Northwest Division Preview:

 

This division has the champions of the NSL, Portland Trailblazers, and then a bunch of other teams that are competing for a playoff spot.  All of these teams actually have promise this season except maybe Minnesota.  The Timberwolves have some promise, but hard to tell if this team will gel this year. 

 

So let�s look at the different teams first, then I�ll let you know my projections.

 

Denver Nuggets (49-33):

 

The Nuggets have the biggest upside this year as they already have Steph Curry returning, but hopefully Klay Thompson returns this season also.  They also have an up and coming star in Michael Porter Jr.  This team is not super deep though, with the Nuggets front office being pretty active in the FA market. 

 

Projected Starting Lineup:

 

C: Dwight Powell

PF: Michael Porter Jr.

SF: Klay Thompson

SG: Gary Trent Junior

PG: Steph Curry

 

MVP:  Steph Curry���

Steph averaged 48 pts / 9 assists last season in a shortened injury season.  This is one of the highest averages I�ve ever seen on any player in the NSL or even the NLL.  His numbers will likely drop when Klay comes back, but if he can keep up these numbers, and add Klay�s scoring, this team will be very scary.

 

Biggest Question Mark:  Bench

As you can see from their starting lineup, they are very top heavy. Denver doesn�t have a ton of extra money after paying both Klay and Steph, so they are filling out the bench with lower salaried players.  If the bench is not a net negative, this team is going to be towards the top of the West.

 

Projection: 52-30

 

Minnesota Timberwolves (12-70):

 

The T-Wolves made a move to get Pascal Siakam in the offseason, which is great for them, and they have some good players to go with him.  LaMelo Ball looks to be a star in the making, Middleton is an all-star, Jonas is a beast in the middle, and add Scotty Barnes to the mix, and who knows where this team can go?

 

Projected Starting Lineup:

 

C: Jonas Valanciunas

PF: Pascal Siakam

SF: Khris Middleton

SG: Alex Burks/Scotty Barnes

PG: LaMelo Ball

 

MVP: LaMelo Ball

Ball has the potential to put up triple-doubles, and he can be the best player on a playoff team.  I�m excited to see what a fully healthy season of LaMelo looks like.  He only played in 58 games last season, only averaging 13 points a game, but I expect him to take a big step forward.  I can see him being a candidate for most-improved player. 

 

Biggest Question Mark: Scotty Barnes

Is this guy going to develop to match his athleticism?  He looks like he could be an elite defender, but needs to develop the offensive skills to match.  If he does this quick enough, this team could be a playoff contender.

 

Projection: 25-57

 

Oklahoma City Thunder (34-48):

 

The Thunder have an interesting team, they have a mix of youth and veterans with Kemba and Christian Wood, along with Anthony Edwards and Kevin Huerter.  It�s hard to tell what this team is going to do.  They look like they will compete, but did they take any steps forward in the offseason?

 

Projected Starting Lineup:

 

C: Christian Wood

PF: Julius Randle

SF: Anthony Edwards

SG: Kevin Huerter

PG: Kemba Walker

 

MVP: Kemba Walker

Kemba resigned for a small amount, but this guy is still an elite scorer in the league.  With the other scorers being big men, he has a good chance to get a lot of the shots from the outside up.  I foresee a lot of points and assist for Kemba this year as he tries to carry this team to the playoffs.

 

Biggest Question Mark: Anthony Edwards

If Edwards turns into a legit player and potential all-star like he looks, this team could be really good.  I am interested if he can turn this team into a potential playoff team.

 

Projection: 37-45

 

Portland Trailblazers (78-4):

 

This team won it all last year, only losing 4 games total all season.  What did they do in the offseason?  Oh they brought in Andre Drummond to replace Dwight Howard and brought just about everyone back.  Drummond has always been a 2k beast, and if he continues to have that form, this team will be even scarier.

 

Projected Starting Lineup:

 

C: Andrew Drummond

PF: Kawhi Leonard

SF: Robert Covington

SG: James Harden

PG: Russell Westbrook

 

MVP: James Harden

Last season, Harden outscored all the other all-stars on his team, and I expect that to continue this year as he will play a lot of PG/SG.  He will likely have the ball in his hand more than Leonard, so that�s my big reason giving him the nod.

 

Biggest Question Mark:

I�m actually gonna go health on this one.  They have a lot of players in their late-prime, who are not spring-chickens anymore!  If they stay healthy all year, I don�t see any reason they can�t repeat one more time.

 

Projection: 70-12

 

Utah Jazz (13-69):

 

The Jazz got a ton of young players this draft, and a lot of them look really promising.  That being said, their best player is either Rui Hachimura or Blake Griffin right now, and that�s not a great place to be.  I�m really excited for Duarte as he looks pretty good so far in the NBA, Giddey could be good, but he�s still a question mark to me. 

 

Projected Starting Lineup:

 

C: Blake Griffin

PF: Rui Hachimura
SF: Franz Wagner

SG: Chris Duarte

PG: Josh Giddey

 

MVP:  Josh Giddey

I honestly don�t know who the MVP is here, but Giddey has the biggest upside to me.  I think any one of these rookies could surprise us and be the MVP of this team.  Maybe Rui has a big step forward too, who knows!

Biggest Question Mark:  Rookie development

What are the odds at least 2 of these guys hit.  It seems like it�s a 50% hit rate on some of these top picks to end up working out.  If they can get 2 good rookies out of this class, this team has some upside.

Projection: 15-67

 

Final Division Rankings:

 

1.      Portland Trailblazers (70-12)

2.      Denver Nuggets (52-30)

3.      Oklahoma City (37-45)

4.      Minnesota Timberwolves (25-57)

5.      Utah Jazz (15-67)