Оклахома Сити Тандер болон Сан Антонио Спөрсийн бүрэлдэхүүн өрнөд бүсийн шилдэг багуудаар нэрлэгдэж, лигийн аварга цолны гол өрсөлдөгчид болон тодорч байна.
Өрнөд бүсийн багуудын хүчний чансааг Сан Антонио Спөрс тэргүүлж байгаа бөгөөд Виктор Вембаньяма тэргүүтэй залуу бүрэлдэхүүн лигийн хамгийн аюултай хүч хэвээр байна. Тэдний араас Оклахома Сити Тандер бичигдэж буй бол Дэнвэр Наггетс, Миннесота Тимберволвз, Хьюстон Рокетс багууд эхний тавд багтаж байна. Лос Анжелес Лэйкерс болон Портланд Трэйл Блэйзерс багууд плэй-оффт шалгарах боломжтой өрсөлдөөнт бүлгийг бүрдүүлж байна.
Сакраменто Кингз, Нью Орлеанс Пеликанс багууд өвлийн солилцооны цонхоор идэвхгүй байсан нь тэдний энэ улирлын амжилтад нөлөөлөхөөр байна. Харин Лос Анжелес Клипперс баг Кавай Леонардыг үдэж, Брэндон Ингрэм, Дариус Гарланд нарт найдаж байгаа бол Мемфис Гриззлис залуу тоглогчдын хүчээр амжилт гаргахаар зорьж байна.
Даллас Маверикс багт Копер Флагг, Кайри Ирвинг нарын шинэ хослол бүрдсэн ч багийн бүрэлдэхүүний тогтворгүй байдал нь плэй-ин шатанд шалгарахад хүндрэл учруулж болзошгүй. Голдэн Стэйт Уорриорс баг Стивен Карриг тойрсон ахмад тоглогчдын хүчээр амжилт гаргахыг оролдож байгаа ч лигийн дундаж багуудын түвшинд гацсан хэвээр байна. Юта Жазз багийн хувьд залуу авьяастнууд болон туршлагатай тоглогчдын хослол нь энэ улирлын гэнэтийн бэлэг байж магадгүй юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
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We gave you our updated power rankings for the NBA’s Eastern Conference, where LeBron James formed a superteam on the Philadelphia 76ers, where Kawhi Leonard will presumably join the Toronto Raptors, and where Giannis Antetokounmpo changed uniforms, but what kind of operation would we be if we didn’t also give you power rankings for the Western Conference?
So, here they are in all their glory. Perfect and inarguable, as always.
We should note: The East is far deeper than the West for the first time in forever, though the West boasts the league’s two title favorites, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
The defending champion New York Knicks and LeBron’s Sixers, among other teams in the East, may have something to say about it in the end, but the depth and youth of the talent in OKC and San Antonio is impossible to ignore. Those two rosters are in a stratosphere all to themselves.
It would be surprising if any of the top six teams here failed to earn a guaranteed playoff spot. The Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves form another tier of contenders. Beyond them, it’s a crapshoot, as every team features quality players and only the Sacramento Kings are in real danger of dropping into the draft’s relegation zone.
Before we give away the entire order, though, let’s get to the rankings …
15. Sacramento Kings
The Kings had themselves a draft, selecting Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick and UConn senior Alex Karaban at No. 29. They did not, however, have themselves a free agency, failing to sign a single newcomer to last season’s 22-60 team. Gone are DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook. Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine remain. It’s time to hand the franchise to a new generation (not that they’ll win any more games than the old generation).
14. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans also opted out of free agency, only re-signing 38-year-old DeAndre Jordan to a curious two-year deal. They held on to Trey Murphy III, one of the league’s most coveted trade targets, but to what end? To bring him back to a team that last season won 26 games? They are not without talent, and that’s the thing about this NBA. Even the bad teams have good players. The question is whether those good players, led by Zion Williamson, can coalesce into a winner.
13. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers were a .500 team last season that — assuming the trade of Kawhi Leonard goes through — will replace a two-time Finals MVP with Brandon Ingram. No small swap, considering Leonard made last season’s All-NBA Second Team. Ingram and Darius Garland are two-time All-Stars, but can either be counted on to consistently carry a winning team in the West? Keaton Wagler is their future, and the sooner he realizes it, the better. But it may not even be this year.
