At long last, the 2022-23 NBA season is here.
In the four months since a new champion was crowned, we’ve seen player movement, coach movement, constant trade chatter, a former No. 1 overall pick attempt to move on as a free agent, and internal strife between players and their coaches as well as players and their teammates — and that was just in the Pacific Division.
With what’s transpired this offseason, there’s no better time to look at the Pacific Division and where its teams stand ahead of the NBA season.
Has the Warriors’ title defense taken a hit before it could even formally begin? Have the Suns already peaked? What will the Clippers look like at full strength? Have the Lakers addressed their issues? Is this the year that the Kings figure it out?
Let’s take a look.
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Best team
LA Clippers
Realistically, there are three teams in the Pacific worthy of staking a claim as being the best team. Typically the honor would go to the defending champs, but given chemistry concerns in The Bay, my focus shifts to a Clippers team that is far too good to ignore.
After going 42-40 in Kawhi Leonard’s absence last season, the Clippers’ superstar forward is back in the lineup and looking like himself once again. The last time we saw Leonard play basketball, he was in the midst of a postseason masterpiece in which he was displaying his prowess as one of the best two-way players that the league has ever seen.
With Leonard comes LA’s No. 2 option, Paul George, who is better than plenty of No. 1 options around the league. Now that George can comfortably slide back, less pressure — and defensive attention — should make way for a big season from him.
Like with many teams, LA’s success hinges on health, but when healthy, the Clippers are arguably the deepest team in the NBA. Head coach Ty Lue is faced with the good problem of having too much talent on the roster — outside of center, LA has at least two starting-caliber players at every position, thanks in large part to the offseason addition of John Wall, who will split time at the lead guard position with Reggie Jackson.
The Clippers’ depth will allow them to still thrive in instances when they inevitably rest veterans like George, Leonard and even Wall. LA is in line to have a strong regular season, setting up a high seed and a deep run in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Best player
Stephen Curry, Warriors
The defending champs may not have gotten the nod as the division’s best team, but they do have the division’s best player on the roster. In a division with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Devin Booker, that’s saying something.
Curry is coming off of one of the greatest calendar years of any individual athlete ever and remains just as motivated to build off of what he’s recently accomplished. At 34, Curry reminds us why his game will age gracefully, thanks largely in part to his generational shooting ability and his ability to dictate games with his activity and movement without the ball.
After averaging 25.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 regular season, Curry overcame injury to put forth some of his best postseason performances, including a pantheon 43-point showing in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The reigning Finals MVP has had the offseason to rest and recover, meaning he should be fresh and ready to pick up at an elite level as the season gets underway.
Best rookie
Keegan Murray, Kings
Since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985, it has had just nine All-Rookie First Teamers while Tyreke Evans is the only Sacramento King to ever win Rookie of the Year.
Murray has a legitimate chance to add his name to both lists this season. So, yes, one of the best rookies in the league will definitely be the best rookie in the division.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Murray is much more polished than your typical rookie. His skill was on full display during the Las Vegas Summer League, for which he was named MVP after averaging 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over four games.
Murray’s numbers won’t be as gaudy during Year 1 in Sacramento, but he will thrive alongside a talented core that features De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Davion Mitchell and Kevin Huerter.
Best new addition
John Wall, Clippers
There were a few moves made in the Pacific this offseason, but none were as splashy as LA’s addition of the five-time All-Star.
To be clear, we’re going on five years since Wall last appeared in an All-Star Game and he’s played in just 72 games since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, but his addition is a big part of what makes the Clippers so scary. In 2020-21 with Houston, Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists, though his efficiency left more to be desired.
Wall missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season not for injury, but as part of an agreement with the Rockets franchise. While he’s 32 years old now, after a year in which he essentially just rested his body while staying in shape, Wall can make a major impact on the Clippers.
His days of making All-Star Games are likely long gone, but Wall starting at point guard in a division that contains Curry, Chris Paul, De’Aaron Fox and, yes, Russell Westbrook, gives the Clippers another edge.
MORE: Additions and departures for all 30 NBA teams
Wildest X-Factor
Russell Westbrook’s buy-in
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll begin by saying that Year 1 of Westbrook in Los Angeles did not go as planned.
After an offseason of trade rumors, Westbrook is still with the Lakers for now, but that uncertainty looms large over the season. Since the moment he was brought in, new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been nothing but complimentary of Westbrook, going as far as to say that the former MVP is saying — and doing — the right things ahead of the season.
