The Western Conference has always been loaded but this season is on another level.

It seems like for years the Western Conference has been loaded. Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokic all in one conference? While the Eastern Conference has become more balanced with the West, it’s clear that the Western Conference could have as many as 14 teams all in the mix for the final play-in tournament spots by the end of the season.

Furthermore, three legitimate teams could make the NBA Finals, let alone the Conference Finals. Naturally, those three teams are among the league’s most expensive teams. These teams have paid large premiums for superstar talent, but the surrounding parts could also equally do some damage in getting the team closer to winning a title.

As we approach the 2023-24 season, we have decided to assess the standing of teams in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference rankings have already been assessed. Here are the rankings of all NBA teams categorized into six different tiers: Lottery Teams, Play-In Competitors, First-Round Exits, Contenders, NBA Finals Threats, and the sole Championship Favorite.

Lottery Teams

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs were atrocious last season. The team tied the Houston Rockets for a league-worst 22-60 record. That resulted in the Spurs winning the draft lottery and drafting the most hyped prospect in franchise history since Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The Spurs are hopeful that Victor Wembanyama lives up to the high expectations around him, but he remains a rookie. When Duncan entered the league, he had Robinson at near MVP level.

Wembanyama is easily the best player on the team right now. It is going to take time for Wemby to develop and that is okay. With the youth and lack of star power, landing another top pick to develop with the 2023 No. 1 overall pick is likely the future of the Spurs.

Play-In Competitors

New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz

The Rockets would be a huge surprise if the team made the playoffs. Houston was 22-60 last season but spent a considerable amount of money by signing All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet and valued swingman Dillon Brooks. The Rockets have intriguing young players in former lottery pick Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson. This might be a stretch for the team to make the play-in, but the Rockets should not be as bad as the team was last season.

The Jazz are in a similar position as the Rockets. A year after trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz were flirting with playoff status. The team consistently hung around the playoff picture before finishing 37-45. Lauri Markkanen was an All-Star last season and the team made a trade for John Collins. Collin Sexton remains a solid scoring guard, but this team has potential on paper. The team is missing true star power but might have enough talent to stay competitive in each game.

For Portland, trading away Damian Lillard should mean that the team should automatically be a lottery team, right? Portland was 33-49 last season and traded away both Lillard and Jusef Nurkic. There’s a solid argument out there that Portland could flirt with a play-in spot, especially if the team can’t find a trade partner for Malcolm Brogdon. Scott Henderson is going to challenge Wemby for Rookie of the Year, while Deandre Ayton is a better center than Nurkic. Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharp are exciting young players, while defensively, Portland could be a sneaky excellent team with Ayton, Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and Matisse Thybulle.

Now, think about this for a moment. On December 12, 2022, the New Orleans Pelicans were leading the Western Conference with an 18-8 record. The team continued to flirt with a top-2 spot in the conference until their final day on December 31st. Once Zion Williamson suffered his injury, which limited him to 29 games last year, the slide began. By January 27th, it was the final day that New Orleans was a top-4 team before continuing towards finishing as the No. 10 seed. Staying healthy has been an issue for Williamson, so based on history, the Pelicans will see another injury and a play-in berth.

After making the play-in tournament last year, the Thunder have yet to officially make the playoffs since 2020. It’s been a process of developing talent since having the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George. With it being the fourth year of the rebuilding process, it’s time for the Thunder to start buying. For now, the Thunder have an All-Star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and two potential future stars in Josh Gidden and Chet Holmgren. How Holmgren handles his rookie season will be instrumental in OKC’s final standings. If the Thunder look good early, keep an eye on this team making a midseason trade to potentially raise their stock even further.

First-Round Exits

Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies

With the addition of former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, there was a ton of buzz around the team early. However, it ended with a five-game series loss to the Nuggets in the first round. Due to the financial concerns, the Timberwolves didn’t add too much in the offseason so the team is running it back. It will be interesting to see how the second year of the Karl-Anthony Towns/Gobert product can coexist. Given what we know about this team already and its zero major additions, Minnesota will likely see another fight for an eight or nine-seed.

Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to the Conference Finals in 2022, but the team fell flat after buying into Kyrie Irving. Did Kyrie Irving make this team worse? The Mavericks were 31-27 on February 13th, good enough for the fourth seed, and then finished the season 38-44, which was outside the play-in tournament. The addition of Grant Williams will bolster the defense, but there isn’t a high ceiling for this team unless the duo of Doncic and Irving works.

