West end: Can these teams defy preseason rankings?

The 2020-2021 NBA season is bound to be an interesting and exciting one, especially during these abnormal times.

The 72-game season is set to kick off later this month, and teams are scrambling to get their players acclimated to playing full-speed NBA basketball once again. 

With a short offseason and short turnaround between the NBA draft/free agency and the beginning of training camp, we all might be in for a surprise-filled (and drama-infused) season.

It’s difficult to rank the teams because of such uncertainty and the potential for wild surprises, but nevertheless, here is the first part of a series on the Western Conference preseason rankings.

15. Oklahoma City Thunder

2019-20 record: 44-28 (5th) | Offensive rating: 110.1 (17th) | Defensive rating: 108.1 (7th)

Draftees: Aleksej Pokuševski (17th), Théo Maledon (34th) | Key additions: Trevor Ariza, George Hill, Justin Jackson | Key losses: Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Dennis Schröder

The Thunder have come a long way from the golden era of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Once a perennial powerhouse in the West, they have now been relegated to a warehouse of draft picks and role-player veterans.

The loss of Chris Paul is huge; he carried the Thunder on his shoulders on their way to an improbable five-seed and playoff appearance. Dennis Schröder, a Sixth Man of the Year finalist, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Steven Adams, a franchise pillar and fan favorite, was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

In their place are a couple of veterans (Ariza and Hill), up-and-coming players with promise (Luguentz Dort), and rookies (Pokuševski and Maledon). With the lack of All-Star level talent or even fringe All-Stars, this will definitely be a rebuilding season for the Thunder, all while waiting for their stash of draft picks to net them a significant return of promising blue-chip prospects.

14. Sacramento Kings

2019-20 record: 31-41 (12th) | Offensive rating: 109.5 (18th) | Defensive rating: 111.4 (19th)

Draftees: Tyrese Haliburton (12th), Robert Woodard II (40th), Jahmi’us Ramsey (43rd) | Key additions: Hassan Whiteside, Glenn Robinson III, Frank Kaminsky | Key losses: Bogdan Bogdanović, Harry Giles, Kent Bazemore

The Kings have the unique distinction of being the team with the longest active playoff drought in the NBA, with 14 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth. 

Overall, the Kings have the second-longest drought in NBA history, trailing the Los Angeles Clippers’ 15-year drought set during the ‘70s and the ‘80s.

Will the Kings join the Clippers in having such a dubious distinction? Based on their offseason moves, it pretty much seems like they will. 

The only noticeable certainties within their roster are De’Aaron Fox, who recently signed a five-year, $163 million max extension, and Tyrese Haliburton, a 6-foot-5 guard from Iowa State University who has shown potential as a facilitator with two-way ability.

What is not sure is how Buddy Hield will take being benched late last season for the recently-departed Bogdan Bogdanović, in addition to former second overall pick Marvin Bagley III’s ability to stay healthy. If Hield commits to playing hard – in addition to Bagley avoiding any kind of significant injury – the Kings just might overachieve.

The acquisition of Hassan Whiteside was a decent pickup, but there are concerns about Whiteside’s commitment and attitude, as well as his slightly overrated ability as a defender. Glenn Robinson III is a serviceable wing, while Frank Kaminsky does little to move the needle.

The Kings losing Bogdanović – an excellent three-point shooter, secondary playmaker, and shot creator – without getting anything in return was a crippling setback. It just might be the final nail in the coffin of another disappointing season.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves

2019-20 record: 19-45 (14th) | Offensive rating: 107.6 (24th) | Defensive rating: 111.6 (20th)

Draftees: Anthony Edwards (1st), Jaden McDaniels (28th) | Key additions: Ricky Rubio, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Ed Davis | Key losses: None

The Timberwolves struck proverbial gold when they were awarded the first overall pick in the draft lottery, and they used that pick to acquire Anthony Edwards, a highly-athletic 6-foot-5 guard from the University of Georgia. Edwards will slot in quite nicely beside Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.

The Wolves also welcomed back Ricky Rubio to play the role of a reliable veteran point guard, as well as signing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to shore up their wing depth.

Drafting the best talent available, all while acquiring some dependable veterans to help out their All-Star duo, is definitely a win for the Wolves. The real question: Will those be enough to get them over the hump and into the playoffs? In a tough and highly competitive Western Conference, the answer is probably a no.

But if Towns and Russell go above and beyond what is expected of them (i.e., significantly improving on defense, a notorious area of weakness for both), then who knows? If Edwards fulfills his promise as a dynamic scoring threat and lockdown defender, that will also significantly help.

But those are a lot of “ifs” that will need to be realized.

12. New Orleans Pelicans

2019-20 record: 30-42 (13th) | Offensive rating: 110.5 (15th) | Defensive rating: 111.8 (21st)

Draftee: Kira Lewis Jr. (13th) | Key additions: Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams | Key losses: Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors

With a new head coach in Stan Van Gundy and a refreshed and well-rested Zion Williamson with apparently no minutes restriction being planned, the Pelicans are primed to fulfill the promise many heaped upon them as a potential playoff team.

