Over the past year, the Southwest Division has had a myriad of changes… The Rockets losing their franchise player in James Harden, Demar Derozan teaming up with Zach Lavine, Lonzo and Vucevic in Chicago, and a big man swap between the Grizzlies and Pelicans. The only team that remained mostly the same is the Dallas Mavericks. With Harden and Demar out of the Southwest it opens up opportunities for the other teams to move up in the West, especially since they both got moved to Eastern Conference teams.
#5
Coming in at number 5, the San Antonio Spurs.
It was hard putting a Greg Popovich coached team at the bottom of the list, but this season he just doesn’t have much to work with. Losing Demar Derozan was a huge hit and now looking at the rest of the roster the Spurs just does not have a roster that will produce wins. This has got to be the least talented roster that Greg Popovich has ever had, so it would be a wonder if they were even able to end up in the 10 seed. In all honesty, I am seeing them in being one of the bottom feeders in the West this year.
#4
This was a close call between the 3 and 4 spots, but I have the Houston Rockets at 4.
After losing James Harden and essentially becoming the worst team in the entire NBA with a horrific record of 17-55, the Rockets ended up improving in the off-season by landing 3 first round picks. They drafted Jalen Green with pick number 2, a player who is NBA ready after competing in the G League last season and averaging 17 PPG. The Rockets also drafted Alperen Şengün, a 7’0 center from Turkey, who played extremely well in the Summer League. Josh Christopher another notable pick from Arizona State who has some real potential to grow with the other rooks here. This Houston Rockets roster looks strong on paper, but we’ll have to see if they’re able to make it come together on the court. It’s difficult to judge the Rockets off of last season considering all the drama that was surrounding them, so I believe they will be much better off to start this year.
A starting five of John Wall, Jalen Green, Danuel House, Christian Wood, and Sengun sounds pretty good if you ask me.
#3
Number 3, The Memphis Grizzlies.
I thought the Memphis Grizzlies dropped off a little from last season. It’s not that they got much worse, It’s just some other teams got better. Good news for the Grizzlies is that they are heading into this season with a healthy Jaren Jackson Jr. He hadn’t missed a beat when he returned late last season, and in limited minutes looked like an overall improved player after so much time off. He’ll have even more offensive opportunities this year with Jonas Valunciunas moving to New Orleans. The duo of Ja and Jaren should show its true capabilities this year. They could develop into one of the better duos in the next few years if they stay together.
#2
And the silver medal goes to… The Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks are essentially the same team as last year except they lost Josh Richardson. They also hired a new head coach in Jason Kidd and while this could be a good thing, it could also be a bad thing. He hasn’t exactly had great success as a Head Coach, but it was time for the Mavericks to move on from Rick Carlisle. The Mavericks still have one of the most talented players in the league, so they’ll have the chance to make it into the playoffs again this year, but I think the Mavericks will need another piece or two if they want to get over that hump and overcome their mortal enemy (LA Clippers). With that being said, if Porzingis is able to stay healthy and come into accepting his role of Robin to Luka’s Batman then this team could once again be a top 6 team in the West.
#1
I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with this, but I have the New Orleans Pelicans at #1.
The Pelicans have made some drastic changes going into the 2021 season. A new head coach hire (Willy Green), losing Lonzo Ball to Chicago, and quickly releasing two other starters in Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams that they just received last year. With that being said, I view all of these changes as positives. The swap of Steven Adams and Jonas Valunciunas was a great move by the Pelicans, as Jonas is a much better fit alongside a player like Zion Williamson. Don’t get me wrong – Steven Adams is a great center as well, but he will actually fit better alongside someone like Jaren Jackson in Memphis. You can’t have two lane cloggers for big men in todays’ game.
The Pels also signed Devonte Graham in free agency. A player who averaged 18 PPG two seasons ago. Not only that, but the Pelicans drafted the ideal rookie to fit in with Zion – Trey Murphy 6’9 3 and D wing from Virginia. As you can see every single move the Pelicans make is geared toward Zion Williamson.
Zanos – now coming into his third season has developed and adapted his game to the NBA level very quickly, getting better night in and night out. And while he hasn’t acquired all of the infinity stones yet, I am fully convinced that he’ll be a bonafide super-star this season. Even if goings start to get rough for the Pelicans he will be able to carry this team to victories.
Do you agree or disagree with this list? Comment below!
