The Biggest Question For Every Team In The West For The 2018-19 NBA Season

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The 2018 NBA season is less than a month away and with media days out of the way, training camp has begun around the league.

Training camp is great because there’s palpable excitement for just about every team, with high hopes of improvement from last year for just about everyone. Players are talking about all the work they’ve put in this summer, coaches are happy with the effort level, commitment, and buy-in from the whole team, and general managers think they’ve put together a group that can compete.

A lot of those statements will be rendered false before the calendar flips to 2019, but for now, optimism reigns supreme. As always, there are only a few true title contenders, followed by your playoff hopefuls, and then the teams still in the rebuilding phase, but no matter what tier a team falls in, there’s something that will dominate headlines in training camp and the early season. Here, we’re going to explore the biggest question for each team entering training camp, and what it will take for the resolution of that to be considered a success.

We started with the East, and now it’s time to look to the West:

Dallas Mavericks

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Is Luka Doncic as good as advertised?

There are plenty of questions in Dallas, but the Doncic hype overwhelms everything with the Mavericks. The reigning EuroLeague MVP comes in with loftier expectations than most any European player ever, and with the Mavs trading up to take him, it only adds to the pressure.

All indications are that he’s the goods, but rookies struggle in the NBA, almost as a rule, and how he navigates those struggles will be quite interesting to watch. He’s got a great mentor in place in Dirk Nowitzki, but the Mavs expect to contend for a playoff spot this year and want Doncic to be a contributor in a positive way immediately to that cause. That’s not easy to do as a rookie, especially in a loaded Western Conference, but he’s supposed to be the guy ready for the league after having already played professionally in Spain.

Denver Nuggets

Can Jokic and company shake off last year’s disappointing end and make the playoffs in the West?

The Nuggets were one game away from the postseason last year, but dropped the regular season finale/play-in game to the Timberwolves. That’s been simmering with this team all summer, and things haven’t gotten any easier out West. The Nuggets roster remains just about the same, with the main differences being the addition of Isaiah Thomas and trading away Wilson Chandler.

A full season of Paul Millsap would help the cause, but all eyes will be on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to continue taking strides as legitimate stars in the NBA. Jokic inked a new max deal with the Nuggets this offseason and Murray, entering his third season, has become a fantastic two-way player on the perimeter. They’ll need those two to build off of last year if they’re to vault into the postseason.

With the Lakers in the mix now (and possibly the Mavs), the Western Conference playoff chase only figures to be more crowded this season. There are mile high expectations in Denver for this Nuggets squad, and close won’t cut it this season.

Golden State Warriors

How will DeMarcus Cousins look coming back from his Achilles injury?

There’s not a lot of intrigue regarding Golden State this season, coming off back-to-back titles (three in four years) with the same core of four All-Stars that figure to bludgeon the NBA into submission once again. However, the addition of DeMarcus Cousins is fascinating, because if he’s anything close to the Boogie of old, it would make this season a total joke.

No one knows when Cousins will play, as he rehabs his way back from a ruptured Achilles, but when he does make his debut in the Bay, all eyes will be on No. 0. Cousins has always been a dynamic player and has recently shown expanded three-point range in New Orleans. Now he joins a team that seems perfectly fit to his skills as a shooter and playmaker, with the added bonus of not needing him to rush back from injury.

Cousins isn’t just playing for a chance at his first championship, but also to earn his next contract and prove he’s still one of the league’s best big men. If he can do that, then the Warriors will somehow be even more unfair. If he can’t, then they’ll just be the same old Warriors that were still pretty unfair. The risk for the team is low, but for Cousins personally there’s a ton at stake this season.

Houston Rockets

Will offseason gambles pay off or cause a step back?

The Rockets were a game away from the Finals last year, having almost knocked the Warriors off their perch atop the Western Conference. However, despite being that close and, maybe, just a Chris Paul hamstring injury away from being the world champs, the Rockets shook things up this summer to the surprise of many.

