The Golden State Warriors have a tower of opponents to topple before they can reclaim the throne as Western Conference Champions.
The climb back won’t be easy for the Golden State Warriors. As always, the Western Conference is stacked with talent. Let’s take a look at each team and rank them from worst to best.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder can’t make it more clear that they are tanking. After trading away nearly every expendable asset they had, the franchise is loaded to the teeth with future draft picks. As a result, we can expect them to plummet in league standings to capitalize on each pick.
However, it should be noted that with an incredibly gifted young star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a veteran center like Al Horford, the Thunder could surprise some teams this year.
14. San Antonio Spurs
It’s time to accept that the San Antonio Spurs are in a rebuilding era. The dynasty is long gone, and vets like Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge probably won’t remain on the roster much longer. I don’t see the Spurs being a playoff team this year, though we can always count on Gregg Popovich to keep his squad competitive.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
Of all teams in the latter half of the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves are the ones with the highest potential to rise on my rankings.
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most gifted big men in the NBA. Along with a rapidly developing D’Angelo Russell, and the No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards, the sky is the limit for this franchise. However, I find it hard to believe they will put it all together so quickly.