The NBA is about to go into a trading frenzy to do whatever they can before the trade deadline on Thursday. So, before the league is completely turned upside down, I’ll be following up my last post and grading the Western Conference.
As of Jan. 31, all team records are as follows.
Western Conference
Los Angeles Clippers: B-
The Clippers are currently in the 8th seed, just barely in the playoff picture and, honestly, leading into the 2018-19 season, I didn’t think they’d be even close. But, they’ve proved me wrong and are a decent team, despite not shooting many 3-pointers. They are 29th in the league in 3-point attempts per game, but 3rd in 3-point percentage. With this 3-point percentage, if they were to take just a few more per game, they could be a real threat.
Utah Jazz: C
Utah simply just doesn’t look as good as they did last year. Stars are in a little bit of a shooting slump and are ranked No. 27 in turnovers per game. They do have the players to be a good team though, whether its Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gay or even recently acquired Kyle Korver, someone needs to step up and lead this team to a better second half of the season.
Denver Nuggets: A+
Who would’ve thought the Nuggets would be ranked No. 2 in the West after just barely missing the playoffs last year. This is the year they can make a deep playoff run. Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris are having great seasons and are making this an intimidating team.
Their strongest attribution is that they clean the glass on the offensive end as they are currently ranked No. 2 in the NBA in offensive rebounds. This combined with being No. 3 in the league in turnovers will lead to success through the season.
Houston Rockets: A-
Since Dec. 13, 2018, James Harden, potential back-to-back NBA Kia MVP, has led this team and is averaging 42.4 points per game (including a 61-point game). After letting go of Carmelo Anthony, Harden has gone on a mission to prove this team is a title contender and has proven he has what it takes. Once their starting point guard Chris Paul is back, this team will be a threat to the reigning champions.
San Antonio Spurs: B-
The Spurs are fighting to keep their playoff streak going as they are currently ranked No. 6 in the West with a record of 30-22. Although they are No. 1 in the league in 3-point percentage, they are not taking very many of them, as you’d expect from a team led by Greg Popovich. They like to score inside the arc and it makes a huge difference when it comes to consistency. DeMar DeRozan and LeMarcus Aldridge are both averaging 20+ points per game and are leading this team to a promising season.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A-
OKC has won six straight and is looking like they’ve found a groove. It seems that Paul George has taken over as the leader of this team and, if he can maintain it, this team will have a bright future. The Russell Westbrook Thunder just wasn’t doing it as far as wins go. George isn’t the only reason for their performance. The team is No.1 in steals per game, and is built to score off them.
Portland Trail Blazers: B+
This team has been slept on since the beginning of the season, but Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have brought them up to rank No. 4. But the real work is happening down low as they are No. 1 in the league in total rebounds per game. Controlling the boards is everything in the NBA as they lead to second chance opportunities to score, and the Blazers have been taking full advantage of it.
Warriors: A++
Needless to say, the Warriors are the team to beat. Demarcus Cousins is healthy and part of the five all-star starters on the team. It’s too soon to say if he is his former self, but he is producing during his time in. As per the rest of the team, they are doing as great as they have every year. Klay Thompson went into a shooting slump in the beginning of the season, but is back and firing on all cylinders now. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are the same jaw-dropping scorers they’ve been known to be. To top it off, they are currently on an 11-game winning streak.
That’s all top eight seeds in the West as of now and how I see their performances from the beginning of the season. Next blog, we’ll be talking all about All-Star Weekend.