Houston has been quite active this summer, letting Trevor Ariza walk to Phoenix and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute go back to the Clippers. In their place, the Rockets added Carmelo Anthony and traded Ryan Anderson and draft pick De’Anthony Melton for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss. There’s no doubting Ariza’s importance to the Rockets, and none of the players Houston’s added figure to be able to make up for the defensive presence of he and Mbah a Moute.

However, the Rockets are banking on their additions this offseason making them generally a deeper team that isn’t reliant on a six-man rotation, basically, in the postseason. Playoff rotations always shorten up, but last year Houston took it to the extreme. It almost worked, but this year there’s a new approach, and if it doesn’t work out and they appear further from the Warriors, there will be plenty of second-guessing taking place in Houston.

Los Angeles Clippers

Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

The Clippers come into the 2018-19 NBA season in something of no-man’s land. They’re not expected to be a playoff contender in the loaded West, but also won’t be bad enough to figure into the conversation at the top of the lottery as currently constructed. The biggest question they will face as an organization is whether they want to make moves in either direction come February’s trade deadline.

They have a number of useful veteran players on expiring deals that would be welcome midseason additions for contenders, namely Tobias Harris, Marcin Gortat, and Patrick Beverley. Even more useful is that each of those players occupies a different salary tier, which allows them to match salaries as needed and possibly collect draft picks.

The Clippers also could decide that, if they’re hovering within striking distance of that eighth seed in the West, they should be aggressive in trying to add talent, which, again, they have a number of palatable deals that would allow them to make some interesting offers. The best asset the Clippers have entering the 2019 offseason is their significant cap space (up to over $57 million if they waive non-guaranteed deals and cap holds), and they will likely not want to jeopardize that in any moves they make in either direction, unless they can add a legitimate star caliber player.

This question becomes moot if they’re able to pull off a deal for Jimmy Butler, given that they’re near the top of his wishlist, but as of now they don’t seem to be a frontrunner to land him from a Minnesota team that has little incentive to ship him to a team that would become a playoff contender with him. It’s possible they just ride out this season to the 10th spot in the West and go big game hunting this offseason, but if that’s where things are trending come February, it would behoove them to pick up some future assets for expiring veterans.

Los Angeles Lakers

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How will the young core handle Year 1 with LeBron?

There are so, so, so many questions for the Lakers this season, but the one that will be the most meaningful for the franchise’s long term is how their young players play and develop in their first year on a contender and playing with LeBron. Yes, there’s plenty of intrigue with the MUD squad and how all of the varying personalities will mesh in the locker room, but with so many one-year deals, the long term implications there are minimal, as they can simply cut bait after this year with any and all of those players.

The young core is far more important to the Lakers’ ability to build a contender around LeBron — and how they need to go about doing so. We’ve seen recently that not every young player handles the pressures of being a LeBron teammate well (see: Hood, Rodney), and Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram need to prove something this season if they’re going to be considered foundational pieces for this team entering a very important summer in 2019.

All three of those players could thrive alongside LeBron, who has historically been able to get a lot out of role players and sidekicks thanks to the gravity he has on the court. However, if any of them struggle or take steps back, it may force the Lakers to reassess their position with the team going forward. The hope in L.A. is that the latter situation pans out and all three continue to develop and show promise, but if that isn’t the case for one or more, the rumors that they could be dealt to bring in players more ready to win now will only heat up.

Memphis Grizzlies

Can Conley and Gasol make one last stand?

Last year, the wheels came off for the Grizzlies when Mike Conley went down, and Memphis found itself with the league’s second-worst record and plenty of internal turmoil. J.B. Bickerstaff had the interim tag taken off and Conley returns, along with a win-now approach to the offseason from the Memphis brass.

