The Oklahoma City Thunder were devastated by injuries last season when Kevin Durant was limited to 27 games while Russell Westbrook missed 15 because of various injuries. Losing the reigning MVP and another top 10 NBA player for good portions of the season kept the Thunder from reaching their potential. In the end, they missed the playoffs altogether. Fast forward to this season and both Durant and Westbrook are healthy and ready to earn a measure of redemption. They’re one of the favorites in the Western Conference and the clear favorite in the division. Can anyone give them a run? It would seem like this is the easiest division winner to predict.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant and Westbrook are the most dominant tandem in the NBA when healthy and with every indication they will both be at full strength at the start of the year, there is every reason to buy in to the Thunder’s stock. Durant is entering a contract year while Westbrook continues to prove his critics wrong as a top 10 player. Basketball fans in Oklahoma City can’t wait to see what this team does with a new head coach and an improved supporting cast.
Billy Donovan has spent camp getting his offensive system installed and while it could take some time for the team to get comfortable playing together under a new coach, there is a lot of optimism. Many people feel they underachieved under Scott Brooks and have the potential to be a lot better under Donovan. Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter, Dion Waiters and Steven Adams help make up a strong supporting cast and there is no doubt that Thunder should be a lock to win the Northwest.
Utah Jazz
Utah won 38 games thanks to a strong second half last season – including a 21-20 record at home. With a talented young roster, they are poised to take another step forward in the Western Conference this season. Rudy Gobert was a revelation once he was moved in to the starting lineup at center while Trey Burke, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward give the Jazz a strong group of scorers that have the potential to be better than they were last season. Losing Dante Exum for the season will hurt, though, and while Utah might not be a playoff team this season, they are on the right track and they’re no longer a doormat.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are one of the most intriguing teams in the Western Conference thanks to a boatload of young talent that is poised to lead them into a bright future. Andrew Wiggins is the reigning Rookie of the Year and Minnesota could have the next ROY with the addition of this year’s first-overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns. Gorgui Dieng, Adreian Payne, Shabazz Muhammad and Zach LaVine are all talented former first-round picks. They’re young players that make up a strong supporting cast. Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett and Kevin Martin remain the veterans on this team with Ricky Rubio also possibly factoring in to the mix if he doesn’t get hurt or get traded. The Timberwolves have the potential to earn more than 16 wins this season and while they won’t make the playoffs, they will be a fun team to watch as they take a major step forward this season.
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Portland Timberwolves
Portland won the division last season with 51 wins but their roster was gutted in the offseason. LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews all gone. The Trail Blazers will have Damian Lillard back in the lineup but it’s unreasonable to expect him to carry this team against some of the talented opponents they will face in the Western Conference with Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Gerald Henderson filling out the rest of the starting lineup. Portland will take a step back this season and the focus will shift to acquiring young talent to help build around Lillard as the face of the franchise moving forward.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets finished fourth in the Northwest division last season with 30 wins and there isn’t really any reason to expect them to be better this year. They moved Ty Lawson and failed to bring in enough talent to change the roster. Denver is banking on rookie first-round pick Emmanuel Mudiay becoming a star and the face of the franchise. While they have some talented pieces back in the mix – like Danilo Galinari – there isn’t enough star power to expect them to be a very good team. While the Jazz and Timberwovles have taken steps forward over the last year, the Nuggets have clearly fallen back. They’re the worst team in the Northwest now.
