The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA and they added a few more elites players that are looking for a ring.
The balance of power was already in the Western Conference’s favor, but they tipped even more in their favor this offseason.
LeBron James will play his first season in the West after signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Can LeBron push the Los Angeles Lakers to 49 wins?
Here are our over/under season wins total picks for the NBA’s Western Conference.
Dallas Mavericks – 34 1/2 Wins – UNDER
The Mavs have one of the oldest rosters in the NBA…and the roster is shaped for a time that no longer exists. Nearly every team in the league is playing smaller, and once all healthy, Dallas will have two near-seven footers playing most of the game. I like rookie SG Luka Doncic and second-year PG Dennis Smith Jr., but they are a few pieces away from hitting 35 wins.
Denver Nuggets – 47 1/2 Wins – UNDER
The Nuggets are the anti-Mavs, as they have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. I like what they have done the last two or three drafts. Rookie SF Michael Porter Jr. could end up being the steal of the 2018 NBA Draft. The Nuggets should make the postseason, but the Western Conference is stacked. I don’t see them getting to 48 wins, but it will be close.
Golden State Warriors – 62 1/2 Wins – OVER
The Warriors are stacked and they will add DeMarcus Cousins once he heals up from an Achilles injury. I don’t see them winning less than 63 games.
Houston Rockets – 56 1/2 Wins – OVER
The reason I believe the Warriors will win 63 games is because they will need to keep up with the Rockets. They added SF Carmelo Anthony, which will give them another shooter (but not much defense). They will need Anthony to pitch in a little on that end since the Rockets lost SF Trevor Ariza and PF Luc Mbah a Moute. I still think they eclipse 57 wins.
Los Angeles Clippers – 37 Wins – UNDER
The Clippers are missing a star. They have a lot of role players, but you’re not going to win many games in the West with Danilo Gallinari as your best player. They are just marking time this season in hopes they can get one of the big free agents next offseason. I don’t think they will hit 37 wins in such a stacked division.
Los Angeles Lakers- 48 1/2 Wins – OVER
LeBron will suit up in the purple and gold this season. He brought some veterans with him to mix with the Lakers young talent. He will need PF Brandon Ingram, PF Kyle Kuzma and PG Lonzo Ball to take their game to the next level. LeBron hasn’t always been kind to young talent, but he will need to play nice. I think they will surprise a lot of people and get to 49 wins.
Memphis Grizzlies – 34 1/2 Wins – UNDER
The Grizzlies are really just starting their rebuild. They won’t call it that, but they are far away from putting together a playoff-caliber team. They will need PF Chandler Parsons contract to end, so they can get some depth. Memphis is really Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and a hodgepodge of youth and Gatorade League talent.
Minnesota Timberwolves – 41 1/2 Wins – OVER
Minnesota has been in the news a lot lately. SG Jimmy Butler doesn’t get along with C Karl-Anthony Towns and wants out. Towns signed a huge extension and Butler knows there isn’t enough left in the cupboard for a Wiggins max extension and his own huge contract. I expect Butler will end up in Miami at some point. Minnesota should get a nice return with NBA-ready talent. They should get enough talent back in a Butler deal that will get over the 42-win mark.
New Orleans Pelicans – 45 1/2 Wins – OVER
The Pelicans signed PF Julius Randle away from the Lakers. It was an underrated move and he will play well next to C Anthony Davis. I also like acquiring C Jahlil Okafor. I think he just needed a change of scenery. He was great at Duke, but thanks to ‘The Process’, he has been a pawn in the system.
Oklahoma City Thunder – 48 1/2 Wins – OVER
The Thunder did the near-impossible by signing SF Paul George to a long-term extension. No one thought that was even possible when the Pacers first shipped him to the Thunder. OKC cut Carmelo and used his salary to sign some role players. Their bench is revamped and think they will be a 50-win team in 2018-19.
Phoenix Suns – 29 Wins – UNDER
The Suns have some exciting young talent, but as I said before, the West is stacked. Phoenix could be a player in a couple years, but they will probably sit near the bottom of the league this season.
Portland Trail Blazers – 42 Wins – OVER
The Trail Blazers have a playoff-caliber team this season. They are one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference. They even have some young talent that could be moved at the trade deadline to acquire some veterans. I’m taking the over.
Sacramento Kings – 26 Wins – OVER
I’m going against the grain and taking the over. They have some interesting young talent like PG De’Aaron Fox and C Harry Giles. Rookie Marvin Bagley III may turn into something, but may need a year or two coming off the bench. He will learn from one of the best PF of his generation, Zach Randolph.
San Antonio Spurs – 43 1/2 Wins – UNDER
The Spurs aren’t very deep, but their starting-five is pretty darn good. They traded SG Kawhi Leonard and SG Danny Green to the Raptors for SG DeMar DeRozan, and then saw PG Tony Parker leave via free agency and SG Many Ginobili retire. Coach Pop has to do his best job to get this team to the playoffs. They may make the postseason, but they could miss the over by a game or two.
Utah Jazz – 49 1/2 Wins – OVER
The Jazz come into the season with basically the same roster. The only difference is that they lost SF Jonas Jerebko and replaced him with rookie SG Grayson Allen. Utah made a pretty good run in the postseason last year. They only won 48 games last season and I think they will win at least two more this year.
Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!
About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.