The NBA Western Conference seems wide open, with seven teams having a solid case to win the title.
With training camps set to open in less than a month, here is a key question each Western Conference team faces.
Last season’s records are in parentheses.
Dallas Mavericks (50-32): What does Klay Thompson have left in the tank?
Even after an unlikely NBA Finals run, Dallas was active this summer, most notably adding five-time All-Star Klay Thompson, who won four championships with the Warriors. Though he’s not the player he once was — blame Father Time and the injury bug — Thompson can still provide elite movement shooting. Flanking one of the NBA’s best passers in Luka Doncic, with one of the generation’s best shooters, is, theoretically, a recipe for success. How much higher Thompson can lift Dallas depends on how his body holds up.
Denver Nuggets (57-25): Does Russ move the needle?
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are a lethal enough duo to make Denver a competitor in the West. Still, the loss of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in consecutive seasons has tanked Denver’s depth. The franchise hopes introducing Russell Westbrook can remedy some of those second-unit struggles. If you say it enough times, you might start to believe it, too.
Golden State Warriors (46-36): Can bench pieces replace Thompson?
The summer looked rough after Golden State lost Thompson to Dallas, but adding De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield eased some initial worries that Dubs fans had about the roster. Is Golden State a championship team? Probably not, but the Warriors are impossible to count out as long as Steph Curry plays at an all-time level.
Houston Rockets (41-41): Who’s making a leap?
Houston must rely on young players more than most other teams with playoff aspirations. Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason will be in the rotation on opening night, and if any of them are ahead of schedule in their development, Houston’s win total might be higher than some expect.
Los Angeles Clippers (51-31): What’s the best that can happen?
Paul George has gone to the 76ers. Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr, Nic Batum and Mo Bamba are in (or back, in Batum’s case). Los Angeles lost a star, but instead of replacing him with another star, it picked up role players. Could these guys fit better and create a more cohesive team than we saw during George’s tenure in L.A.? Sure, they could. But it’s a stretch to think this collection of guys — along with the rest of the Clippers roster, which remains mostly the same as last season — will be an improvement over Clippers teams of the past.
Los Angeles Lakers (47-35): Where will they turn next?
No matter what sports talk shows will have you believe, the Lakers’ biggest question does not involve Bronny James. Instead, their biggest uncertainty is whether this roster has another level it can reach. (The answer is probably no, despite its hiring of new head coach JJ Redick.) There will be times this season when L.A. looks like a contender because the roster still is strong, but there’s not enough versatility or offensive creation outside of LeBron and AD to confidently call this team anything more than good. So, after a likely first-round exit, where will the Lakers turn?
Memphis Grizzlies (27-55): Did we forget how good Ja Morant is?
It feels like a long time since we watched Morant play — and even longer since Memphis was a Western Conference power — but the Griz won 107 games in two seasons from 2021-2023, and the core of those teams is still intact. Plus, the Griz have found gems in their recent tank fests, meaning Memphis will trot out a solid starting lineup with a superstar point guard and quality backups. Memphis’ road to contention has been strange, but if Morant is the Morant we remember, this team’s ceiling is high.
Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26): Is Rob Dillingham an immediate contributor?
Minnesota will be good again, probably very good. This lineup’s two-way versatility is probably the best in the league. It only makes sense that a team with this playing style added Dillingham, the guard from Kentucky who dominated on both ends in college. With Mike Conley entering his 18th NBA season, Minnesota will likely lean on Dillingham to provide significant minutes as a backup guard. If he contributes immediately, he gives the Wolves another young weapon to add to their list of young weapons.
New Orleans Pelicans (49-33): Who is Yves Missi?
Well, he’s potentially the starting center, so get familiar. After losing Jonas Valanciunas to the Wizards (for some reason), New Orleans picked the 20-year-old from Baylor 21st overall in the draft. Missi won’t be asked to do much on offense (though that could develop down the line), but he will provide length and lane-clogging on defense. He’s a bit of a wild card for a team with difference-makers everywhere else.
Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25): Do they have the best defense in the league?
There are many questions about this Thunder team, none of which have anything to do with whether they will be good. They will be. Just how good is the question, and specifically, how good will they be on defense? Adding Alex Caruso — one of the best guard defenders in the league — to an already-stout defensive backcourt is borderline unfair. Dealing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on defense and Alex Caruso on offense will be miserable for opponents.
Phoenix Suns (49-33): Is Tyus Jones the savior?
No pressure, Tyus. Phoenix has essentially tried to run a team without a point guard the past few seasons. Devin Booker has made a pretty solid point guard impression (6.9 APG last season), but this team will benefit from the addition of Jones, a distributor by nature. Will his presence vault the Suns to championship contender? Tough to say. But it won’t hurt matters.
Portland Trail Blazers (21-61): Are you ready to lose… a lot?
Things were bleak for Portland last season. They might get bleaker in 2024-25, but that’s a positive. Portland wants to see what it has in Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe. The results of this season’s games are irrelevant. Develop the young guys and hope for Cooper Flagg, the budding Duke star, in the 2025 NBA Draft — that’s Portland’s MO this season. Unfortunately for Blazers fans, that involves a lot of losing.
San Antonio Spurs (22-60): Can you say Wem-VP already?
Victor Wembanyama’s impact last season cannot be overstated. He wasn’t just good. He was dominant a lot of the time during his rookie season. That seldom happens in the NBA. When it does, it probably came from a Hall of Fame-caliber player. And with Chris Paul now setting him up in San Antonio, it doesn’t feel crazy to say Wemby enters the season as an MVP contender. There is no hyperbole when it comes to him.
Sacramento Kings (46-36): Does DeMar DeRozan do enough?
Sacramento didn’t overthink this summer. A multi-time All-Star was available, so the Kings acquired him. That’s pretty much always the right call. DeMar DeRozan’s fit on the team can be figured out later, but he brings a dynamic that any NBA team would happily add: consistent scoring and clutch buckets. Whether he’s enough of a factor to put Sacramento in the tier of OKC, Denver and Minnesota is the question.
Utah Jazz (31-51): Is Danny Ainge patient?
The Jazz CEO should be because Utah has plenty of young talent. It’s not enough to compete in 2024, but there’s plenty for Jazz fans to be excited about what this team can accomplish in three or four years with a few more lottery picks. Lauri Markannen is already an All-Star level player, and three or four other players on this roster could reach that status eventually. It could pay dividends if Ainge is comfortable having a bad-to-mediocre team for a few seasons.
