The first few weeks of the NBA season can teach us a lot, but it’s also important to take what we have seen to this point with a grain of salt since there is so much time for teams to turn things around.
The Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings have been among the biggest surprises in the Western Conference as they currently occupy four of the top five spots in the standings. But are they for real? Here is a quick look at each of the four teams and whether or not they should be considered contenders or pretenders.
Memphis Grizzlies – Pretender
The Grizzlies have won seven of their first eight games thanks in big part to their defensive play. They rank first in the NBA with an average of 89.4 points per game allowed. It took a while before they finally lost a game but their deficiencies were on full display in a 93-92 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Memphis has arguably the best big man tandem in the NBA with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, but the complimentary pieces aren’t exactly good enough to make them a championship team. Courtney Lee, Mike Conley, and Tony Allen leave a lot to be desired.
All three are responsible at their own end of the floor and raise the defensive level of play but their inconsistencies on offense will be a major problem when they go up against the top teams in the West come playoff time.
Houston Rockets – Contender
Houston is one of those top teams that can be considered a legitimate contender thanks to a ton of offensive firepower and a renewed commitment to defense. The Rockets are right behind Memphis as the second-best team in the NBA in terms of points per game allowed as they have given up an average of just 90.9 points per game.
Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones, and James Harden have each averaged over a steal and block per game, and the addition of Trevor Ariza helped upgrade their defense on the wing without compromising the offense. Ariza is an excellent pure shooter that has fit in perfectly with Harden while Patrick Beverley and Jason Terry have also excelled. The Rockets have everything that a team needs to win a championship and, if they can stay healthy, they will remain a contender.
Golden State Warriors – Contender
There is no doubt that the Warriors can put up big point totals on a nightly basis as they have averaged 104.4 points per game early on and their defensive efficiency has improved as they rank 12th in the NBA in points per game allowed early on. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are a lethal scoring combination while Andrew Bogut has stayed healthy to provide the inside presence that Golden State needs at both ends of the floor. The real question is whether or not Bogut can remain healthy and whether or not the depth is good enough to go up against the best from the West.
Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, and Andre Iguodola can all contribute and as long as Bogut stays healthy, then the Warriors will have a chance to surprise as a contender out of the West.
Sacramento Kings – Pretender
The city of Sacramento deserves a winner and there is no denying the Kings have looked impressive early on, but there just isn’t enough star power on this team to think they have a chance to contend in the West. DeMarcus Cousins has really matured and that’s a big reason for their early success, but the starting trio of Rudy Gay, Darren Collison, and Ben McLemore is below average. And the depth behind them isn’t very strong.
Cousins, Collison, McLemore, and Nik Stauskas is a solid core to build around moving forward, but Sacramento is still at least a year or two away from becoming a legitimate contender in an absolutely loaded Western Conference. And that’s assuming they continue along this positive path.
