Matthes Manifesto II: The Western Conference
The Denver Nuggets
The simplest argument for the Denver Nuggets taking several steps forward this season is that they get a full season from 4-time all-star Paul Millsap. But the best argument for a renaissance season is made by three of his fellow starters each with future all-star potential: Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
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Jokic and Harris (a former Indiana Mr. Basketball) are the closest. Despite being a turnstile on defense, Jokic more than makes up for it with being the best passing big man in basketball. Jokic became an 18-10 player last year and he keeps improving.
Harris is looking at a third consecutive season shooting 40% from three and already possesses a dynamic well-rounded game. Murray is the middle-class, Canadian version of Stephen Curry and will turn just 22 in February. All three are young. All three could average nearly 20 points per game.
If all three take a further step (or even if one does) the offense they would create, along with Millsap as a fourth option, should improve its sixth place rating from last year. Moving Will Barton to a fifth option role is a luxury that few teams can match. Pair those five with a bench lead by Isaiah Thomas, Trey Lyles, Mason Plumlee, Torey Craig and eventually Michael Porter Jr. and the Nuggets could push for a top-four playoff seed.
Their drawback will be on the defensive end. It’s been 13 years since Denver had even an average defense. These Nuggets have the firepower to render that deficiency mute on most nights.
The Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James. James just finds a way. Still the best active player on the planet and arguably coming off his best season, it’s foolish to bet against him and whatever team he’s taken his talents to. There is a lot to question about the make-up of the 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers.
Maybe it will work despite how convoluted it looks from the outside. For James, it always seems to.
It’s hard, under most circumstances to see how a team with Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley , and JaVale McGee can be anywhere near the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see how a gunner like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope adjusts to not having so many options. Can Lonzo Ball learn to shoot in order to provide the maximum space for James to do what he does best? Those are a lot of questions.
But James has faced a lot of questions before, and won. Josh Hart looks like an ideal sixth man. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma both look ready to be versatile complements in a game run by James. Maybe entrusting so many different poor-shooting ball-handlers to set up James will save his legs, prolong his career and pilot the Lakers toward their first playoff berth in six seasons.
Maybe it will work despite how convoluted it looks from the outside. For James, it always seems to.
The New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a surprise Semi-finalist last season, or were they? They have a top 5 player in Anthony Davis. New Orleans couldn’t draw up a more perfect complementary forward than what Nikola Mirotic was last year. Two defensively savvy guards like Jrue Holiday and the departed Rajon Rondo were ideal foils for an offense dependent on two small guards (poor, Portland).
The Pelicans were hungry, talented and it showed. It should show again this season.
The Pelicans are always short on wing depth but it hasn’t seemed to slow them down for a couple years now. Elfrid Payton is good for six assists a game and should be an upgrade over Rondo. The addition of Julius Randle gives New Orleans some matchup flexibility. He can matchup with both Davis and Mirotic. It’ll be a short rotation, but an effective one especially come playoff time. Holiday took a star turn last season.
His ascension was shrouded by Oladipo’s rise to stardom, but Holiday’s was impressive nevertheless. It would not be a surprise if both he and Davis made the all-star team. New Orleans has two good pillars to continue to build upon.
The San Antonio Spurs
Eighth place in the West is not an easy choice. Formatting the playoff order is tough enough, but this spot is especially difficult. And San Antonio is handicapping their claim with injuries. Dejounte Murray gone from injury.
Rookie Lonnie Walker will miss time for injury too. Manu Ginobili has retired. Tony Parker is a Hornet. They traded Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. There are a lot of reasons to pick against San Antonio.
But the Spurs always find a way don’t they? They still have Gregg Popovich and his 1,197 career wins. They still have LaMarcus Aldridge, a reigning all-star who’s coming off his best season in three years. They still have super-subs like Patty Mills, Marco Belinelli and Bryn Forbes. They just added an All-NBA second teamer, DeMar DeRozan, who has the incentive to prove an entire country wrong for viewing him as insufficient.
People have been projecting the death if the Spurs for a while now, and for the first time circumstances make San Antonio’s demise seem likely. But the Spurs always find a way.