NBA Western Conference Contenders
In a competitive Western conference there are so many good teams but who stands out on top of the others? The top contender I have in this conference is the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets coming off a championship have been playing not only great basketball but consistently as well. In the NBA it is so tough to find teams who are very consistent. Any team any night can have a bad loss, whether it's the great teams like the Timberwolves or the middle-of-the-packs teams like the Golden State Warriors. Nikola Jokic has been playing no different than last year and that is exactly what the Nuggets need. With great role players such as Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic just always makes the right plays every time. Anytime he has the ball in his hands it will always end in a good possession. My only concern for this team is defense. Jokic in drop coverage has been a bit concerning. If Jokic is focused in on being a better defender in the playoffs this will be a tough team to beat in a seven-game series.
My second contender in the West is going to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. This team came into the season guns blazing with how great Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing. Ever since he got traded to the Thunder his development has been outstanding and right now the sky is the limit for this superstar. With his interior scoring and footwork, it is nearly unstoppable to have him miss in the paint. Not only Shai but the young phenomenon Chet Holmgren has given this team a new way to play. The way he stretches the floor with his three-point shooting has opened up the paint for Shai to get even more scoring in the paint, but Chet's and Lu Dort's defense makes this team one of the toughest teams to play in the league on both sides of the ball.
The last contender I have coming out of the West is the Minnesota Timberwolves. After having a down year last season, they have come back with a vengeance. The young Star Anthony Edwards who leads the team in scoring is the reason why many believe this team has a strong shot at the Finals. He has such a big game mentality that when the lights are bright you know he will not crumble. Last year there was lots of controversy on why the Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert because of the fit beside Karl Anthony Towns. Bigs like them are an unusual scheme fit because of how the league is slowly shifting to a fast-paced small ball league. This season shows why you don't give up on a team after one down year. Both Gobert and Anthony-Towns have had career years so far and defensively are a pain to score on. My only concern for this team is the playoffs. The Timberwolves have never had this specific team and scheme in the playoffs. This can be worrisome because the past few times Gobert has been in the playoffs it has ended in him getting spaced out on defense leaving him vulnerable on the perimeter and no interior defender to help.
Prediction: The Nuggets will make it out of the Western Conference
