Last season, the Utah Jazz took a massive step forward by winning the Northwest division, partly aided by the departure of Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even with Russell Westbrook’s dominant season, the Thunder were only able to finish in second-place, trailing the Jazz by 4.0 games. However, this year looks to be a different story for the Jazz, with the departure of Gordon Hayward along with upgrades for the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder in Paul Millsap, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George respectively. The Northwest division is certainly shaping up to be quite competitive this season, which will be all the more entertaining for fans living in these cities.
One Team That Will Overachieve: Minnesota Timberwolves
Regular Season Win Total: 48.5
Perhaps the Timberwolves will finally have their breakout season. After acquiring Butler from the Chicago Bulls along with the additions of veterans Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, and Taj Gibson, the Timberwolves have clearly upgraded their roster for the upcoming season. Additionally, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns should improve yet again this season, which makes the Timberwolves all the scarier. Their starting five of Teague, Butler, Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, and Towns is pretty stacked and their bench players of Nemanja Bjelica, Crawford, Gibson, and Shabazz Muhammad aren’t too shabby either. With a new All-Star in Butler along with his previous acclimation with head coach Tom Thibodeau from their days with the Bulls, the Timberwolves should begin posting a winning record right off the bat to start the season. Finally, it seems that this team is finally starting to shape into what we’ve hoped for. However, a lot depends on how much Wiggins has improved heading into this season – he really needs to step up his defense in order for the Timberwolves to pose as a legitimate threat in a strong Western Conference.
One Team That Will Disappoint: Portland Trail Blazers
Regular Season Win Total: 42.5
The Portland Trail Blazers were well-aware that they needed upgrades to their roster in order to remain competitive for the upcoming season but have seemingly done nothing. With the exception of rookies Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, their team is essentially the same as last season. While Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are certainly capable of scoring in bunches, their defensive abilities leave much to be desired. Jusuf Nurkic went off for the Trail Blazers after being traded from the Nuggets but is very injury-prone. While this team may be able to reach their full potential, I just can’t see them posing as a challenge for the top seed in the Northwest division and too many things must go their way for them to have a successful season. The makeup of the Trail Blazers is questionable and I believe they’ll be the most likely team to disappoint.
Best Bet To Win The Division: Oklahoma City Thunder
Did you think that we forgot about Westbrook and the Thunder? After acquiring George from the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder should have a much easier time scoring the ball, which takes a huge load off Westbrook. The Thunder now have a superstar in Westbrook and a borderline superstar in George. I don’t think that George was as motivated to play for the Pacers last season and he should be more motivated coming into this season, knowing he’ll be playing alongside one of the best players in the league in Westbrook. The Thunder’s remaining supporting cast are better than last season as well, with the additions of Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson, while Steven Adams, Alex Brines, Jerami Grant, Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and Andre Roberson are all still with the team. The Timberwolves may challenge the Thunder for the top spot in the Northwest division but at the end of the day, I think the Thunder’s Westbrook and George will carry them to reclaim first-place. Additionally, at +125 for the Thunder to win the Northwest division, I’d be happy to take that bet.
Odds To Win The Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets +450
Minnesota Timberwolves +150
Oklahoma City Thunder +125
Portland Trail Blazers +1200
Utah Jazz +3500
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
