One Exciting Thing About Each Western Conference Team

Watching the West: In the hit sequel to Monday's newsletter, we give one thing we're excited to watch about every Western Conference squad this season.

It’s 2K Time: Taking a look at the top players in 2k23.

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We're also looking for a paid part-time Newsletter editor to join the team! Check the tweet below for more info. 

Dallas Mavericks: Christian Wood opening things up

The Mavericks have been after a quality center to pair next to Slovenian phenom Luka Doncic for years now, and it seems they’ve finally found one in Christian Wood. The former Houston Rocket gives Dallas tons of versatility on the offensive end due to the combination of his quality pick and roll play and elite spot-up shooting for a big man. 

Wood has always found his limitations on the defensive end, but he’ll have the support of an excellent Mavericks squad on that end of the court who finished 6th in defensive rating last season. Having Luka will always keep the Mavs competitive, but Christian Wood could be the one to truly bring their offense to life. 

Denver Nuggets: Murray and MPJ are back

The Nuggets revolve around the mammoth gravitational pull of Nikola Jokic. But the last two seasons have proven he needs a bit of help to push this team over the top.

Luckily for him, Denver's second and third-best players are both set to make their return from long-term injuries. Jamal Murray is one of the league's most electric scoring guards who dazzled the NBA world with his otherworldly performances in the 2020 playoffs. He may be coming off a torn ACL, but Murray's shot creation will go a long way towards taking some of the offensive pressure off Jokic. The same can be said for Michael Porter Jr, who had a 2020-21 season so efficient that it hadn't been seen since the likes of Wilt Chamberlain. 

A Jokic-Murray-Porter Jr trio led Denver to the conference finals in 2020. Now, can a more experienced version of the three lead them even further?

Golden State Warriors: A bigger role for Jonathan Kuminga

Jonathan Kuminga was one of the youngest players in the 2021 draft, but that didn’t stop him from being a valuable regular season contributor for the eventual NBA champions and one of the league's most exciting rookies. Kuminga's insane athleticism made him a walking highlight reel around the rim and in transition. Just look at his rookie highlight mix and tell us it doesn’t scream future all-star, or at least future dunk contest champion. 

His role might have diminished in the playoffs last year, but with valuable bench contributors like Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Damion Lee departing in the offseason, Golden State will need meaningful contributions from Kuminga deep into May and June this time around. 

Houston Rockets: Crazy potential at every position

On a team like the Rockets, it seems like every direction you look there’s a promising player with all-star potential. 

At guard, 2021 second overall pick Jalen Green flashed explosive scoring talent during his rookie season and topped it off by averaging nearly 23 points on 59% true shooting after the all-star break. With a full season of NBA experience under his belt, we have a feeling the former G-League Ignite hooper will be must-watch TV next season.

You don’t have to go very far back to find a talented forward on this team. In fact, they drafted two just the other month. Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason wreaked havoc on the defensive end in summer league, and the young duo is sure to be giving the league's best scorers trouble sooner rather than later.

And representing the big men, the one and only Alperen Sengun. He might have played limited minutes last season, but the Turkish unicorn brings a rare breed of footwork and playmaking to the center position.

With all that potential, it’s hard not to get excited about Houston, even if they may be a step or two away from truly contending.

Los Angeles Clippers: The return of Kawhi Leonard

The Clippers seem to be everyone's darkhorse title favorites this season, and that’s all thanks to one large-handed menace. 

Kawhi Leonard needs no introduction. When healthy, he’s an elite three-level scorer, an all-time great wing defender and has a clutch gene so strong he can carry teams to a championship on his own. Add him to the Clipper's secret sauce of Paul George and some of the best bench depth in the league, and you have an incredibly scary squad. 

Appreciate the man while he’s here because (as has been repeated on Twitter thousands of times over the years) when Kawhi retires, we’ll probably never hear from him again. Now, do yourself a favor and watch some clips from his legendary 2019 run.

Los Angeles Lakers: A healthy LeBron-AD combo in a new system

It might have been a rough couple of seasons in the City of Angels, but that math from 2020 adds up. A healthy LeBron plus a healthy AD equals a great shot at an NBA title. And, with a weak supporting cast this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two put up some video game-like numbers as they look to carry the Lake Show back to the playoffs. 

