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Written by Ollie Weisstub, 12/15/2024
NBA 2024-2025 Western Conference Season Predictions - A long, detailed article strictly on predictions for western conference in the 2024-2025 NBA season with detailed justifications for each prediction
Written by Ollie Weisstub
-Significant segments:
Why the Magic are the most slept-on team in the whole NBA
How Lamelo could be one of the best players in the East
STANDING PREDICTIONS- My top 4 teams in the Western Conference:
#1: Oklahoma City Thunder - 61 wins 21 losses
I think there is very little explanation needed on why OKC will be the best team in the West, as they already are the 1st seed in the West, and have beat every other top Western Conference seed they have played against at least once (Nuggets, Mavs, Warriors, Rockets) playing without their DPOY and potential second best player Chet Holmgren. They have arguably the best defense in the league with a defensive core in (Shai, Lue Dort, Chet, Isaiah Hartenstien, Alex Carsuo) as their main defensive anchors, along with one of the most deep offensive rosters in the NBA which has elite shot makers and three point shooters, and we know what happens when a team is one of the best defending teams and 3 point shooting teams simultaneously (last years an the current Celtics). Overall, OKC has an incredibly strong young core that is capable of playing both ends. It would need to take more than a few injuries for this team to fall under the 60 win mark in my opinion.
#2: Dallas Mavericks - 53 wins 29 losses
While the Mavericks may have started the season losing games, this was mainly because across Luka Doncic’s first few games there was lackluster performance after lackluster performance on offense, and terrible defense. Since then, Luka has been on fire and is averaging 28, 8 and 8 and out of nowhere 2 steals. These past games have reassured us that Luka is a superstar and there are no worries about him. Along with this, Kyrie Irving is averaging 24, 5 and 5 on nearly 50%, 50%, 90% and is without a doubt one of if not the best second option in the league. While this backcourt would be dominant with anyone around them, the Mavs have perfect lob threats around their star guards and shooters like Klay Thompson, who get completely open looks every night because of the attention on Kyrie and Luka. Finally, the Mavs are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have been playing like a true fluent team for the first time since Klay Thompson joined.
#3: Phoenix Suns - 52 wins 30 losses
While the Suns are only 2 games over .500 so far at 8th in the West, I am very heavy on this tema and their talent. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are one of the best duos in the NBA, along with Bradley Beal who is the most efficient he has ever been since his 30 ppg all star season. The issue with this team last year was that they essentially had too much talent, in the sense they had a core of 3 elite scorers but not really a proper point guard to set up the offense, along with poor centers. However, this offseason I think the Suns had the most sleep on free-agent signing, Tyus Jones, who was exactly what the team needed. He is a true pass-first point guard who can perfectly orchestrate the Suns offense. They also signed Mason Plumlee, who is a decent center who adds to the center depth, which makes me think that they are essentially flawless on offense and have no reason to not be a top seed in the west. Circling back to their current state as they are 13-11, is that Kevin Durant has been injured, and Devin Booker's slow start efficiency wise to the season. The Suns are 12-2 when Kevin Durant is on the court this year, and when healthy I think this team is unguardable. The only reason this team may not be the 1 or 2 seed to me is that their defense is totally mediocre, and to be a top 2 team in your conference you need to have a top 8-10 defense at the bare minimum, and the Suns just aren’t there yet.
#4: Golden State Warriors - 52 wins 30 losses
So far this season, there is almost no reason the Warriors are so good, as they lack the second or even third star other teams have, but the Warriors have just had perfect chemistry and they have 12-13 playable guys who can contribute, making them one of if not the deepest team in the NBA. This team shares the ball so well, averaging the 5th least isolations per game, and 5th most APG. Finally, this team just stole Dennis Schroder from the tanking nets for a bench player (De’Anthony Melton) and a few second round picks, this trade benefits both teams, especially the Warriors as the Nets are trying to lose to get a better pick but for the Warriors, Dennis Schroder will add to their insanely deep guard rotation and is capable of contributing to a contending team.
Top 5 Western Conference Players, with justification.
-Significant segment:
How Lamelo Ball could be a top 3 player in the eastern conference
#1: Nikola Jokic
33 PPG , 13 RPG , 9 APG
(points per game) (rebounds per game) (assists per game)
I really don’t see any debate on a better Western Conference player, so far Jokic this season is having one of if not the most insane primes in NBA history, averaging more points then prime Kobe, more rebounds per game then prime Charles Barkley, and more assists per game then prime Jason Kidd. Jokic is proving he is one of the all time greats with his insane numbers and crazy impact, and no player so far this year has shown any sign to be better than him.
#2: Shai Gilgeous Alexander
31 PPG , 6 RPG, 4 APG
(points per game) (rebounds per game) (assists per game)
Shai Gilgeous Alexander is one of if not the most talented scorers in the NBA, and he is without a doubt the best player on what most think is the best team in the West. Shai can score super easily in the midrange, or get to the foul line, and he is also a great defender who is capable of making great reads in passing lanes and racking up a lot of steals.
#3: Anthony Davis
25 PPG , 12 RPG 3 APG
(points per game) (rebounds per game) (assists per game)
Anthony Davis is this high on my list because of how he is one of the best defenders in the whole NBA, and he can also be one of the best rebounders, best lob threats, and a 25 ppg scorer at the same time. He is above guys like Luka mainly because of the defensive gap, and for the first time in NBA history he is the best player on a team with Lebron James. Anthony Davis to me has grown underrated due to his constant injuries, but last year he played a career high 70 games and I hope he can play just as much or even more to show how he can be one of the best players in the NBA.
#4: Luka Doncic
30 PPG , 9 RPG 9 APG
(points per game) (rebounds per game) (assists per game)
Luka Doncic is certainly a player who can put up ridiculous stats on offense, and he is understandably put 1st or 2nd on most people's list for the best players in the whole NBA, not just Western Conference, but so far this year he has had multiple games where he is not playing well on offense and costing the team on defense, and I simply think Luka will never be a good enough defensive player to be put in conversations where he is better than Shai or even Anthony Davis.
#5: Lebron James
24 PPG , 8 RPG, 8 APG
(points per game) (rebounds per game) (assists per game)
Lebron James has simply been one of the best players in the NBA ever since he was a rookie 22 years ago, and he still isn’t slowing down. While this season his scoring has dropped slightly, his rebounding and especially passing have been elite, as he is a top 5 playmaker in the league, also averaging 8 rebounds per game. Other than one of the most generational players in their prime in Jokic, Lebron has the most triple doubles so far this year as a 40 year old, including multiple 30 point triple doubles. Lebron is no doubt one of the most impactful players in the NBA, and I think his IQ and passing make him slightly better then the honorable mentions, but I understand arguments for all the players listed below who barely missed the Top 5.
Honorable Mentions:
Devin Booker
Kevin Durant
Anthony Edwards:
Kyrie
Ja Morant
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