NBA Swing's 30 Teams, 30 Questions: Northwest Division

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Many teams in the Northwest Division have had potential but ultimately ended up falling short. The Denver Nuggets are looking to have a bounce-back season, being led by back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. The Minnesota Timberwolves are another team looking to grow after a big offseason. As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trailblazers, and Utah Jazz? There are questions for those teams not only heading into the 2022-23 NBA season but for many years to come as well.

Denver Nuggets: What can a healthy team accomplish?

Going into last season, the Nuggets were already down a key player in Jamal Murray, who tore his ACL late in the 2020-21 season. With some help, MVP Nikola Jokic was able to lead the team to a 48-34 record, sixth in the NBA Western Conference. While Jokic was able to win his second MVP award, the team struggled in the playoffs, losing to the eventual 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors in five games. Looking to this upcoming season, the Nuggets are expecting both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to be back and healthy by the start of the season. Many forget just how good those two players are. In the 2020-21 season, Murray averaged 21.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 4.8 APG prior to his injury. In the same season, MPJ averaged 19.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 61 games. Even with Murray’s injury, the team finished third in the West but lost in the second round. Many forget that the Nuggets finished third as well in the 2020 playoffs and made it to the Western Conference Finals with Jokic and Murray. Now with Jokic coming off his second MVP season, Murray and Porter returning healthy, and some teams in the West taking a step back, what can a healthy team accomplish? Could they very well surprise their Western Conference opponents and make a deep playoff run after a strong season?

Minnesota Timberwolves: Are the expectations for the team too high?

Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves surprised many in the league, making the NBA playoffs for only the second time in the last 18 years. Karl-Anthony Towns had a strong season putting up 24.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 3.6 APG while Anthony Edwards had an excellent sophomore campaign, putting up 21.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.8 APG. D’Angelo Russell had a strong year as the third option on the team, putting up, 18.1 PPG and 7.1 APG. One cannot forget the impact Patrick Beverly had deep into the season. The team would lose in the first round after clinching the seventh seed via the play-in, showing that while they did lose, they have some promising years to come. Minnesota had a surprising offseason, making key moves in signing Kyle Anderson, and Bryn Forbes, and extending KAT. The Wolves would top their offseason with a blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert in exchange for five players and five draft picks. Adding the former Defensive Player of the Year is not only huge adding one of the best defensive big men in the league alongside Kat and Edwards, but allowing KAT to move to the four, where he has seen more success. With the moves made by the Wolves, outlets have the over-under for the team at 47.5, slightly above their record last season. There is no doubt that the team has improved overall. The problem the Wolves face this season is several teams are expected to make a leap this season, including the Clippers team they eliminated in the play-in tournament. With the expectations set for the team, can the Timberwolves meet them, or will this season be a disappointment?

Oklahoma City Thunder: Is it Time for Sam Presti to Cash in on Picks?

The 2022-23 season marks the 15th season of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The last two seasons have seen the Thunder move deep into a rebuild. Having no superstar talent in the tough Western Conference has been hard, leading the team to 22-50 and 24-58 records. While the team has made great additions in Josh Giddey last year and Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams this year, the Thunder are looking to improve. They’re still years away from being a contender though. Chet Holmgren’s recent injury has delayed the Thunder’s rebuild for just a minute. The team is not a free agency destination, especially without a superstar. While building through the NBA draft is the team’s best option, they can make moves through trades. In the next three seasons alone, the Thunder have eight first-round draft picks. While it could help the team years down the road, it won’t help them now. There are several superstars in the league that are frustrated with their teams and situations, searching for a new home. Donovan Mitchell is just one of several stars in this situation. While OKC may not be a preferred destination for Mitchell, the Thunder could offer plenty of draft picks to Utah. Adding a player of that caliber would bring the Thunder back to the playoffs. At this point, it is up to Thunder management if they want to keep trying to build through the draft in the long term or try to use those picks now to move up in the West.

Portland Trailblazers: What can this team accomplish?

After making the Western Conference Finals in 2019, the Portland Trailblazers began to drop off. Since then, the team has won 35 games in 2020, 42 in 2021, and 27 in 2022. After several seasons of the Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic core being together with Terry Stotts as head coach, Stotts parted ways with the team, and McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for several players. At the same time, Damian Lillard missed a significant part of the season due to an abdomen injury, leaving the Blazers to a rough second half of the season. In the offseason, the Blazers made several great moves. Portland traded for forward Jerami Grant, re-signed Jusuf Nurkic, extended Anfernee Simons, and signed free agent Gary Payton II. The most important move the Blazers made was signing Lillard to a two-year extension. With Lillard expected to be back for the season, the Trailblazers should have a healthy core. That healthy core will mean a lot for the team, but they still have tough competition all season. Against the West last season, Portland went 11-41. With teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans all expected to make a leap while a couple of other teams are expected to drop off, it will be very hard for the Blazers to move up in the standings. The team may surprise the entire league though. Fans won’t know what the Blazers are capable of until the season starts.

Utah Jazz: The rebuild has now begun

The Utah Jazz have looked good in the regular season for the last five seasons, only to fall apart in the playoffs. The 2021-22 NBA season was the breaking point for the Jazz. The rumors of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert not getting along and being frustrated with one another, along with the playoff breakdown of the team led to head coach Quinn Snyder resigning from his position in June and Rudy Gobert being traded to the Timberwolves in July. All that was left is Donovan Mitchell. It wouldn’t be long before Donovan Mitchell was traded. Rumors of the Jazz and New York Knicks being in trade talks went around for a little bit and then died down for a little bit. Reports came out that the Jazz were in no rush to move Mitchell, but recent rumors have suggested the Jazz were looking to move Mitchell before the beginning of the season. In a move no one predicted, Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The blockbuster trade sees Spida heading to Cleveland for a package including Colin Sexton (via sign-and-trade) Lauri Markkanen, rookie Ochai Agbaji, three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, & 2029), and two pick swaps (2026 & 2028). This trade is a win for everyone involved. The Jazz now have what they were looking for to move ahead with their future plans.