LeBron and Steph's next chapters, Ja Morant's return and more Western Conference storylines to watch

The NBA’s Western Convention is a wonderful mess.

Heading into the season, all however two groups can moderately cross their fingers for a spot within the Play-In Event or higher. A number of franchises will probably be disillusioned come April.

At the very least three of the hopefuls gained’t play a second of postseason basketball. Numerous groups that can push for the highest six gained’t get there. Teams that think about themselves the standard of convention finalists will get bounced within the first spherical.

As aggressive because the West was a season in the past, this season might flip right into a struggle for the ages.

Do LeBron James or Stephen Curry have a Staff USA encore in them? Do the Memphis Grizzlies, behind a wholesome and accessible Ja Morant, re-enter the combo? Does Victor Wembanyama take over as a top-five participant?

With the beginning of coaching camp lower than per week away, Sam Amick and Fred Katz related to interrupt down 5 Western Convention storylines they’re wanting ahead to following this season. (And if you happen to missed our East storylines to observe, test these out right here.)

Do LeBron James and/or Stephen Curry have a Staff USA encore?

Amick: If James and Curry by no means actually compete for a championship once more, then their magical run as Staff USA buddies in France over the summer time will go down as a swan music for the ages. And contemplating the greatness that was on show throughout their gold-medal journey, with the 39-year-old James carrying the People for a lot of the Olympics and the 36-year-old Curry spectacularly saving them in these last two video games towards Serbia and France, the stress is now on the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, respectively, to discover a approach to keep away from losing the ultimate years for these all-time greats.

If solely it had been that straightforward.

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The Warriors are bullish on their offseason strikes, as they responded to the departure of the legendary Klay Thompson to Dallas by including a gaggle of vets (Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield) who ought to slot in properly whereas including versatility and depth. However they whiffed on the sorts of strikes that may have actually aided Curry’s trigger, pursuing the likes of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen to no avail. Until they will land a participant of that caliber earlier than the February commerce deadline, or Jonathan Kuminga (who’s in extension talks) takes one other leap that places him nearer to that tier, this march towards mediocrity will possible proceed.

In the meantime, the Lakers are in an identical pickle. For all of the optimism that got here with their sturdy end final common season, after they gained 16 of their last 23 video games after beginning 31-28, the five-game loss to the Denver Nuggets within the first spherical was as clear an indication as any that this group isn’t title-contention stage. Nonetheless, with including JJ Redick as head coach qualifying as the most important transfer of their offseason and an inner debate persevering with about whether or not Austin Reaves needs to be a part of the long run or a part of a commerce for an improve, this roster stays principally untouched.

Will Victor Wembanyama make “the leap”?

Katz: Possibly we needs to be asking, does Wembanyama even must leap? Merely standing on his heels provides him sufficient elevate to scrape the Jumbotron.

He morphed into the scariest defender within the NBA over the second half of final season. Nobody else sticks a hand up half a mile away from a shooter and nonetheless manages to discourage a jumper. Someway, these gamers aren’t being panicky after they spot Wembanyama within the distance; they’re simply being sensible.

However what occurs when the world’s best defender, as Wembanyama needs to be in his second NBA season, additionally drops 25 or 27 factors a recreation? What about if he will increase a barely below-average 3-point proportion to at least one that approaches the excessive 30s? What about if his passing recreation continues to enhance, because it did over his time as a rookie, when he grew to become progressively comfy with the velocity of the NBA recreation?

The league is overridden with expertise, however there’s a world wherein we watch Wembanyama on Day 1 and perceive instantly: OK, this man is in rivalry for All-NBA First Staff proper now. A huge leap at his age isn’t unprecedented. James, for instance, made All-NBA Second Staff in his second 12 months, turning 20 in December of that season. Wembanyama turns 21 in January.

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Might Wembanyama carry the Spurs, who improved this summer time, to the postseason? The West is a monster of its personal, however San Antonio performed a portion of 2023-24 with Jeremy Sochan, extra of a ball-moving ahead, at level guard. Now, it has Chris Paul, whose groups are all the time higher when he performs. It deployed Wembanyama at energy ahead for the primary quarter of 2023-24 earlier than deciding the rookie was finest at heart. The Spurs have depth, spacing and a generational coach on the prime.

We already know Wembanyama is a generational participant. Possibly, simply perhaps, we witness generational sophomore strides too.

Which workforce will emerge from the second tier?

Amick: Preseason projections are all the time a idiot’s errand, however they’re additionally an annual a part of this job. As such, let’s begin by saying that, well being allowing, I totally anticipate the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to complete within the prime 4 within the West — in no specific order. No matter whether or not that seems to be the case, that’s a good prognostication given these groups’ latest pasts and obvious trajectories. Good luck making sense of the second tier from there.

Kevin Durant fades away to attempt to get off a shot over Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA At the moment)

The Phoenix Suns, for starters, are price watching as a workforce that might upend the earlier prediction concerning the prime 4. We simply noticed Kevin Durant and Devin Booker taking part in lovely basketball along with the nationwide workforce, and the latest historical past in Dallas and Minnesota tells us that star participant pairings typically want time to really work (Bradley Beal’s well being is the elephant within the room right here). Can Morant lead a Memphis Grizzlies renaissance after all of the off-court tumult of final season-plus? (Extra on that later.)

Does DeMar DeRozan’s arrival in Sacramento make the Kings a reliable risk?

The Clippers, even with out Paul George after he headed for Philly, are nonetheless harmful if Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are on the ground. The Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans have expertise in spades after including Dejounte Murray. We talked concerning the points with the Warriors and Lakers already, however they’re each succesful groups that needs to be on this combine.