It’s clear that they look at last year as a fluke and expect to find themselves battling for a postseason berth once again in 2018-19. They were aggressive in luring Kyle Anderson away from the Spurs and made savvy acquisitions in Garrett Temple and Shelvin Mack to bolster their perimeter depth. Jaren Jackson Jr. is the least talked about top-5 pick from this year’s draft, but his Summer League performance indicates he could very well be a positive contributor as a rookie in helping Memphis win games.

There are still big questions, particularly with regards to whether they have enough firepower on offense to contend in the loaded West, but that is the obvious goal. When Conley and Gasol have been healthy together, Memphis has never won fewer than 40 games, so history is on their side. It’s just a matter of whether banking on those two to stay healthy at their age and with their injury history can still pay off.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Will the Jimmy Butler trade request bring in enough talent and fire up their young core enough to make another playoff run?

We don’t know where Butler will be playing his basketball this season, but we can be almost positive it’s not going to be in Minnesota despite Tom Thibodeau’s best efforts. There are now tons of questions to be answered in Minnesota, including whether Thibs will even be with the team all season, but I’m most intrigued by what the product will look like on the court once a trade is done.

A big factor in how good Minnesota will be without Butler is going to be the return they get in a trade. There are mixed messages about what the Timberwolves want, whether it’s young potential stars, an established star, or draft assets (their reported asking price from Miami combines all three), but replacing Butler’s production won’t be easy no matter the package. Still, they need to add at least some scoring punch and playmaking on the perimeter, not to mention what it will do to them defensively (where they were already among the league’s worst).

The other part of this equation is how Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins will respond to Butler wanting to leave. Even though the public reasoning is contract stuff, there’s no denying internal frustration between Butler and Minnesota’s young stars was a factor, and both have had somewhat salty responses to Butler’s departure in different ways. It could be an F-U type year from both, motivated by Butler forcing his way out partially because he’s just not a big believer in their work ethic and commitment defensively. If that’s the case, the Wolves may owe Butler something of a thank you if it kicks both into a higher gear and delivers another postseason appearance.

New Orleans Pelicans

Can their offseason additions help take them to the next level?

A lot of people will ask about Anthony Davis’ future with the franchise, but I still believe it’s premature to think New Orleans will consider dealing him when they can offer a gigantic $235 million extension next summer. The only way I can see them even entertaining that idea is if Davis forces his way out, and that seems highly unlikely unless they take a significant step back this season.

The Pelicans look similar to the team that made it to the second round of the playoffs last season, when DeMarcus Cousins was already out. Cousins, of course, is in Oakland now with the Warriors, but the main departure from last year’s playoff squad is Rajon Rondo, now with LeBron in L.A. His replacement as the backup point guard will be Elfrid Payton, coming off some dismal seasons in Orlando and Phoenix on bad ball clubs. New Orleans is hoping that being in a winning situation can bring out Payton’s best attributes — namely his defense — and that on offense he can be a capable backup ball-handler and facilitator, initiating the offense when Jrue Holiday is out of the game.

That’s something Rondo did masterfully last season, and it remains to be seen how big a dropoff they will see from Rondo to Payton. The biggest addition of the offseason is Julius Randle, who I’m bullish on as a complementary piece next to Davis in the frontcourt. How they’ll handle rotations with Randle and Nikola Mirotic will be interesting, but there should be plenty of minutes to go around with Mirotic spending some time at the 3, although that brings a defensive liability into play. Still, Randle’s game seems well suited to working off of Davis on the offensive end and while he’s not at Cousins’ level of offensive dominance, he’s a very good replacement and should have plenty of opportunities with the attention defenses must give Davis.

Those two players figure to be key in whether New Orleans can take a step forward, or at the least replicate last season’s success depending on who they run into in the postseason. Davis is a top MVP candidate this season and we know how good he and Holiday are when healthy and on the court together. If Randle can be dynamic and make defenses pay for sending doubles at Davis and Payton can bounce back to be a solid backup point guard, the Pelicans can be players again out West. If not, the chatter about Davis’ future will only grow stronger.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Will their defense return to an elite level with Andre Roberson’s return?

