Sabado, Oktubre 7, 2023

Of the expected bottom three teams in the West (POR/HOU/SAS), which team do you think has the best chance at a breakthrough in 2023/24?

I asked this 6 weeks ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1631fr9/of_the_expected_bottom_three_teams_in_the_west/ before the Blazers trades occurred, KPJ was arrested for abuse, and the Spurs released Reggie Bullock, who then signed with the Rockets.

Dame's trade was 10-11 days ago now and KPJ's domestic violence arrest almost a month old, so we've had time to settle and really digest and analyze the moves that have been made and where these teams currently stand with the season less than three weeks away.

I personally believe after the dust has settled that all three teams have 30+ win rosters on talent. They may not finish with 30+ wins but I believe the talent is there on all three squads to do so. When I asked this question 6 weeks ago, the answers were varied, pretty split between Houston and Portland. But you can't count out the Spurs with their young guys taking leaps and having Wemby and Pop.

Spurs starting lineup remains in a bit of flux with no confirmation made other than Wemby and Collins being the starting PF/C. Tre Jones remains the odds on favorite to start at PG and Vassell at SG but nothing is set in stone currently. Pop will be experimenting with different combinations throughout preseason. Their bench is an intriguing mix of veterans and youngs with Doug McDermott having become a staple in San Antonio and dynamic offensive weapon with his shooting and off ball activity and Malaki Branham showing real potential as a scorer. DeVonte Graham will give the Spurs a steady hand as a backup PG who doubles a strong shooter off the dribble....they struggled last season at the backup ballhandler spot.

Blazers will be starting Thybulle at the SF most likely for defensive purposes with Sharpe coming off the bench at the 3. Their top 8 of Henderson/Simons/Thybulle/Grant/Ayton with Brogdon/Sharpe/Williams is a very competitive one. Very talented, but lacking in experience with one another as a group, and with a rookie PG. We will see how they mesh early and hit the ground running.

Rockets will be starting VanVleet/Green/Brooks/Smith/Sengun, with Amen Thompson now as the backup PG with KPJ's arrest. Bullock/Eason/Landale being rotation players along with likely Jae'Sean Tate as a backup wing. Rockets' starting 5 has a pretty nice blend of creators and playmakers and players who have skills that should mesh along with a coach with a pretty strong if somewhat short track record in Ime Udoka. Rockets backup rotation has the potential to be very strong defensively on paper...we will see how Amen Thompson acclimates as a lead ballhandler and we will see whether this team has enough shooting offensively to live up to their goals.

Which of these three teams do you think has the best chance to make a breakthrough this season and compete for or potentially even make the play-in? Do you see any of the three winning 30+ games? Do you believe they all have 30+ wins in them? Do you think they'll chase the play-in if they're in position to make it?



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