#10: Los Angeles Clippers – Current Record: 9-6
Without Kawhi Leonard on the floor, it was expected that the Clippers would take a step back to begin the year, but Paul George has seemed to have other thoughts. The soon-to-be 8x All-Star has been having an MVP-like season to begin the year and has been one of the best scorers in the league.
Through 15 games, George is averaging 26.7 points (4th best in the league), 8.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals (T-5th best in the league) and is shooting 44.9% from the floor, 36.2% from three-point range. Paul George is also attempting the second-most shots in the league at 21.9 shot attempts per game.
Being 8-2 over their last 10 games, the Clippers are getting hot right at the right time and they have been receiving a ton of production from their secondary talents as well. Reggie Jackson has stepped up into the No. 2 role next to George, averaging 18.1 points per game, and while Marcus Morris Sr. has been out, Nicolas Batum, Terance Mann and Eric Bledsoe have all exceeded expectations to begin the year.
The Clippers are not going anywhere anytime soon and they could even look to add more talent ahead of the trade deadline since Kawhi Leonard may not be back until closer to the playoffs.
#9: Los Angeles Lakers – Current Record: 8-8
The Lakers made headlines this offseason by adding plenty of current and former All-Star, future Hall-of-Fame talent to their roster, but injuries have limited their chances to be successful. LeBron James has missed a ton of games so far this season due to ankle and abdominal injuries and both Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza have yet to make their debuts with Los Angeles!
Durability is going to be a long-term struggle for this team, as is the play of Russell Westbrook. Some nights, he will record a 25-point, 12-rebound and 14-assist triple-double like he did in the team’s victory over the Miami Heat earlier this season, but then he will have nights like he did against the Timberwolves where he had 20 points and 5 rebounds, but was a game-worst -32 in the stat sheets.
Los Angeles knew that this team was going to be a “work in progress” when they assembled it in the offseason and when LeBron James gets back, they will be better, but they still have some major things to fix. Their interior defense is amongst the worst in the league and Los Angeles needs more three-point shooting, something LeBron James will not be able to fix.
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This team will definitely be a force in the playoffs, but they need to be able to make it there first in order to contend for a title! They are still one of the best teams in the league when fully-healthy, but injuries are going to be a concern for the oldest team in the league all year long.
#8: Denver Nuggets – Current Record: 9-6
Jamal Murray is going to be out until sometime in the Spring and Michael Porter Jr. is currently out due to back issues, but defending league-MVP Nikola Jokic is putting together an even better season this year than he had last year!
Jokic is currently averaging 26.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.9 blocks and is shooting 59.3% from the floor, 41% from three-point range. The Nuggets’ star center also has a Player Efficiency Rating of 35.5, which would be the highest mark ever recorded if the season ended today.
Nikola Jokic continues to find ways to elevate his play and as a result, he has the Nuggets right there with the best of the best in the Western Conference. No matter who is injured, depth seems to be the biggest strength of the Nuggets this season and they have prevailed given all the adversity they have seen early on this year.
As long as Jokic is healthy and on the court, the Nuggets have a chance to win any game they play, which is why they are still going to be considered title threats even though some of their best players are on the injury report.
#7: Utah Jazz – Current Record: 10-5
Speaking of championship contenders, let’s talk about the Utah Jazz. Donovan Mitchell has turned himself into more than just a scorer, Rudy Gobert is leading the league in rebounding and with the No. 1 rated offense in the league, the Jazz are once again one of the teams to beat this year.
They are just 6-4 in their last 10 games and have lost two of their last four home games, something you do not see often, but Utah is still one of the more dominant teams in the league this year because they can erase a 20-point deficit in the blink of an eye.
Recently, Utah trailed by as many as 27 points to the Miami Heat and were able to come all the way back and cut the lead to just 5 points late in the fourth quarter, but were unable to complete what would have been one of the greatest comebacks this NBA season.
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As long as they stay healthy, the Utah Jazz are going to continue being one of the best and one of the most balanced teams in the league and they should be getting even better with Rudy Gay set to make his debut for them this week.
#6: Milwaukee Bucks – Current Record: 7-8
If there is one thing we learned from last season, it is that we should never count out Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 2x MVP was the main reason why the Bucks won the championship last year and he is once again why they have a good chance to repeat as champions this year.
Recently, Giannis scored 47 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and he has become even more of an offensive force this year because of his three-point and free-throw shooting. The reason the Bucks are only 7-8 so far is because Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez have all missed time.
Lopez is still currently out with a back injury, but Holiday and Middleton have recently returned to the court. In fact, the Bucks have only played three games with their “Big 3” all on the court together and they are 3-0 in said games.
Continue sleeping on the Bucks at your own risk because the defending champions have a better roster than they did last season and are still without both Brook Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo!