12. Memphis Grizzlies
Now that Ja Morant is gone, I’m expecting Cam Boozer to walk onto the Grizzlies as their best player, and for him to be a catalyst for some winning this season. Let’s not get too carried away. He just turned 19 years old. But he will play hard. And so will everyone else in the rotation. Zach Edey was an advanced stats darling last season, and it will be interesting to see him healthy again. Cedric Coward is good. They’re young and deep, and they’re not going to be fun to play.
11. Dallas Mavericks
Cooper Flagg, 19, and Kyrie Irving, 34, both products of Duke, both former No. 1 overall picks, are one of the league’s more interesting star pairings. Each is a creative genius on a court, and together they could create some magic inside of a system designed by a new coach, Dusty May, of the 2026 NCAA champion Michigan Wolverines. But we don’t really know what to expect from any of them. Questions remain all over the roster. Too many to imagine they’ll make the play-in.
10. Phoenix Suns
The Suns overachieved last season, winning 45 games around Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green by out-efforting other teams on most nights. They retained their own free agents — Mark Williams, Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin — on short money and added both Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard to a rotation that has no reason not to try its ass off once again. And still Phoenix could take a step back, since the conference now knows what to expect from them.
9. Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry is still there. Draymond Green will still be there. The Warriors still have Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis. If healthy, they should be something close to the play-in team they were last season, even without an injured Jimmy Butler, whose contract, along with some picks, could turn into Golden State’s next star player. Though we have been saying that for some time. Maybe this is all there is for the Warriors. Maybe they’re stuck in NBA purgatory.
8. Utah Jazz
Too high? That front line of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen, with a center or without, should make for some interesting lineups, and a collection of young talent — Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and now Darryn Peterson — could be dangerous around them. They can score, and they can defend, and with momentum to start the season I think the Jazz hit the ground running, with a coach desperate to win, and that could be enough to carry them as the season’s surprise.
7. Portland Trail Blazers
Even if their new owner, Tom Dundon, is cutting costs at every turn, the Blazers are building off an encouraging first-round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. They added Ja Morant to what was a defensive-minded team around Deni Avdija. That can make for some chemistry concerns, but I am among the believers in Morant’s ability to rediscover his stardom in a fresh place. Toss Damian Lillard back into the mix, too, and Portland should be better than last season’s 42 wins.
6. Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James is gone, and losing one of the greatest players in the history of the game is no small conceit. But Luka Dončić remains, and he should help make Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton worth their new contracts, even if all of them felt like overpays. Matisse Thybulle is the best value signing of all of them. Beyond him, I’m not sure who plays defense for them, other than that massive bet on Kessler.
5. Houston Rockets
That first-round loss to the Lakers stings, but they were without Kevin Durant, who means everything to their offense. They will reintegrate Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, too. And they added Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović. What if their young players — Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard — take a collective leap? No reason these Rockets shouldn’t be as good as we expected them to be last season.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards is coming into his own as a superstar, and I hope LaMelo Ball does not derail his rise, which has included two conference finals appearances and a hard-fought second-round exit last season. Maybe Ball enhances Edwards, as he did fellow Charlotte Hornets, elevating the Timberwolves’ offense from the middle of the pack into the league’s top five. With Edwards flanked by Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert and Ayo Dosunmu, the defense should still be stout.
3. Denver Nuggets
They have Nikola Jokić, and that’s pretty much all you need. Except, they have Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun, too. And that lineup outscored opponents by 13.5 points per 100 possessions last season. Plus, they hold the rights to restricted free agent Peyton Watson, whose return would bolster the depth chart. Some critics may see last season’s first-round exit as a step back for Jokić and Co.; I view it as motivation for an improved 2026-27.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are not as loaded as they once were, losing Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to the second apron. They will piece together the depth chart with the unproven contingent of Nikola Topić, Thomas Sorber, Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara, and that could shave some wins off of last season’s 64. But a stacked rotation remains, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and OKC should still be considered a title favorite along with …
1. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are a terrifying team, because they feature the game’s most terrifying player, Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-5 exception to a rule that says people that size can’t do everything on a basketball court. The ceiling for Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper — ages 22, 21 and 20, respectively — knows no bounds. De’Aaron Fox is there. They added Tobias Harris just for fun. Granted, they were embarrassed in the NBA Finals, but that is just fuel for revenge.
