3 Teams That Can Legitimately Win the West
The Los Angeles Lakers' blockbuster trade for 26-year-old Luka Doncic secured their future once LeBron James retires and extended the championship window. This trade was a brilliant long-term move to find James' successor, but it's also paying off in the short term.
Now, the Lakers are firmly in the top three of the Western Conference and one of the few teams with a legitimate shot at making the Finals this season.
1: Oklahoma City Thunder
Phil Jackson has a 40-20 rule that states a team needs to win 40 games before losing 20 to be considered a legitimate contender. If that rule applies to this season, only three teams would fit that category: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
The Thunder have all the pieces to make a deep playoff run – a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, co-stars in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and a tenacious group of complementary defenders.
They're the team to beat out west.
2: Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are having a down year by their standards, but do not count this team out come playoff time. In the playoffs, matchup outcomes are often determined by who has the best player in the series. Denver will have that advantage in every matchup, as they have the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic.
Depth remains an issue for Denver, but they have enough top-heavy talent to make a deep run. Their core has already proven they have a championship formula that works.
3: Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers' frontcourt depth remains an issue after Anthony Davis' departure and the Mark Williams trade fiasco. Still, Jaxson Hayes has filled in nicely as the athletic lob threat Doncic loves to have at his disposal.
The Lakers have the best duo of players out of any team in the association, and it will be challenging to gameplan to stop James and Doncic in a seven-game series. Both are high-IQ players and unselfish playmakers, which has made it relatively seamless for them to share the ball and the spotlight.
While the Thunder remains in a tier of their own, teams like the Nuggets and Lakers, who have superstars and playoff experience, also have a legitimate chance to make it out of the Wild West.