If Westbrook truly has bought in to what the Lakers envision for him as a defender, cutter, transition player and corner shooter, the outlook of the team becomes much different.
As it stands, the Lakers are barely a playoff contender, let alone a title contender. If Westbrook buys in, they don’t magically become title favorites, but they become much more pesky and capable of making a sustained run off the strength of their talent and savviness.
If Westbrook doesn’t buy in, perhaps those trade talks intensify once again and the LA experiment is over before we know it … maybe he’s on his way out regardless.
A genuine buy-in just might make the decision a little bit harder.
MORE: Darvin Ham’s center field defense could be key to Lakers’ revival
Over/under win predictions
Phoenix Suns — 52.5. Under.
Golden State Warriors — 52.5. Over.
LA Clippers — 51.5. Over.
Los Angeles Lakers — 44.5. Under.
Sacramento Kings — 33.5. Over.
Biggest unanswered questions
Golden State Warriors
Should we be at all concerned about Klay Thompson? After missing two and a half seasons, Thompson returned in 2022 and played a key role in Golden State’s title run, but the team’s been taking a cautious approach with his injury management in the preseason. Keep an eye on his availability and tendencies this season.
Will there be a title hangover? After being written off, the Warriors won a gratifying title in 2022. That said, how will their hunger be impacted by the emotions of the championship run?
Can the team move past the Draymond Green incident? It’s not inconceivable, but it is concerning that veteran center Kevon Looney said that Green will have to earn the team’s trust back. How long will that take? And can they still win ball games if there is a lack of trust?
LA Clippers
Can the Clippers handle the pressure that comes with the expectations? The Clippers are a title contender on paper, but they still have to play the season out. Historically, the franchise has failed to live up to lofty expectations, but that will be put to the test this season.
Is Kawhi Leonard fully back to form? When Kawhi takes the floor on opening night, it will have been over 16 months since he last played in a meaningful game. Leonard might need time to take the rust off, but how much time is that going to take?
Is there such a thing as too much depth? As it stands, the Clippers have good players that won’t play much, if at all. Can these guys remain engaged when not in the rotation? How will Lue handle his embarrassment of riches? Will roles impact chemistry at all?
Los Angeles Lakers
Will LeBron James regress at all? LeBron is one-of-a-kind but Father Time is undefeated. As he is set to turn 38, what kind of regression is there to be expected? He averaged over 30 points per game last season but availability was an issue. He’ll have to be at his best for this Lakers team to achieve anything of substance.
Can Anthony Davis stay healthy? Since arriving in LA, Davis has played in 138 of a possible 225 games. This team is built to compete with its stars in tow, so Davis’ availability is just as important as James continuing his superstar production.
Will the newcomers be a good fit? It’s a new-look Lakers team with an infusion of youth and a group of new veterans headlined by Patrick Beverley. LA needs more than one of its additions to hit in order to maximize its potential.
Phoenix Suns
Have we seen the best of the Suns? Phoenix’s record-breaking regular season was awesome, but we were all left with the lasting memory of a Game 7 blowout that came in front of its home crowd. Maybe the Suns’ Finals loss in 2021 was their peak and it’s all downhill from here. The West is unforgiving.
Is everything OK in the locker room? Deandre Ayton claimed (and later clarified) that he hadn’t talked to head coach Monty Williams all summer. Jae Crowder wants out. Things just seem off in Phoenix. Is there more than what meets the eye or has the team’s chemistry taken that big of a hit?
Will Chris Paul and Devin Booker be the league’s best backcourt again? Last year’s record speaks for itself. Phoenix was one of the league’s best thanks in large part to stellar guard play. This marks Year 18 for Paul while there is another leap to be made by Booker, who can transcend into another level of stardom.
Sacramento Kings
Does the drought end in 2022-23? The Kings last made the NBA Playoffs in 2006 and are now owners of the longest postseason drought in major North American professional sports. They went all-in last year but to no avail. Is this the year that the misfortune finally ends?
Can Mike Brown be the guy? Including interims, Brown is the franchise’s eighth coach in 10 years. Coming off of a title as an assistant with the Warriors, Brown looks to reverse the fortunes of the Kings franchise. It’s been eight years since Brown was last an NBA head coach, but can he provide some stability on the sidelines in Sacramento?
Will we see a leap from De’Aaron Fox? Since arriving in the league, Fox has consistently been very good, but he’s seemingly plateaued as he worked to transcend from good to great. Fox is still young (he turns 25 this season) but in order for the Kings to make a leap, they’ll need Fox to make the All-Star jump that we’ve talked about for years now.
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