2024-25 NBA Western Conference Preview
Just as it is every year, the Western Conference should be a bloodbath this season. While the East has some good teams at the top, the depth of the Western Conference is vastly superior. Every team feels like they have a shot at a playoff spot. The Celtics should be the favorite to repeat as champions, but plenty of teams in the West should have a say in championship discussions, especially with some offseason acquisitions. Here are my team rankings in tiers in the Western Conference with a deeper analysis of the top teams.
True Contenders
1. Thunder
Starting Lineup:
PG - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG - Alex Caruso
SF - Luguentz Dort
PF - Jalen Williams
C - Chet Holmgren
The top seed last season, the young OKC Thunder added great role players in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to an already well-put-together roster. They are good at both ends of the floor, have depth, and shored up their biggest weakness of rebounding with the acquisition of Hartenstein. They should be just as successful, if not more successful, in the regular season. The biggest question will be if their inexperience can hold up in the playoffs. They lost to Luka Doncic and the Mavs last season who should be threatening again this season, but they will look to get their revenge and make a finals appearance.
2. Dallas Mavericks
Starting Lineup:
PG - Luka Doncic
SG - Kyrie Irving
SF - Klay Thompson
PF - PJ Washington
C - Daniel Gafford
The Mavericks were carried by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to the NBA Finals and added four-time champion Klay Thompson to the mix. Klay isn’t the same player as before, but his shooting should add a lot on the wing to an offense ball dominated by Luka and Kyrie. The defense will be interesting, but the acquisition of Naji Marshall and the potential ascension of Dereck Lively as a rim protector could help a lot off the bench. If the role players around Luka and Kyrie play better, then the Mavs will be a scary team in the playoffs once again.
3. Denver Nuggets
Starting Lineup:
PG - Jamal Murray
SG - Christian Braun
SF - Michael Porter
PF - Aaron Gordon
C - Nikola Jokic
The Nuggets fell short a year after winning the title, but despite losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic, they should be title contenders as long as Jokic and Jamal Murray are healthy. Christian Braun is a solid replacement for KCP but is young and unproven as a starter. The bench will need to improve as well for the Nuggets to be more competitive. While they will for sure be a great team still, it’s hard to put them above the top two teams given they’ve lost significant pieces each of the last two seasons.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Starting Lineup:
PG - Mike Conley
SG - Anthony Edwards
SF - Jaden McDaniels
PF - Karl-Anthony Towns
C - Rudy Gobert
It took a season, but the Rudy Gobert/Karl-Anthony-Towns frontcourt seems to be clicking now. Combining that with the ascension of Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves are now a true contender. They also still have Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid and added Joe Ingles and Rob Dillingham in the draft to round out the bench. The Timberwolves are an exciting team, but after falling to the Mavs last season, they still have some ground to make up to be the favorite in the West.
Threats to Contenders
This tier consists of almost the rest of the Western Conference. The west is deep with lots of teams pushing to make the playoffs this season. Some of these teams lost some players but are still good. Other teams are ascending with young talent. Each team in this tier has a unique situation. The Suns still have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, but have some question marks about the rest of the roster. The Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis but struggled to add talent around them this offseason, and hired JJ Redick, so they have multiple question marks. The Pelicans still have Zion Williamson and added Dejounte Murray, but are still young and struggle to stay healthy.
The Clippers lost Paul George, but still have Kawhi Leonard and good role players with Tyronn Lue at the helm. The Warriors lost Klay Thompson and are still trying to add talent, but still have Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and multiple up-and-coming young players. The Spurs have Victor Wembanyama, Greg Popovich, and added Chris Paul but are very unproven otherwise. The Grizzlies struggled with health last season but can rely on Ja Morant for offense and Jaren Jackson Jr. for defense. The Kings still have De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis but lack length and defense on the wing. The Rockets bring back mostly the same roster and an improved bench with third-overall pick Reed Sheppard and veteran Steven Adams, but are still a very young team. All of those teams I feel are capable of making the playoffs and threatening the top four teams in the first round and beyond.
5. Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup:
PG - Devin Booker
SG - Bradley Beal
SF - Grayson Allen
PF - Kevin Durant
C - Jusuf Nurkic
6. Los Angeles Lakers
Starting Lineup:
PG - D’Angelo Russell
SG - Austin Reaves
SF - LeBron James
PF - Rui Hachimura
C - Anthony Davis
7. New Orleans Pelicans
Starting Lineup:
PG - Dejounte Murray
SG - CJ McCollum
SF - Herb Jones
PF - Brandon Ingram
C - Zion Williamson
8. Los Angeles Clippers
Starting Lineup:
PG - James Harden
SG - Terrance Mann
SF - Kawhi Leonard
PF - Derrick Jones Jr.
C - Ivica Zubac
9. Golden State Warriors
Starting Lineup:
PG - Steph Curry
SG - Buddy Hield
SF - Andrew Wiggins
PF - Jonathan Kuminga
C - Draymond Green
10. San Antonio Spurs
Starting Lineup:
PG - Chris Paul
SG - Stephon Castle
SF - Devin Vassell
PF - Jeremy Sochan
C - Victor Wembanyama
11. Memphis Grizzlies
Starting Lineup:
PG - Ja Morant
SG - Marcus Smart
SF - Desmond Bane
PF - Vince Williams
C - Jaren Jackson Jr.
12. Sacramento Kings
Starting Lineup:
PG - De’Aaron Fox
SG - Kevin Huerter
SF - Harrison Barnes
PF - Keegan Murray
C - Domantas Sabonis
13. Houston Rockets
Starting Lineup:
PG - Fred VanVleet
SG - Jalen Green
SF - Dillon Brooks
PF - Jabari Smith Jr.
C - Alperun Sengun
The Rest
The West is so deep, that I only have two teams in this final tier, the Jazz and the Trail Blazers, these are two of the only teams in the West trending in the wrong direction, as they are starting their rebuilds rather than near the end of them. The Jazz are potentially trading Lauri Markkanen, their best player, and the Blazers are going through growing pains still. As of now, I have the Jazz ahead of the Blazers, but depending on the outcome of the Markkanen situation, the Jazz could move to last.
14. Utah Jazz
Starting Lineup:
PG - Keyonte George
SG - Colin Sexton
SF - Lauri Markkanen
PF - John Collins
C - Walker Kessler
15. Portland Trail Blazers
PG - Scoot Henderson
SG - Shaedon Sharpe
SF - Deni Avdija
PF - Jerami Grant
C - DeAndre Ayton