All of this parity is bound to excite the parents contained in the league workplace, because it provides even essentially the most informal of followers a purpose to tune in from October to April (and past). All of that doesn’t consider Wembanyama’s Spurs and the Houston Rockets, reliable wild playing cards right here.

What do the Pelicans seem like?

Katz: Nobody within the basketball world anticipated the Pelicans to carry onto Jonas Valančiūnas as soon as he hit free company this summer time. New Orleans made it clear to the remainder of the league that it was prepared to take heed to affords for its beginning heart main into final winter’s commerce deadline. By the point crucial a part of the season got here round, Valančiūnas would sometimes sit on the bench for complete second halves.

The Pelicans misplaced religion of their heart. So what may they make of the large males on their present roster?

Valančiūnas walked to Washington as a free agent, however his departure wasn’t the one hit to New Orleans’ frontcourt. The Pels despatched a flexible defender, Larry Nance Jr., to the Atlanta Hawks within the commerce wherein they acquired Murray.

I wrote earlier this week about query marks for the New York Knicks at heart. At the very least they will cross their fingers and hope Mitchell Robinson returns wholesome and productive. If New Orleans desires wherever close to a power down low, and even simply somebody tall, it has to piece collectively draft picks to commerce for one or pray with much more vigor that Daniel Theis, a profession backup, or Yves Missi, a rookie, exceeds expectations.

Does New Orleans pack its wings with its spectacular size and let Williamson play the 5 on offense with Herb Jones guarding opposing facilities? Consequently, does it implement a high-risk, high-reward model centered on forcing turnovers?

After all, these usually are not the one questions for a workforce that gained 49 video games final season and, at occasions, seemed like a power within the extra aggressive convention.

The Pelicans spent the summer time dangling Brandon Ingram, an All-Star-caliber free-agent-to-be. He hasn’t impressed enthusiastic suitors. Gamers of Ingram’s ilk are rising more and more tough to commerce due to quirks with the brand new collective bargaining settlement, which makes it tough to justify giving raises to 20-point scorers who aren’t seen as No. 1 or 2 choices on title squads. How does Ingram react to a summer time of drama that led to a stalemate?

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How does what’s left of this group play collectively? Murray is now on the town after he couldn’t discover a approach to make it work with Trae Younger in Atlanta, the place Murray’s once-vaunted protection dissipated. He improved as a spot-up possibility but additionally confirmed he’s finest with the ball in his palms. The issue is, so is Ingram. And so is CJ McCollum. Possibly Williamson too.

Trey Murphy is a budding 24-year-old, however how do the Pelicans discover alternatives (and a contract extension) for him?

New Orleans is at its finest when Williamson controls the offense. There are few extra thrilling moments in basketball than the ultimate couple of minutes of a detailed Pels recreation, when head coach Willie Inexperienced turns to Williamson, anticipating him to provoke the offense, get to the rim nevertheless he pleases and create for others on his method there. Williamson isn’t only a bully able to selecting his favourite spots and battling there uninhibited. He’s additionally turn into one of many league’s finest passing energy forwards.

The Pelicans had been already gifted, they usually flipped a bundle of position gamers for Murray, a prime-aged former All-Star on an affordable contract. But, they’ve one way or the other turn into extra complicated. The query is much less about high quality and extra about cohesion and aesthetics.

What model do the Pelicans play? And the way does this all look when it’s put into observe?

Can Ja Morant have a redemption tour?

Amick: You already know Morant goes to be a person on a mission.

The 25-year-old is coming off a year-plus of self-induced chaos. The NBA suspended him 25 video games for posing with a firearm on social media on Might 13, 2023. It was the second time in fewer than two months that he’d harm the Grizzlies’ prospects with off-court immaturity, as he displayed a firearm throughout a stay stream on the earlier March 4 from inside a Denver-area strip membership and earned an eight-game suspension. The checklist of troubling incidents hardly ended there.

From a basketball standpoint, the travesty of all of it is that one of many recreation’s finest younger gamers wasted a piece of his valuable prime. Including damage to insult, his mid-December return was reduce brief after simply 9 video games when he wanted season-ending shoulder surgical procedure. However Morant is again now, and meaning the Grizzlies might need one thing to say but once more about how the West is gained.

But, whereas Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. stay from the workforce that gained 56 video games and pushed the eventual champion Warriors within the second spherical in 2022, every part round that core has modified for the more serious. There’s no extra Dillon Brooks, Melton, Steven Adams, Tyus Jones or Kyle Anderson. These Grizzlies had been deep, with a protection that ranked third in 2021-22 and fourth in 2022-23. They seemed like they had been on the doorstep of a dominant run.

Can this group recapture that up-and-coming spirit? It stays to be seen. The Grizzlies have key query marks each younger (rookie massive man Zach Edey) and outdated (Marcus Good), in addition to an early setback with promising younger massive man GG Jackson. The 19-year-old who averaged 14.6 factors throughout their 27-win marketing campaign (in 48 video games) is out for not less than three months after having surgical procedure to restore the fifth metatarsal on his proper foot.

However as Morant’s agent, Mike Miller, put it to our Shams Charania in late July, “Ja Morant is coming for all of the work this 12 months — all of it. How quickly they overlook.”

Mike Miller, Ja Morant’s agent: “Ja Morant is coming for all of the work this 12 months. All of it. How quickly they overlook. That’s all I’ll say: He’s about to return for it.” https://t.co/B0Y4PsAi4f

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 31, 2024

That alone may be sufficient to make Memphis a power within the West once more.

(High pictures of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Ja Morant: Ezra Shaw, Justin Ford / Getty Photos)