There’s plenty to talk about in Oklahoma City. How will Paul George and Russell Westbrook look in Year 2 together? Will Carmelo Anthony’s departure be addition by subtraction for the Thunder with one less mouth to feed on offense? Can Dennis Schröder provide much needed defense and playmaking as a ball-handler for the second unit to give Westbrook some time to rest?

However, one of the storylines that didn’t get as much play in the NBA last season as it probably should have was how incredibly detrimental Roberson’s injury was to the Thunder. With Roberson on the court, in his 39 games played, OKC’s defensive rating was 96.4. Without him on the floor, it was 107.6, a staggering number considering how massive a sample size that is (43 games completely without him, plus 21 minutes per game in that first 39). Roberson and Paul George made for the best wing defensive combo in the league when on the floor together, and with Roberson back they can, theoretically, return that starting unit to being among the league’s stingiest lineups.

In the postseason, when rotations shrink and those starters play more minutes, having that lineup available will be a massive boon to the Thunder’s chances of living up to expectations. Last year, they struggled against the Jazz in the first round series loss, but having the option of putting Roberson on Donovan Mitchell seems like the kind of thing that would have been a significant help. Roberson isn’t an offseason addition for OKC since he’s already on the roster, but his return could be a huge factor in the Thunder claiming one of those top spots in the West this season and being a legit challenger in the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns

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Can Deandre Ayton assert himself as a member of the NBA’s dominant big man revolution?

Like the Magic, Phoenix has a major question mark at point guard right now in desperate need of resolution, but Ayton will be the focal point in Arizona all year. The Suns have been non-factors in the league for years, an afterthought unless Devin Booker is having one of those nights scoring. This year, they might not see a significant leap in wins, simply by proxy of playing in a loaded Western Conference, but they can start to assert themselves as a team on the rise that will be dangerous in the future.

Booker needs to take a step forward as being more than a prolific scorer, showing he can be a facilitator as well (particularly until the PG situation is remedied). That’s been a knock on him thus far in his career, but a large part of that may simply be that he’s not had a ton of help in Phoenix. That should change this season with the addition of top overall pick Deandre Ayton, as he’s a dominant force down low on the offensive end. Ayton’s supposed to be the next up in the line of great big men to enter the league in recent years. It’s an ever-growing list, headlined by the likes of Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gobert, and Nikola Jokic.

Ayton has the tools to join that list and he’s produced in Summer League and the preseason like he’s ready right now to be a force offensively. Tyson Chandler believes he’s capable of dominating on both ends, and while the Suns will want to see Josh Jackson take a step forward and Mikal Bridges be a contributor in his rookie year, everything in Phoenix revolves around Booker and Ayton. Those two want to be Kobe and Shaq 2.0, and while that may be wishful thinking, if they can establish themselves this season as a formidable inside-outside combination, baby, the Suns might just have a stew going.

Portland Trail Blazers

Has this group stalled out and will major roster changes come this season?

The Blazers have become somewhat like the Hawks of a few years ago. A team that’s a consistent presence in the postseason, but rarely if ever a factor in the conference title race. Damian Lillard is a bonafide star and C.J. McCollum has emerged as one of the league’s top shooting guards. That backcourt duo consistently ranks near the top of the league in scoring by a guard combination, but there’s real concern that this team has tapped it’s full potential as constructed.

That’s not necessarily the fault of Lillard or McCollum, but the reality of this roster that’s filled with bloated contracts and has little in the way of assets and potential. Portland’s Vegas win total puts them right around .500 this year, which would put their playoff streak in jeopardy. Part of the reason for that low number is the built in possibility of them finally making a significant deadline move in an effort to shake things up and bring some much needed cap relief in the near future.

