Who Will Contest The Lakers In The West Next Season?
The Lakers dominated the West this past season, and they seem poised to do it again next season. But now the West will be getting even better in the 2020-21 season, if that is even possible. So which teams in the West have the best chance to contesting the Lakers in the 2020-21 season?
The Lakers proved that they don’t need an incredibly deep team to win. Their team came down to their dynamic duo of Lebron and AD, and some shooters on the perimeter that sometimes hit their shots. So the Lakers will be in the running for things as long as they have their duo of Lebron and AD. But who will contest them? Here are some teams that I find the most dangerous in the West to contest the Lakers next season.
LA Clippers
The LA Clippers were believed to meet the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the duo was expected to lead a very deep team to the franchises first ever Conference Finals appearance. But that didn’t happen as the Clippers crashed and burned in the 2nd round to the Nuggets. This team disappointed everybody and deprived us of a Battle of LA Western Conference Finals.
But this team (should) have a chip on their shoulders heading into next season. Kawhi should bounce back this season and re-assert himself as one of the game’s best. Paul George needs to prove he’s worth 6 first round picks and not fall off a cliff when the Clippers need him the most. Montrezl Harrell choked in the playoffs, and if he gets re-signed he needs to prove his worth.
The Clippers have some key free agents like Harrell and Marcus Morris. The team could get much better by getting rid of Montrezl Harrell, but they likely won’t cut ties with the reigning 6th man of the year. Harrell doesn’t bring much defensively and if his offense falls flat like it did in the playoffs, there is no point to having him on the floor.
The Clippers replaced Doc Rivers in a good move and got another championship caliber coach in Ty Lue. All Lue has to do is manage everybody’s health in the regular season and make an actual system instead of watching Kawhi dribble for 15 seconds and chuck something up, hoping it goes in. This team is deep and has a lot of great pieces. Some big-guys could help Zubac down low, but this team remains a title contender. It just depends if they really want it or not.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have turned themselves into one of the premier teams in the West, drafting one of the best duos in the league with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray at the helm of the team. Jokic is the best center in the league and Murray has shown potential to be an All-Star level player.
Along with their duo, the Nuggets have some very solid help. Jerami Grant was a quiet pickup during the 2019 offseason and had his best season of his career with Denver. His defense on the wing and slashing ability along with his shooting capabilities make him perfect alongside Murray and Jokic. Gary Harris is a very hot and cold guy for Denver, but at his best he is a great perimeter defender and can also shoot the 3-ball very well. Along with Mason Plumlee, prospects with Bol Bol and MPJ, the Nuggets are a team on the rise.
The Nuggets gave the Lakers a tough 5 games series, and they are getting even better next season. Jamal Murray can hopefully continue the amazing things he did in the bubble, and Jokic can continue to be the best center in the league. Denver needs to keep Jerami Grant as he is a free agent this summer. He is their 3rd best player and needs to be in Denver’s long term plans.
MPJ is a very raw prospect, but he is an excellent scorer already. The defense needs some improving, but he is obviously very talented and he will be getting a bigger role next season. Bol Bol is even more of a project, but he looked solid in his sparing minutes in the bubble. Bol will also be getting a slight increase in minutes, and he will be a very interesting player.
A great thing about the Nuggets is they already have their identity. Mike Malone is one of the top-10 coaches in the league, as he uses Jokic and Murray to perfection. They have solid role guys around those two and the Nuggets will be in contention for the West for a while. If the Nuggets meet LA in the playoffs, it will be quite the matchup.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors went from a dynasty, winning 3 titles in 5 tries to the bottom of the West as they dealt with injuries throughout the year. But now approaching the start of the 2020-21 season, the Warriors look like they will be contenders again. Curry and Thompson return along with Andrew Wiggins. Draymond Green will likely get some energy now that his team is not in the depths of the West. And the Warriors will have one big x-factor going into next season that could make or break their season.
We already know what Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green can give us on a nightly basis. But the Warriors do have that #2 overall pick. As I’ve said before, there isn’t much value with that pick because this draft is shaping up to be very weak in star-level talent. And the Warriors don’t look like they are trading Andrew Wiggins, so they will be selecting with that #2 overall pick. Now if the Minnesota Timberwolves are smart, they will take Anthony Edwards. That leaves the Warriors to take James Wiseman, which is a good and bad pick at the same time.
Wiseman does fit the needs that the Warriors need to fill. He is a big guy who can anchor a defense with his shot-blocking ability. But we don’t know a whole lot about Wiseman. He only played 3 games at college, all of those games being excellent. But there are big question marks around the Memphis center. The good thing for the Warriors is that Wiseman can focus more on defense than offense. Wiseman isn’t asked upon to be scoring 20 point a night as they have enough weapons on the offensive side of the ball. But defensively is where Wiseman could fall.
But the problem with the Warriors is that they have nobody to stop Lebron and AD. No more KD, so it’s kind of hard to matchup with them. Draymond might be tough, but he is too small for AD in the post. Wiseman is much to inexperienced for AD and Andrew Wiggins will be overmatched with the masterful James on the perimeter.
So while Stephen A. Smith has declared the Warriors as public enemy #1 for Lebron and the Lakers, I would slow down a bit as the Warriors might not be as well equipped to beat the defending world champs.
Portland Trail Blazers
What? Are you crazy? The Blazers, this sorry excuse for a team? Before you get your jokes out the way, no this is not bias because I support this team (it could be a little bias, but you can’t prove it).
The Blazers have been one of the teams in the league that have left us more to desire than anything. Dame and CJ are talented scorers, and that’s about it. The duo likely won’t net a championship ring, but that doesn’t mean they can’t give the Lakers problems in the process. The Blazers won a game vs the Lakers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs with a completely battered and exhausted team. If they remain healthy in 2021, they could pose a threat.
Jusuf Nurkic could be an All-Star if not for injuries, and he looked great in the bubble. Trevor Ariza didn’t attend the bubble as he will add more defense to this team. Rodney Hood might make an appearance after tearing his achilles early last season. So the Blazers weren’t at their strongest during the bubble.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum make defense gameplan a lot for them, and they are usually unsuccessful. They don’t have the best depth after losing 5 key pieces to that Western Conference run in 2019, but they could some pieces. They’d better hope Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons developed over the summer because they will likely play a bit more during the regular season. Zach Collins will also be returning from injury, giving some much needed defense and energy.
The Blazers have the 16th pick in the draft, a chance to add some depth off the bench. So the Blazers have their team mostly in place. They need a few guys to hopefully stay healthy for most of the year and then they can remain atop the West. The Blazers could be a sleeper team in the 2020-21 season.
Which Team In The West Has The Best Chance To Upset The Lakers? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
