1. Golden State Warriors
2024-25 record: 48-34, third in the Pacific
Head coach: Steve Kerr, 12th season with the Warriors (567-308 record)
Coming and going: The no-cost addition of Al Horford is a godsend for the Warriors, who in recent years have been forced to send Draymond Green to battle out of position as a 5 with the likes of Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Rudy Gobert and Alperen Sengun. In other news, Jonathan Kuminga is back … but for how long?
Numbers to crunch: The Warriors were 25-26 on the day they acquired Jimmy Butler III last February. They went 23-8 the rest of the regular season.
Season snapshot: With Horford, Green and Butler, the Warriors have their best defensive frontcourt in ages. And with Stephen Curry still filling up 3-pointers at about a 40-percent clip, they figure to have the requisite firepower as well.
The question is: How hard does Steve Kerr push his veterans to keep pace with the younger legs of the Thunder and Rockets in the West? Throw in the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Lakers, Clippers and Mavericks, and even winning 50 games might not get you home-court in the Western Conference playoffs. The Warriors’ final standing in the West could come down to their standing in the “rest” rankings.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
2024-25 record: 50-32, tied for first in the Pacific
Head coach: JJ Redick, second season with the Lakers (50-32 record)
Coming and going: Most eyes have been on a trimmed-down Luka Doncic this preseason, but it was interesting to see LeBron James snarl at a Deandre Ayton mistake in his first game action. Is the polarizing Ayton really the answer to the Lakers’ issues around the hoop? The good news: Marcus Smart should help on the perimeter and especially the defensive end.
Numbers to crunch: The Lakers went 9-6 against Western Conference playoff teams – including 1-4 against the Timberwolves in the playoffs themselves – in games in which LeBron and Doncic both played last season.
Season snapshot: The focus of the season took a 180-degree flip from Doncic’s stomach to LeBron’s back upon news that James would miss the start of the year – and be sidelined indefinitely – with a sciatica issue. Before opening tip on opening night, already the season has turned into “just be healthy for the playoffs” mode.
Will LeBron be traded? Is he planning retirement? The future of the franchise suddenly warrants greater attention as the Lakers not only build around Doncic, but weigh whether newcomers Ayton and Smart are good fits. A turn-back-the-clock season from Gabe Vincent surely would help.
3. Los Angeles Clippers
2024-25 record: 50-32, tied for first in the Pacific
Head coach: Tyronn Lue, sixth season with the Clippers (234-166 record)
Coming and going: There’s early love for general manager Trent Redden as Executive of the Year for squeezing the likes of Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez and John Collins onto a roster that already had its fair share of bloated contracts. The Wizards version of Beal could help the Clippers become a force in the West; the Suns version would aid the other contenders.
Numbers to crunch: With eight players over the age of 30, the Clippers have a chance to set an all-time record for oldest roster, currently held by the 2001 Jazz at 32.6.
Season snapshot: Make no mistake: The MVP of this team is Adam Silver, whose response to the Kawhi Leonard salary-cap circumvention issue could run the gamut of no penalty at all, a slap on the wrist (fine), a suspension (owner and/or player) and a postseason ban. None of which, by the way, has to be announced anytime soon.
All the more reason for the Clippers to pour everything they’ve got into this year, because who knows if next season will even exist? Suffice it to say, the more Leonard is focused and healthy, the better off the team will be. He played 37 regular-season games last season and LA won 26 of them (a .703 winning percentage; only three teams were better), and while he went 3-4 in the playoffs against the Nuggets, two of the losses were by two points.
4. Sacramento Kings
2024-25 record: 40-42, fourth in the Pacific
Head coach: Doug Christie, second season with the Kings (27-24 record)
Coming and going: The Kings have gone all-in on the veteran look, importing Dennis Schroder and Dario Saric before completing a 30-something trifecta by adding Russell Westbrook on the eve of opening night. The message is clear to Doug Christie in his first full season at the helm: Win now.
Numbers to crunch: For the second straight year, Westbrook, the NBA all-time leader in triple-doubles with 203, will have to coexist with a Top 10 teammate, going from Nikola Jokic (third with 164) to Domantas Sabonis (68), who quietly passed Larry Bird (59) for 10th last season.
Season snapshot: The way the Kings reportedly went about seeking trades for Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan over the off-season, it’s clear someone in the California capital believes last year’s mix was toxic. Banished coach Mike Brown surely would agree with that assessment.
As the Kings have gotten older, they’ve also seen an increase in losses, going from 34 in 2023, to 36 in 2024, to 42 last season. They’ll now be counting upon Schroder to work his international magic on a cast of misfits. No doubt, Christie will have his hands full with this bunch.
5. Phoenix Suns
2024-25 record: 36-46, fifth in the Pacific
Head coach: Jordan Ott, first season with the Suns (0-0 record)
Coming and going: New coach Jordan Ott will get a chance to reshape one of the NBA’s biggest disappointments in recent years, and that starts with reshaping Jalen Green, who went from a franchise foundation piece to a castoff in Houston. He joins another guy who understands packing his baggage – Dillon Brooks – in a rebuild that figures to revolve around Devin Booker and rookie big man Khaman Maluach.
Numbers to crunch: The Suns technically don’t own their first-round draft pick until 2032, having traded four to the Nets as part of acquiring Kevin Durant and having given the Wizards four pick-swap options in the deal for Bradley Beal.
Season snapshot: As other bad teams inevitably go into tank mode, you can count upon the Suns to milk every possible win out of this season. More wins could mean less embarrassment when the world watches someone else occupy their seat at the draft lottery.
The backcourt dynamic of Green and Booker will be interesting to watch. Green was asked to be more of a scorer than a ball distributor in Houston, a role that should change in Phoenix. That said, Brooks is the only other established scorer on the team, so Green might see a need to resort to his Rockets mind-set. The last thing the Suns need, however, is another Beal.
-Field Level Media
