NBA 2023 Western Conference Predictions

Is it Luka's time to shine in the West? Will Nikola Jokic finally dominate the league with a healthy roster? Can LeBron make something happen again? Are the Warriors going to repeat? Ladies and gentlemen, the 2023 NBA season is just around the corner, and with that being said, let's get into my Western Conference predictions. I'm going to start this video off with the four teams which I believe will take the bottom seeds from 12-15. The Spurs, the Jazz, the Rockets, and OKC. Each of these organizations are going through a rebuild and won't be making much noise this season. The Spurs just traded away their only all-star in DeJounte Murray for a host of future first round picks and a 34-year-old Danilo Gallinari. The Jazz just traded away both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert for a few pieces and a boatload of first round picks. The Rockets are trying to build around their 2021 second overall pick in Jalen Green. And the OKC Thunder, well, they could have made some noise this season, but their lottery pick in Chet Holgrim will miss the entire season with a foot injury that happened over the summer. The thing is too, with Victor Wumbanyamba entering the 2023 NBA draft, each of these teams won't dare to win too many games, otherwise they'll be missing out on the opportunity to potentially draft one of the most hyped prospects since LeBron James. Anyways, next off, I want to go over seed 7-11. 5 teams are going to be fighting for the 4 playing spots, but unfortunately, one of them isn't going to make it. At number 7, I got the Minnesota Timberwolves. They drafted an athletic, talented dog in Anthony Edwards in 2020, who will most likely become an all-star in 2023. Then, when you combine him with D'Angelo Russell, Carl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, you have a starting lineup with 4 all-stars. The last few times a team had 4 all-star caliber players in the prime, they went on to win championships. This team can be overlooked. How this group will actually mesh together on the court has yet to be seen, but man. For the first time since the Kevin Garnett era, Timberwolves fans have a team they can legitimately cheer on. At number 8, I got the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron, AD and Westbrook were championship favorites last season, but they ended up missing the play in tournament. This year, they have a chance to redeem themselves, and if they can stay healthy, they will. LeBron, although he'll be like 38, is still a top 5 player in the league. Anthony Davis, when he's healthy, could play like a top 5 player on any given night. And then there's Russell Westbrook. Despite everything that happened last season, he's still a strong athletic guard. If he just plays to his strengths, becomes a bit more efficient and decides to play defense, he could still be an impactful player. The Lakers also recently hired Darvin Hamm to be their new head coach. He was an assistant coach to Mike Budenholzer and the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks that went on to win the championship. And I really look forward to how he organizes this group to compete in this upcoming season. At number 9, I got the New Orleans Pelicans. Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum? Man, I look forward to seeing how this plays out. I mean, this team made the playoffs last year without their 2019 number one overall pick. And although it's been forever since we've seen him play in an actual game, just remember, in his second season, the Those are literally Shaq-like numbers, and I'd hate to be the one guarding him. The Pelicans have a good coach in Willie Green, and with their big three, they'll definitely be competing for a playoff spot. At number 10, I got the Portland Trailblazers. Now, at first glance, it looks as if they're in the rebuilding mode at the moment after trading away McCollum and signing 23-year If you look closer at the roster, however, you see a team that's in their prime, led by a superstar in Damian Lillard. They recently acquired Jeremy Grant and Gary Payton II. And they still have Yusef Nurkic, Josh Hart and a host of other role players. They'll be playing in the planned tournament, and with Dame time leading them, there's always a chance they Anyways, last off here, we have the Sacramento Kings at number 11. They don't have a horrible roster, but it's just the organization that I don't trust. I mean, did you know that currently, the Kings hold the record for postseason droughts? Yeah, since 2007, Sacramento has missed 16 consecutive playoffs, and given how stacked the Western Conference is, I don't see that changing in 2023. On the positive side though, I'll probably draft Amantis Sabonis into my fantasy basketball team. Alright, now let's move on to the remaining teams. At number 6, I got the Phoenix Suns. I know they were the number one seed last season, but Chris Paul is now 37 and was exposed on defense last year in the playoffs. Every team is going to do exactly what the Pelicans and Mavericks did, which is attack Chris Paul when he's on defense. The Suns also did so much trash talking last season that they're going to have a target on their backs this year. I see them as the 6th seed for the 2023 season. At number 5, I got the Memphis Grizzlies. Draymond Green said on his podcast that it's going to be a lot harder for them to win now that they're expected to. Teams are going to be circling them on their calendar, and on a nightly basis, they're going to have teams coming at them hard. This is Ja Morant's year to shine though. If he can handle the pressure which comes along with expectations, and will his team to where they were last season, or even higher, then he would have truly launched himself into superstardom. I don't see that happening however, and I got them here at number 5. At number 4, I got the Dallas Mavericks. Most teams have a core of a few players. I mean, the Warriors have Steph, Klay, and Draymond. The Lakers have LeBron, AD, and Westbrook. The Bucks have Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday. But for the Mavericks, they have a core consisting of one player, Luka Doncic. This actually reminds me a lot of the pre-Miami LeBron when the Cavaliers were just a one-man army, with one man putting the team on his back. Luka is doing the same thing at the moment. He is the Dallas Mavericks. Anyways, unlike last season, he looks to be in great shape going into the 2023 season, but still, it's really unfortunate that at the moment, the Mavericks haven't been able to