Countdown to Camp: Five Questions for the Western Conference

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A few teams are set to play international preseason games and others start their training camp this week. We are less than a week away from the NBA preseason. The NBA world was rocked by the news of the Damian Lillard trade, which shook the Eastern Conference. For the top-heavy Western Conference, there are numerous teams with serious championship aspirations. Questions remain for those teams with most of them making huge offseason moves or being affected by injuries.

How will the new-look Phoenix Suns look?

The most shocking offseason move saw a three-team trade between the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, and Indiana Pacers. The biggest part of the trade saw Bradley Beal head to the Phoenix Suns and Chris Paul move to the Wizards (before being traded to Golden State). Beal joins Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to form an offense-heavy big three that takes up a significant amount of the salary cap. In free agency, the Suns surprised many, signing numerous shooters for small contracts. There were rumors of the Suns looking to move on from Deandre Ayton, which many thought was not going to happen until earlier this week when they snuck into the Damian Lillard trade. Moving on from Ayton, they received Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, and several younger role players. Heading into the 2023-24 season, many sports betting outlets have the Suns with the fourth-best odds of winning the championship. How will the Suns look this season though?

While their starting lineup will be stacked including Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Nurkic, they do not have a true point guard. Sending guard Cameron Payne to the Spurs to add flexibility to the team, Phoenix gave up their other point guard after trading CP3. Both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have proven to be solid distributors averaging over 5.0 APG, but the Suns will still lack a true distributor and floor general. Many have compared this team to the big three Brooklyn Nets, which was offense-heavy and lacked on the defensive end. Booker and Durant have already proven to work well on the floor together, going 8-0 in their regular season games. Finishing top four last season (even with an extended Devin Booker injury), the Suns have everything they need for another strong finish in the West.

Will the Thunder become a serious playoff contender?

Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a giant leap in a tough Western Conference. After a disappointing 2021-22 season that saw the team finish 14th in the West with a 24-58 record, OKC would finish last season as the 9th seed with a 40-42 record. The team ranked in the top half of the league on both sides of the ball while Shai-Gilgeous Alexander had what many would consider his coming out season. SGA balled out last season, finishing top five in MVP voting, putting up 31.4 PPG (4th best in the league), 4.8 RPG, and 5.5 APG. SGA would lead the Thunder to the play-in tournament, where they would knock the New Orleans Pelicans out of playoff contention before falling short to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their second play-in game.

This season as camp begins, OKC has everything necessary to take the next step, but how far of a step will they take? Many expect SGA to continue dominating after a strong FIBA performance while players like Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams are expecting to take another step. OKC will also have 2022 #2 overall draft pick Chet Holmgren, who many see as the potential 2023 rookie of the year. If the Thunder are looking like a playoff contender near the trade deadline, they have a war chest of assets they can use to trade for another star to instantly become a serious playoff contender.

Will Zion Williamson finally have a healthy season?

The first three seasons of Zion Williamson’s NBA career can be described as very disappointing, yet very promising. In his first three seasons, Williamson has played 114 games, completely missing the 2021-22 season. Williamson has had numerous injuries including a torn meniscus, a thumb sprain, and a fractured foot. After a hamstring in the early part of the 2022-23 season, Zion would miss the rest of the season. When he was healthy, the Pelicans were one of the best teams in the Western Conference. New Orleans would be first in the West in early December, finishing 2022 as the second seed. After Zion’s injury in early January, the Pelicans would steadily drop in the standings, finishing the season as the 10th seed following a play-in loss.

Recent reports have come out noting that Zion is healthy and will be ready to go come the 2023-24 season. Can he remain healthy though? When healthy, Zion has been one of the best players on the court, averaging 25.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.6 APG. With another young star in Brandon Ingram and veteran CJ McCollum helping lead the team, New Orleans has one of the best teams in the league with a healthy Zion. If he can play 60+ games this season, the Pelicans could be one of the scariest teams in the West, shaking up the standings. If Zion cannot remain healthy, we’ll likely see another disappointing finish for the Pelicans, and rumors of potentially moving on from him start to take over the media.

How will Chris Paul fit with the Golden State Warriors?

When Chris Paul was traded from the Suns to the Wizards as a part of the Bradley Beal trade, many were shocked. Even more were shocked when the Warriors traded Jordan Poole for Chris Paul. While the move was more to address the incoming second tax apron for higher spending teams, many were quick to point out the history between Paul and the Warriors. While Steve Kerr said the Warriors have “six starters”, there has not been an official announcement of if Paul will be in the starting lineup. Paul addresses several issues for the Warrior, costing less than Poole would’ve cost the team. CP3 would be a great addition off the bench, even though he’s been against coming off the bench.

The Warriors were one of the worst teams last season when Steph Curry was on the bench, but Paul would fill in the gap Steph creates when he is on the bench. A much-needed floor general for the second unit, Paul would likely excel in the role. Easily one of the best assisters in the game, CP3 will be able to spread the floor for whoever is on the court. Even though Paul has had his issues with the Warriors in the past, all reports have looked like Paul is locked in and ready to play for the team. He is not the player he was a couple of seasons ago, and If Paul embraces whatever role Steve Kerr gives him, the Warriors could be serious championship contenders once again CP3 could finally get the championship ring that’s eluded him.

Is this the last chance for the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Clippers?

One of the biggest disappointments of the last few years has been the Los Angeles Clippers. Like the Pelicans, the Clippers have been one of the best teams in the West when the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are healthy. The problem is that when they’re healthy, it is not for a long period of time. While they were able to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time during the 2021 playoffs, the rest of the Kawhi-PG era has been plagued by injuries. Kawhi would partially tear his ACL in the second round of the 2021 playoffs, playing a role in the Clippers losing in the Conference Finals. Kawhi would miss the entire 2021-22 season while PG would miss more than half the season, with the Clippers completely missing the playoffs after a play-in loss to the Wolves.

Last season, both players would play over 50 games but got injured at the wrong time. PG would injure his knee in March, missing the rest of the season and playoffs while Kawhi would get injured in Game 2 of the first round, tearing his meniscus. Reports have stated that both stars will be ready for the 2023-24 season, but the question remains if both can remain healthy for the entire season and playoffs. If both can stay healthy for the season, they should be a playoff contender. If they cannot, there are serious questions surrounding the future of the team. Both players have player options this offseason, and there are questions about what both player’s futures will look like. Both could opt into their options and return next season, one could opt out, or both could. There were rumors of the Knicks being interested in Paul George, but no move was ever made. If the Clippers can have a healthy season and playoff run, there may be hope for the duo staying in LA. If not, one or both could leave the Clippers with the team no longer being a championship contender.