2017-2018 Pacific Division Preview
Aug 4, 2017 23:16:44 GMT -5
razorbacks, Kots (Colorado GM), and 2 more like this
Post by Miege22 on Aug 4, 2017 23:16:44 GMT -5
The Pacific might end up being the toughest division in the league. Seattle is in rebuilding mode, but the other four teams will all compete for playoff spots.
1. Las Vegas Gamblers
Honestly, I'm not sold on Las Vegas being the best team here, but they certainly have the most upside. Now that Nurkic has a role in Portland, the Blazers have one of the best cores in the Western Conference. Nurkic, Hayward, Irving and Bledsoe can compete with anybody. The rest of the roster is filled with solid role players, which has Vegas looking at their first playoff berth in a couple years.
2. Utah Jazz
The Jazz just chug right along, looking as solid as ever after a very good free agency period. It remains to be seen if they can get back to the finals, but they'll certainly be right there again in the playoff hunt. The Gasol brothers, Aldridge, Dirk, Conley, Lowry and Wes Matthews form a very good top-7. If the Jazz can get solid contributions from their role players, they'll have a shot to get back to the conference finals for the second consecutive year.
3. Golden State Warriors
Despite IT being out of the game for the first couple of months, the Warriors should have enough firepower to compete for the playoffs again. CJ McCollum, Evan Fournier, Paul Millsap and Dario Saric are all very good. Derrick Favors is in line for a bigger role, and it should be a bounce back year for DeMarre Carroll. After that, it kind of is what it is. The Warriors do have Justin Jackson, but everyone else has a fairly predictable ceiling. The sooner IT can come back the better for the Warriors.
4. Portland Trailblazers
The Blazers are the swing team in this division. You know what you're going to get from Draymond, DeAndre and DeMar. The same goes for George Hill and Thaddeus Young, for the most part, but there is a lot of young talent here. Is this the year Emmanuel Mudiay and Justice Winslow break out? What will Bobby Portis and Willy Hernangomez do with increased roles? Luke Kennard and John Collins could be in line for playing time despite being rookies. Finally there's Josh Richardson, Matt Dellavedova and Cory Joseph, who are all good, solid role players. If just some of that young talent hits, look for Portland to contend for the division. If not, it may be one more year.
5. Seattle Supersonics
The Sonics have two studs holding down their core: Damian Lillard and Rudy Gobert. After that? It's like looking at a McDonald's All-American Team. The Sonics boast four draft picks from the 2017 draft and three picks from the 2016 draft. This group is really raw, and it's hard to see all of those young guys being role players this season, let alone impact players. The Sonics aren't playing for this year, but they are playing for the next 10. They've got their own and Boston's picks in the upcoming draft, which could land them the stud wing they're missing (Michael Porter Jr.?).
1. Las Vegas Gamblers
Honestly, I'm not sold on Las Vegas being the best team here, but they certainly have the most upside. Now that Nurkic has a role in Portland, the Blazers have one of the best cores in the Western Conference. Nurkic, Hayward, Irving and Bledsoe can compete with anybody. The rest of the roster is filled with solid role players, which has Vegas looking at their first playoff berth in a couple years.
2. Utah Jazz
The Jazz just chug right along, looking as solid as ever after a very good free agency period. It remains to be seen if they can get back to the finals, but they'll certainly be right there again in the playoff hunt. The Gasol brothers, Aldridge, Dirk, Conley, Lowry and Wes Matthews form a very good top-7. If the Jazz can get solid contributions from their role players, they'll have a shot to get back to the conference finals for the second consecutive year.
3. Golden State Warriors
Despite IT being out of the game for the first couple of months, the Warriors should have enough firepower to compete for the playoffs again. CJ McCollum, Evan Fournier, Paul Millsap and Dario Saric are all very good. Derrick Favors is in line for a bigger role, and it should be a bounce back year for DeMarre Carroll. After that, it kind of is what it is. The Warriors do have Justin Jackson, but everyone else has a fairly predictable ceiling. The sooner IT can come back the better for the Warriors.
4. Portland Trailblazers
The Blazers are the swing team in this division. You know what you're going to get from Draymond, DeAndre and DeMar. The same goes for George Hill and Thaddeus Young, for the most part, but there is a lot of young talent here. Is this the year Emmanuel Mudiay and Justice Winslow break out? What will Bobby Portis and Willy Hernangomez do with increased roles? Luke Kennard and John Collins could be in line for playing time despite being rookies. Finally there's Josh Richardson, Matt Dellavedova and Cory Joseph, who are all good, solid role players. If just some of that young talent hits, look for Portland to contend for the division. If not, it may be one more year.
5. Seattle Supersonics
The Sonics have two studs holding down their core: Damian Lillard and Rudy Gobert. After that? It's like looking at a McDonald's All-American Team. The Sonics boast four draft picks from the 2017 draft and three picks from the 2016 draft. This group is really raw, and it's hard to see all of those young guys being role players this season, let alone impact players. The Sonics aren't playing for this year, but they are playing for the next 10. They've got their own and Boston's picks in the upcoming draft, which could land them the stud wing they're missing (Michael Porter Jr.?).