acquire a second or third all-star, because when they do, they're truly going to be a perennial championship contender with Luka at the helm. At number 3, I got the Los Angeles Clippers. Last season, with Kawhi missing the whole year, and with Paul George only playing in 31 games, the Clippers still had the 8th best record in the West, but were ousted in the play-in tournament. With a 2x Finals MVP in Kawhi coming back healthy, and with a 6x All-NBA selection PG-13 back in the mix, this team is definitely going to rack up wins. The Los Angeles Clippers are not only top heavy with their 2 stars, but they're deep as well. I see them taking up the 3 seed. At number 2, I got the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, taking up the 2 seed. This team is completely loaded, and will probably have 5 all-star caliber players. Steph, Klay, Draymond, Wiggins, and Poole. Sheesh guys. And the thing is, 3 of these all-stars are going to be playing for a contract, so you know they're going to be giving it their all. The Warriors are going to have a bit of growing pains this season, because they have to integrate Wiseman, Kaminga, and Moody into the rotation, but once they get over that hump, they're going to be a force to reckon with. This team has championship DNA, they got a top 10 player of all time, and they're deep. Strength in numbers is officially back, and teams really can't take a break when they're facing the Warriors. I mean, they have a championship starting 5, then coming off the bench, they have 3 talented, athletic, and big lottery picks, led by a player who plays exactly like the 2015 MVP version of Steph. They're also being coached by Steve Kerr, who has 9 rings, 5 as a player, and 4 as a coach. This Warriors team knows exactly what they need to do to win it all, and I have them as the second seed in the West. At number 1, I got the Denver Nuggets. This team has 2-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. They got a healthy Jamal Murray, who went toe-to-toe with Donovan Mitchell in the 2020 playoffs. And, if Michael Porter Jr. can come back healthy, then sheesh. The Nuggets are a bit older now, and they'll be playing with a chip on their shoulders. A few years ago, they were playing with house money, but now, they're a legitimate contender. In the 82-game regular season, they're gonna dominate, and I see them taking the number 1 seed in the West. How are we doing so far? Are you agreeing with this list? Moving on here, I'm going to go over the Western Conference postseason. For the play-in tournament between the 7th and 8th seed, I see Anthony Edwards playing like a superstar and ultimately leading the Timberwolves over the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, for the 9th and 10th seed battle, I see Zion imposing his will against the Trailblazers and getting the win for New Orleans. Then, for the last play-in game between the Lakers and the Pelicans, I got the Lakers winning a close game. LeBron can't let his team miss the playoffs for 2 straight years, especially if Anthony Davis is healthy and in his prime. Now, let's move into the playoffs. The Nuggets are gonna want revenge against the Lakers for losing in the 2020 bubble, and I see Nikola Jokic having a monster series and ultimately derailing LeBron and his squad in 6 games. Next off, we have the Warriors vs the Timberwolves. This is bad luck for Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. While I see them capable of pulling an upset against most teams in the league, I don't see that happening against the Warriors. The Warriors are too disciplined, too experienced, and I see them winning this series in 5 games. The Clippers and Phoenix are next. This should actually be a great series to watch. I mean, both teams have stars, both teams are deep, and both teams are well coached. Still though, I ultimately see Kawhi and Paul George attacking Chris Paul on every possession which will wear him out and make him ineffective on offense. And that's that. I see the Clippers winning this in 5 games. Finally, for the last first round series, we got Luka Doncic going up against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. Luka is only 23 years old at the moment, but already, we've seen what he's capable of in big moments. I mean, this man took out the number one seed from last season alone, and the year before that, he almost took out Kawhi and Paul George single-handedly. Ja Morant is going to do everything he can to advance, but in the end, I see the Mavericks winning this one in 6 games. Next off, we have the Western Semifinals. And first, we have the Nuggets vs Dallas. Man, as good as Luka is, I don't see him beating a trio of Jokic, Murray, and MPJ. This'll perhaps be one of the most entertaining series to watch in 2023, and I see it being a close series, with the Nuggets prevailing in 7 games. Luka is a matchup nightmare and will be unguardable, but so is Jokic. And I would love to watch the two of them go at it in a head-to-head matchup. For the other series, we have the Warriors and the Clippers. I already detailed why I think the Warriors would destroy the Clippers in this video here, but just to summarize it, it comes down to Wiggins being able to nullify Kawhi, and Curry being unstoppable. The Clippers won't have an answer for the reigning finals MVP, and although Draymond himself said that the Clippers are a threat, I see the Warriors winning this one in 5 games. And finally, we have the Warriors vs the Nuggets. In 2022, Steph Curry and the crew easily dispatch them in 5 games, but with Jamal Murray and MPJ in the mix, it'll make things infinitely more difficult. If Jamal Murray goes off like how he did against the Jazz and has multiple 50 point games, then sheesh, get your popcorn ready. Anyways, with the matchups, I see Steph Curry and Jordan Poole constantly attacking Jokic in pick and roll situations to create mismatches. I see Wiggins guarding Murray, and Draymond guarding MPJ. I also see the Nuggets with a more diverse offense. Sometimes they'll feed Jokic in the post, sometimes Murray will take over in pick and roll situations, and sometimes Porter Jr. will play bully ball. The two teams are going to split the first 4 games, but then ultimately, I see the Warriors making the necessary adjustments needed to win, like how they did against the Celtics, and ultimately, they'll win games 5 and 6, and just like that, they'll be back in the finals with a chance to repeat as champions. This is how I see the 2023 Western Conference playing out. What do you see? Let me know in the comments down below.