2018-19: Western Conference playoff picture prediction
Another installment of my 2018-19 season preview. So far, I have ranked the top 10 players in the East, the West, and the Eastern Conference playoff picture prediction, and now the most difficult piece I have written has arrived.
There will be a lot of debate of where teams will rank in the West, and that's because some teams made moves, others lost some key players, but overall it remains the stronger conference. You could argue that there are four teams contending for the 7th and 8th seed.
Throughout the season there are going to be many conversations and discussions of ending the two conferences and just doing the 16 best teams in the league. For now, the playoff format remains unchanged.
I have the Trailblazers and Pelicans not making the playoffs next year. Them not making it is not because I don't believe they have talent. The Pelicans have in my opinion the best big man in the game, and the Trailblazers have one of the highest scoring backcourts in the league.
The reason I don't believe they will make it is because of the talent ahead of them. The Pelicans lost Rajon Rondo, who was a big part of their playoff run last year and helped control the offense. He has one of the highest basketball IQs in the league and will hurt the Pelicans by not being there.
The Trailblazers weaknesses were exposed in the playoffs, and rather than fixing the problem, they remained in the same team. They increased their depth in the backcourt with their draft picks and the signing of Seth Curry, but it was neither enough nor what they needed to do during this offseason. These two teams would make the playoffs in the East no question, but they are victims of the tough West.
#8 San Antonio Spurs
The 8th seed was tough. I had the Trailblazers, Pelicans, and Spurs competing for the spot. In the end, I trusted Gregg's coaching and ability to get the best game out of all of his players above the other two.
The Spurs are the predicted 8th seed. Last year they finished as the 7th seed with 47 wins. A lot of people commented on how ridiculous this is, considering the team was comprised of LaMarcus Aldridge and no other star, but some quality role players.
Adding DeMar DeRozan is already an upgrade for their team from last year because the Spurs won those 47 games without Kawhi. I'm not saying DeMar is going to play at an MVP level and lead this team far into the playoffs, but his addition is enough for the Spurs to stay relevant in the talent growing Western Conference.
Gregg Popovich is arguably one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, he has found a way to get the best from his players and stay competitive. It may take some time to adjust with the loss of Green, Parker, and Leonard, but this team should win around 44+ games. It is less than last year, but the conference is tougher than getting a better roster does not necessarily translate to more wins.
It will be interesting to see Dejounte Murray's development this season, I believe he has a great future in the NBA and can be a quality point guard of the future for the team. Chip Engelland is one of the best shooting coaches in the league and is an assistant for the Spurs. He reshaped Kawhi's form to go from a weak shooter to being respectable and being deadly on any given night.
Chip will help Dejounte and DeMar improve their shot, which in theory is the biggest weakness for the Spurs right now. They may play an older style, with Aldridge going to work in the post, and DeMar being one of the best mid-range shooters in the game, but you must trust Pop.