting a ridiculous 50% from the field and have the third best offensive efficiency behind Boston and Cleveland.
Leading the charge is Nikola Jokic, the MVP front-runner is averaging an absurd triple double this season. He’s the third player in NBA history to do so, his teammate Russell Westbrook achieved the same honor most notably during his time in Oklahoma City. Jamal Murray, Micheal Porter Jr. and Christian Braun have all continued to play at the elite level they did in 2023 when they won it all. But it’s not all sunshine and roses in Denver, recently the team fired the man who helped lead them there: former head coach Micheal Malone. Additionally, this team has been too relaxed with how they handle the basketball. Westbrook and Jokic are averaging high turnovers per game and despite the amount of “on paper” defensive talent this squad has, they have a bottom 10 defense.
The team most poised to claim the Western Conference this year is undoubtedly the Oklahoma City Thunder. What aren’t the Thunder dominating this year? The championship favorites are leading the league in steals per game, and have the highest-scoring margin (+12.5). As a team they sit at 68-14 and have gone on a litany of winning streaks throughout the year. Post All-Star game, they’ve improved their 3PT% and despite not having a clear leader on defense, they have the best defensive efficiency of any team in the NBA. But they sure do have a leader on offense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32 points a game and his supporting cast are all contributing to the offense as well, most notably Jalen Williams with 21 points a game, expect this team to be in the Finals.