But even with the re-signing of Brandon Ingram and the steady improvement of Lonzo Ball, the Pelicans are still very much an unknown and largely unproven commodity. 

Williamson could very well suffer from another injury or series of injuries, and if that happens, the Pelicans would be severely crippled.

The acquisition of Eric Bledsoe helps, but he isn’t much of an upgrade over Jrue Holiday (and there is an argument as to whether he even is an upgrade). 

Steven Adams is a solid player, but the Pelicans massively overpaid for his services; a two-year, $35 million contract might be a tad too much for a center who can’t stretch the floor.

Spacing will be an issue due to the possibility of Bledsoe, Williamson, and Adams all sharing the floor at once, and all of them aren’t known for their outside shooting. 

If Van Gundy can’t find a way to make all these pieces mesh together, then the Pelicans might underachieve for a second consecutive season.

11. Memphis Grizzlies

2019-20 record: 34-39 (9th) | Offensive rating: 108.7 (21st) | Defensive rating: 109.7 (14th)

Draftees: Desmond Bane (30th), Xavier Tillman (35th) | Key additions: None |

Key loss: Josh Jackson

Led by reigning Rookie of the Year Ja Morant, the Grizzlies made a noble push toward the playoffs during the bubble, when they made it to the play-in game and fell just short of the eight-seed against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

With virtually no significant losses from their roster and the addition of low-key draft studs in Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman – as well as the promise that Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Brandon Clarke exude – the Grizzlies have a chance to repeat their feat from last season, and might even be able to sneak in as the eight-seed this time.

The other side of that coin is their youth – and youth in a tough and highly competitive West that just became even tougher usually doesn’t get you a playoff spot.

10. San Antonio Spurs

2019-20 record: 32-39 (11th) | Offensive rating: 111.7 (10th) | Defensive rating: 112.6 (24th)

Draftees: Devin Vassell (11th), Tre Jones (41st) | Key additions: None | Key losses: Bryn Forbes, Marco Belinelli

Death, taxes, and the Spurs making the playoffs… except for last season, that is.

For the first time in 22 seasons, the Spurs missed the playoffs after finishing 11th in the West, which wasn’t surprising due to both LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan missing out on the bubble restart. 

The Spurs nearly got themselves to the play-in game, which is a testament to Gregg Popovich’s ability to squeeze the most out of the pieces he has to work with, but in the end the Spurs just had too much youth and too little talent.

This season is trending toward improvement, with Aldridge and DeRozan returning and rookies Devin Vassell and Tre Jones being solid picks, as well as Rudy Gay being counted on to be a source of much-needed veteran leadership.

But with both Aldridge and DeRozan being on the wrong side of 30, time is running out for the Spurs, and trying to punch above their weight in the West is a tall task, even for a legendary coach such as Popovich. 

Then again, this is the Spurs and Popovich we’re talking about – and we’ve all learned to never count them out.

9. Houston Rockets

2019-20 record: 44-28 (4th) | Offensive rating: 112.5 (6th) | Defensive rating: 109.8 (15th)

Draftees: Kenyon Martin Jr. (52nd) | Key additions: John Wall, Christian Wood, DeMarcus Cousins | Key losses: Russell Westbrook, Robert Covington, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green

The most drama-laden team of the offseason, the Rockets are in somewhat of a crossroads. They were handily crushed by the Lakers in the second round of the bubble playoffs, marking another playoff disappointment for a team that was one win away from the Finals back in 2018.

To put more fuel on the Rockets’ burning house, Russell Westbrook voiced his desire to be traded away, which was fulfilled when he was shipped to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and a 2023 first-round pick.

James Harden – the franchise superstar, former MVP, and one of the best offensive players in the league today – also showed signs of wanting to bolt out of Houston, and there were whispers of him wanting to join up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, or teaming up with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. 

That hasn’t happened so far, but with Harden showing up late to training camp, the situation could prove to be a volatile one throughout the season.

Not all was bad for the Rockets. They at least got Wall out of the Westbrook trade, even if he hasn’t played for two years and is coming off an Achilles injury. 

They also signed Christian Wood, who isn’t a household name but is a very solid big man who can decently stretch the floor (38.6% on 2.3 three-point attempts per game last season).

That said, the Rockets are entering this season with a disgruntled superstar, a point guard who may never reach the All-Star/All-NBA level he was at in years past, an underpaid role-player in PJ Tucker, an overpaid and underperforming role-player in Eric Gordon, and a new coach in Stephen Silas who could have too much on his hands, especially for a rookie head coach. 

On paper, the Rockets are a playoff team, but with all this volatility and uncertainty, anything – including missing the playoffs – could happen.

With a transcendent talent and one-man offensive system such as Harden, the Rockets should never be counted out – that is, if he fully commits.  

Check out Part 2 of the NBA Western Conference preseason rankings: Winning the West: Can anyone topple the Lakers?

– Rappler.com