Lillard met with Paul Allen last year to discuss the direction of the franchise, and while it didn’t lead to a trade request, it does indicate that he wants to see improvement soon and the Blazers have yet to figure out how to make that happen. Neil Olshey seems wary of making a major shake-up but if direction comes down from Allen to finally do so, it will be fascinating to see whether they break up that backcourt, considering those two are the only players on the team with significant trade value — a must if they’re to unload one of their albatross contracts.

How Portland starts the year may be the deciding factor in all of this. If they’re once again near the top of the West, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them stand pat and hope last year’s disaster in the first round against the Pelicans can be avoided this year. However, if they’re finding themselves scrapping for the eighth seed, there will be plenty of chatter about Portland as the trade deadline approaches and teams inevitably come calling about their star guards.

Sacramento Kings

What is the plan?

This is an evergreen question, but one that once again must be asked. The Kings trotted out a Frank Mason, Harry Giles, Marvin Bagley III, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere lineup this preseason, which really highlights the weirdness of this roster. I don’t expect to see that ridiculous of a combination on the court during the regular season, but with Giles back healthy they’ll want to get him minutes and The Vladfather has already indicated Bagley will play some three this year.

The Kings roster has some intriguing young players, including Bagley, Giles, Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox. However, the roster is a mess around those players, with a bunch of bigs, few backcourt options beyond Fox, Bogdanovic, and Buddy Hield, (Mason and Yogi Ferrell are … fine) and no one is quite clear what the Kings are trying to do as far as building a competitive roster.

The good news in Sacramento (at least, it should be good news depending on how they use it), is they are the only team in the league with cap space entering the season. That means they can be players on the trade market as a third team in a deal, as they’ve tried to be in Jimmy Butler talks, to take on a bigger salary in return for assets. However, the Kings’ track record of turning assets into quality players is, well, not great. The Kings need to figure out who is part of their long-term plan and who isn’t this season, and in doing so expect plenty of weirdness in Sacramento in their rotations and lineups.

San Antonio Spurs

How will the DeMar DeRozan-led Spurs look in a new era?

The Spurs now have just two players left from their last title team on the roster in Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli (signed back this summer) now that Tony Parker is in Charlotte, Kawhi Leonard is in Toronto, and Manu Ginobili has retired. It’s strange to see so few familiar faces in San Antonio, but a new era of Spurs basketball is upon us.

Gregg Popovich remains and they still have a strong roster led by DeRozan along with LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol, so they won’t suddenly see some tremendous drop-off. That said, it will be interesting to see where this group finds itself in the Western Conference playoff conversation. For years you penciled the Spurs into the top three or four in the West and moved on, but now they figure to be fighting much harder for that position in the loaded West.

Still, this is a team that looked really good without Leonard last season and you figure adding DeRozan should only help the cause. Betting against them making the playoffs is likely foolish, but once they get to the playoffs we’ll really learn where this team stands as a contender or just another playoff team that’s a full tier below the top dogs.

Utah Jazz

Can Utah build on last year’s success and be a threat out West?

A lot of people are projecting Utah as the third best team in the West, behind only the Warriors and the Rockets. The Jazz were tied for the fourth spot last year with OKC, and dominated the Thunder in their postseason series. This year they’ll run it back with almost the exact same roster as they had in the playoffs, with the expectation that continued development from Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, along with a full offseason to continue to build cohesiveness, will pay dividends in the form of improvement.

Projecting linear development from young players is a dangerous game. Mitchell was phenomenal last year, and that naturally makes fans think he’ll take a step forward in Year 2. That’s very possible, but he also might plateau for a year or two — same with Gobert. That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but they’re relying wholly on that internal development to happen for them to make any steps forward as a team.

If they do get an even better version of Mitchell and a full season of health for Gobert, then those projections will likely be right. This is a team few will want to see in the postseason because of their defensive abilities along with balance and depth, but they need Mitchell to be an even more potent offensive star if they’re to challenge the Rockets and Warriors in a playoff series.

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