Шинэ улирлын өмнөх таамаглалаар Лос Анжелес Лэйкерс гуравдугаар байрт, харин Голдэн Стэйт Уорриорс наймдугаар байрт бичигдэх төлөвтэй байна.
Калифорнийн хоёр том баг зуны солилцооны цонхыг тун өөрөөр өнгөрүүллээ. Лос Анжелес Лэйкерс Лука Дончичийг тойруулан багаа бүхэлд нь шинэчилж, Уолкер Кесслер, Коллин Секстон, Квентин Граймс, Матисс Тайбулл, Сандро Мамукелашвили, Зиайр Уильямс, Жейден Харди, Камерон Карр нарыг эгнээндээ нэгтгэв. Харин Голдэн Стэйт Уорриорс бүрэлдэхүүндээ томоохон өөрчлөлт хийсэнгүй. Хоёр баг хоёулаа Леброн Жэймсийг эгнээндээ нэгтгэж чадаагүй бөгөөд тэрээр чөлөөт агентын хувиар Филадельфи 76ерс багт нэгдсэн юм.
Лос Анжелес Лэйкерс Оклахома Сити Тандер болон Сан-Антонио Спөрсийн араас бичигдэж, өрнөд бүсийн хүснэгтийн гуравдугаарт эрэмбэлэгдэх магадлалтай байна. Тэд залуужиж, илүү өргөн бүрэлдэхүүнтэй болсон ч өрсөлдөгчидтэйгээ эн зэрэгцэхэд хамгаалалтын чадвар болон багийн нэгдмэл байдал дутагдаж байна. Хэдийгээр Никола Йокичийн Денвер Наггетс, Энтони Эдвардс тэргүүтэй Миннесота Тимбервулвс болон Хьюстон Рокетс багуудтай өрсөлдөх ч Лука Дончичийн хувьд энэ нь аварга авах зорилгодоо хүрэх эхний алхам болно.
Голдэн Стэйт Уорриорс хувьд энэ улирал хүндхэн эхлэх төлөвтэй байна. Тэд Жимми Батлер, Мозес Мүүди нарын бэртлийн улмаас улирлын эхэнд асуудалтай тулгарах болсон нь тэднийг плэй-оффийн бүсийн зааг дээр буюу наймдугаар байрт бичигдэхэд хүргэж байна. Гэсэн хэдий ч Стефен Карри, Дрэймонд Грийн, Кристапс Порзингис нар эрүүл байвал багийн тоглолт эрс сайжирч, өрсөлдөгчдөө сандаргах боломжтой. Баг удирдлагын зүгээс улирлын дундуур солилцооны цонхоор дамжуулан бүрэлдэхүүнээ хүчирхэгжүүлж, Карригийн 18 дахь улирлыг амжилттай болгохыг зорих болно.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The two premier NBA teams in California had very distinctoffseasons.
The Lakers overhauled their roster around Luka Dončić, adding Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Jaden Hardy and Cameron Carr.
Meanwhile, the Warriors pretty much stood pat.
The one thing both teams had in common?
They missed out on LeBron James, who chose to leave the Lakers after eight seasons and join the 76ers in free agency.
The Lakers, who won their first championship in 10 years in 2020, are trying to climb back atop the league after acquiring Dončić in a stunning trade in February 2025.
Meanwhile the Warriors, the league’s modern-day dynasty after winning four championships in eight years from 2015-2022, are trying to enableSteph Curry to play meaningfulbasketballamid the sunset of his career in a league that has gotten younger and faster, passing them by.
So, where will the Lakers and Warriors rank next season in the very crowded Western Conference?
Here are our predictions:
Lakers: No. 3
The Thunder and Spurs are head and shoulders above the Lakers.
Those teams have no obvious weaknesses.They have youth. They have superstars. They have depth. They have incredible defense. And they’ve proven they have the chemistry and mental fortitude to go deep in the playoffs.
After revamping their team to get younger and deeper, the Lakers are on their way to being able to compete with the creme de la creme of the West, but they’re not there yet.
They need an elite perimeter defender. They need time to jell. They’re a few tweaks away from being considered real contenders.
Could the Lakers finish higher than Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets? Yes. The Nuggets had a disappointing offseason following a first-round playoff exit in April, including losing Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown.
As for the Timberwolves? They could give the Lakers fits behind perennial All-Star Anthony Edwards and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga to their roster and could be a fringe contender.
The Rockets are also a team to watch. Sure, the Lakers jumped to a 3-0 series lead over them last postseason without Doncic and Austin Reaves, but both teams are going to look completely different in October. Kevin Durant is expected to be healthy, and Fred VanVleet is returning from injury. As for the Lakers, they’re only returning two starters from last season in Doncic and Reaves.
If the Lakers finish third in the West over the Timberwolves and Rockets that would be an incredible showing for Doncic, who’s eager to prove he can be the Lakers’ next superstar. He wants to win his first championship. He wants to prove his detractors wrong. And now he’s backed by a 17-time championship organization that views anything short of a title as a failure.
Here’s to betting Doncic is able to carry the Lakers to a third-place finish in the highly competitive West.
Warriors: No. 8
We held our breath when the Warriors were pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bust.
We were on the edge of our seat when they were pursuing James in an attempt to pair him with the team he faced in four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018. Slump.
The league is more fun when the Warriors are good. Curry is the greatest shooter ever. Draymond Green is a fiery defender who’s endlessly exciting to watch. Warriors coach Steve Kerr is brilliant.
But alas, all of the Warriors’ attempts to become contenders flatlined.
So, as of now, the Warriors are a fringe playoff team. It’s a shame for Curry, who’s turning 39 next season and is still one of the NBA’s top players. Last season, he became the oldest point guard in NBA history to be named a starter on the All-Star team.
The Warriors are expected to try to work some magic ahead of the trade deadline to breathe some life into Curry’s 18th season.
But until then, with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody set to miss the start of the season due to injuries, the Warriors aren’t expected to make much noise.
That said, if Curry, Green and Kristaps Porzingis are healthy, this team can’t be counted out. Remember what they did in their first play-in game against the Clippers, when Curry went unconscious finishing with 35 points (27 of which he scored in the second half), Green bottled up Kawhi Leonard (holding him to just two points in the fourth quarter) and Porzingis had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
If you add Butler and Moody to that mix, the Warriors could be tough.
But as of now, too many questions surround their health and durability and too many teams with fresh legs are looking to sprint past them, including the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Timberwolves, Rockets, Nuggets and Mavericks.