As for the Grizzlies, doesn’t it feel like a defeating feeling right now? The team was the No. 2 seed with 51 wins last year but limped their way out of the playoffs in a first-round exit to the Lakers. Steven Adams is healthy, but the team lost Dillon Brooks to free agency and Ja Morant to a 25-game suspension. Marcus Smart is a great leader and keeping Desmond Bane was huge, but momentum matters. Unless the Grizzlies can pick up momentum in the middle of the year, the questions around Morant and the loss of Brooks are justified and it could result in another first-round exit.

Playoff Contenders

Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings

Last year, fans had to tell themselves the Lakers were good. This year, fans can look at the Lakers and genuinely believe this team is good. The Lakers bested the Grizzlies and Warriors in the playoffs last year before getting swept by the Nuggets in the Conference Finals. Still, a team that started with Russell Westbrook and didn’t make a top-7 seed appearance until March 24th finished the year strong.

Jarred Vanderbilt fits perfectly with Anthony Davis. Austin Reaves has a very team-friendly contract, while the addition of Gabe Vincent could be one of the most underrated moves of the offseason. Rui Hachimura bought into his role, while Christian Wood could be the best bargain on the team. The health of LeBron James and Davis always matters for the Lakers’ success. All around, the Lakers have depth, and that has proven to be valuable when the team is making a run in the playoffs.

As for the Kings, the team probably should have had a date with the Lakers in the second round. Instead, the team blew a 2-0 lead before losing in seven games to the Warriors. Those moments matter for an inexperienced team. It was the first time for De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to compete at a high level like that. For the first time in 20 years, the Kings have a competitive team that could make a run like the Chris Webber and Mike Bibby days.

Keegan Murray is going to get better and that should scare the league. Both Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter are great players in the starting lineup. If Malik Monk can turn into the Jamal Crawford type of sixth man that can score 20 points per game, this team could easily make the Conference Finals this season.

NBA Finals Threats

Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors

All three of these teams could make the NBA Finals. The Western Conference is loaded with talent, but there are at least four to six teams with two superstar-caliber players on their teams.

Starting with the Golden State Warriors, the team took a short slide back after their 2022 championship season. The team decided to stick to their core and chose Draymond Green over Jordan Poole. Can Chris Paul, another player who has a history with Green, coexist? This starting lineup is older with Paul, Curry, Thompson, and Green in their 30s. On top of that, the team is very small with Green as the starting center. Here is what we know about the Warriors. The team owns six NBA Finals appearances and four championships in nine seasons with their big three. As long as Curry stays healthy, he is going to keep you in games. The Warriors own the benefit of the doubt that this team will make another NBA Finals appearance.

Finishing with 44 wins like the Warriors, the Clippers made the playoffs and didn’t even have their two best players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard for the entire series. Russell Westbrook looked rejuvenated and made those games competitive. With Westbrook back, it appears that Westbrook understands his role on this team. Assuming George and Leonard can stay healthy, the Clippers are going to flirt with being a top-3 team in the conference. The depth, combined with a top-3 payroll, demands high expectations from the Clippers.

The Suns were the No. 4 seed last season with 45 wins and made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason by acquiring Bradley Beal. Since making the NBA Finals in 2021, the team has traded away Cameron Johnson, Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, and Deandre Ayton for Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Grayson Allen, and Jusuf Nurkic. Beal, Durant, and Devin Booker have to work. On paper, that’s an elite All-Star trio. There is not a ton of depth behind this team, so it will depend on how the role players play when somebody gets hurt because it’s likely going to happen. If this team is healthy, expect a deep playoff run from the Suns.

Championship Favorite

Denver Nuggets

At the end of the season, the Nuggets were champions. It’s only fair that we give the Nuggets their flowers. Honestly, the Nuggets didn’t get worse off either. Losing key bench player Bruce Brown hurts, but the Nuggets weren’t going to pay him $22 million. Christian Braun should be able to fill his spot, while Jalen Pickett could be used for defensive minutes. The team is very high on Peyton Watson and Justin Holiday is a proven role player. With DeAndre Jordan and Reggie Jackson back to serve as locker-room leaders, the depth of this team is solid.

We haven’t even talked about how the team has the best player in the league on their team. Yes, Joel Embiid was the MVP last season, but Jokic could have easily been the league MVP for the third year in a row. He proved that after leading his team to the Finals where he won the Finals MVP Award. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. proved what they can do when they stay healthy. Plus, bold prediction, Aaron Gordon is going to become an All-Star for the first time in his career this season. If that happens, you are looking at a team with four All-Star players in February. Repeating as champions is very hard to do, but the Nuggets have the team, depth, and coaching to pull it off.