They’ll also be doing it all under a new coach. After cutting his chops in Atlanta and Milwaukee, Darvin Ham returns to Los Angeles with championship pedigree and a gritty defensive mindset. He helped get the best out of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the hope is he can do the same with another dominating interior player in AD. And, of course, we all know how well LeBron can adapt to new systems. They could play him as a pass-first point guard and he’d still probably make an All-NBA team.

Memphis Grizzlies: Can Ja take ANOTHER leap?

Memphis is bringing back a very similar roster to last year's squad. With no new editions of note (outside a trio of semi-promising rookies), the Grizzlies' excitement will lie where it always has over the last three seasons, firmly on the shoulders of Ja Morant.

Ja had a breakout season in 2021-22, but his dominating playoff performance against the Warriors (which was unfortunately cut short by injuries) showed that he might be capable of going even further. He's a battering ram around the rim, an elite playmaker with world-class vision and a practical walking human highlight reel. If he can combine that with an above-average three-point shot, then we could be in for a truly special season from one of the game's brightest stars. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Gobert-Towns twin towers

Enough of small-ball, let's let the big boys have some fun. 

We're glad that the Timberwolves are carrying on the Cavs tradition from last season by running a starting lineup built around height. Gobert (7'1") and Towns (6'11"), along with small forward Jaden McDaniels (6'10"), make the Timberwolves a tough team to face at the rim on both sides of the ball. Gobert protecting the paint with Towns splashing threes seems like a match made in heaven and will certainly make the Wolves one of the more unique teams to watch next season.

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion

That's it, one word should be enough to get you excited about the Pelicans season.

This New Orleans team took the 64 wins Suns to 6 games (and were on the brink of a 7th) without him. They have a great mix of tenacious defenders (Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado), elite shot creators (CJ and Ingram), and now a wrecking ball of a power forward who had the most efficient 27+ point per game season ever the last time he played. 

This Pelicans squad is about to surprise a lot of people, and Zion will be at the center of it all. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: SGA All-Star debut?

You can't talk OKC without talking SGA, and all signs point to the Kentucky grad having another monster season in 2022-23. 

He may have struggled with his shot last year (mainly due to the insane difficulty of the attempts he was taking), but SGA cemented his title as perhaps the best finishing guard in basketball not named Ja Morant. And, with Dejounte Murray and Donovan Mitchell departing for the Eastern Conference, the door for him to make his inaugural All-Star appearance is cracked open further than it's ever been.

Phoenix Suns: A chance at redemption

Outside of a few minor additions around the margins, the Suns are bringing back the same squad from last season that won a franchise-record 64 games. Despite all the regular season success, there should be only one word on this team's mind, redemption.

That 33-point loss to the Mavericks to end their season is going to sting for a long time to come, but all that will be erased if they can exorcise their demons this time around. Think of that 2018 Virginia Cavaliers team that lost to 16-seeded UMBC only to come out the next year with a massive chip on their shoulders that powered them all the way to a national title. This Phoenix squad should be angry and have something to prove, a combination that often leads to some incredible basketball.

They have a squad talented enough to win the championship, now all that’s left to do is execute. 

Portland Trail Blazers: Solving the mystery of Shaedon Sharpe

At this point, Shaedon Sharpe is basically Schrödinger's prospect. He’s simultaneously a league-altering talent with generational potential and a complete unknown who could join a long list of high school flameouts. 

But no matter where Sharpe lands on that spectrum from legend to bust, we’ll finally start to get the beginnings of an answer this season in Portland. The Blazers need more guys to step up around Damian Lillard to be truly competitive, and they made a bold move by swinging for the fences with the 7th overall pick.

 Can Sharpe repay the favor? Only time will tell. But, at the very least, he’ll provide a good reason to watch some Portland basketball this season. 

Sacramento Kings: A full season of Sabonis and Fox

With the Seattle Mariners looking more and more likely to make the MLB playoffs, the Kings are set to inherit one of the most unflattering records in American sports. It’s been 16 seasons since their last playoff appearance, longer than any NBA team and soon to be the longest of any major American sports franchise. 

But, one dynamic duo might have what it takes to turn everything around. 

Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox have a lot riding on their shoulders, but their complementary skill sets combined with a sharpshooting supporting cast could be just what the Kings need. Fox looked especially dominant as a scorer when paired with Sabonis, averaging over 27 points per game when the two played together. And Sabonis is one of the best playmaking bigs in the league and will be a huge help in taking some of the playmaking burden away from Fox. 

San Antonio Spurs: Who is going to fill Dejounte's shoes?

The Spurs are diving headfirst into the first rebuild of the Popovich era, and with Dejounte Murray departing for the greener pastures (figuratively) of Atlanta, somebody is going to have to step up and be the valiant tank commander.

We talked about Keldon Johnson as one of next season's potential breakout players, and he’s definitely still the main guy to keep an eye on. He averaged over 20 points per game when Murray was out last season, and that number could jump even higher with added offensive responsibility. But also keep an eye on Josh Primo. The young guard out of Alabama showed brief flashes last season and will have plenty of opportunities this season to further prove himself. 

Utah Jazz: Colin Sexton running the show

It’s been a while Jazz fans, but welcome back to the magical world of tanking! You all have 14 first-round picks over the next seven seasons and all the time in the world to build a squad filled with future stars. But for now, your team is a mishmash of last year's leftovers and prospects acquired in the Gobert and Mitchell trades.

If there’s one player to be excited about in all this turmoil, it’s Colin Sexton. He may be coming off a major injury, but the Alabama grad proved himself to be an efficient high-volume scorer during his first three seasons in Cleveland. Now, on a Jazz team that’s looking for absolutely anyone to put the ball in the basket, he can take all the shots he’s ever wanted. Don’t be surprised if he puts up a few 40 (and maybe even 50) pieces this season.

If you need a reminder of what Sexton looks like at his best, just check out his legendary takeover against the stacked Brooklyn Nets last season.

NBA 2K23 Ratings Released

Park hoopers, MyTeam addicts, rebuild enthusiasts, lend me your ears because 2k player ratings are finally out. 

Leading the pack this season is the Greek Freak himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo at a 97 overall. But hot on his heels is a quintet of players at 96 consisting of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic. Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. lead the way for the rookies at 78 overall. 

As for team ratings, the Boston Celtics stand alone at 84 overall, followed closely by the 76ers, Bucks, Suns and Warriors at 83. The bottom of the list is rounded out by the Rockets (78), Jazz (78) and Spurs (77).

And it wouldn't be a 2k ratings reveal without a little dash of controversy. Kevin Durant may be tied for the second highest rating in the entire game, but he thought he deserved the extremely rare 99 overall, which hasn't been seen since LeBron James in 2k14. Klay Thompson, meanwhile, is the second highest rated three-point shooter in the game (only behind his teammate Steph Curry who has a perfect 99 rating) but was insulted by his comparably paltry 88 rating, and let everyone on social media know it.

How do you feel about your team's ratings? Did 2K do your squad justice? Let us know in the poll below.

Montrezl Harrell Signs With Sixers 

The Sixers add some much needed reinforcements behind star center Joel Embiid by inking former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell to a two-year, $5.2 million deal. He's bounced around the league over the past two seasons with stops in LA, Washington and Charlotte, but appears to have found a new home on a title-contending Philly squad.

Harrell has long been one of the most efficient interior scorers in the NBA and is a valuable spark plug for teams looking for quick points off the bench. He also opens up intriguing possibility of a Sixers small-ball lineup while Embiid rests. No matter what way you look at it, Harrell's scoring and added lineup versatility makes him a great pickup at the price. 

NBA Trades That Should Still Happen Before 2022 Training Camp - Greg Swartz (Bleacher Report)

Examining potential destinations for Mike Conley - Nekias Duncan (Basketball News)

Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier’s passion for catchphrases, poignant language earn Knicks broadcaster prestigious honor - Fred Katz (The Athletic)

That's it for todays newsletter! Now back to staring at the NBA countdown clock... only just over a month to go. 

Until next time.

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to Mondays trivia question is the Dallas Mavericks! The Mavs have won nearly 60% of their games this century, and are set to win plenty more with Luka at the helm.

Trivia Question: At a mind-boggling 54.5%, this team holds the record for the highest field goal percentage in a single season, and the second highest, and the third, and the fourth, and the fifth. You get the idea.