The western conference is stacked with good teams that could win a championship. What are the flaws of each contending team and who will be able to over those flaws to make it to the NBA Finals?

The Thunder are loud…until they hear the Spurs’ footsteps

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending NBA champions and the current number one seed in west. They were able to keep their squad together after winning the championship last season. At the beginning of the season, they looked to be unstoppable.

The Thunder were 24-1 after the first 25 games and looked like they were going to challenge the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors record for wins in a season. Now, they were slowed by injuries but still have every component needed to win a championship.

Last year’s most valuable player, may win it again this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at the highest of levels, averaging 31.7 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 55% from the floor and 38% from three point range.

Along with SGA playing at a MVP level, OKC is also an elite team on both ends. The Thunder are first in defensive rating and fifth in offensive rating. When healthy they should have options outside of SGA, who can score and create for others.

Jalen Williams a.k.a. J-Dub should be that second option but has dealt with injuries all season and needs to be healthy in the playoffs for them to have a chance to repeat. The other obstacle that could stop OKC from winning is the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs and Thunder have played against each other five times this season and San Antonio won four of those match-ups. Three of the four wins were by 10 or more points. There are times where one team just has another team’s number. The Spurs could just be a bad match-up for OKC.

Right now, they are the one and two seeds in the conference, so they wouldn’t match-up until the conference finals but the overall athleticism and size of the Spurs gives the Thunder issues. If they do match-up, that could be the end of the Thunder’s run.

Jalen Williams’ health and the Spurs being a bad match-up are the two obstacles in the way for the Thunder.

Talented, dangerous, and wet behind the ears

The San Antonio Spurs are playing at an elite level right now. They have an MVP and defensive player of the year candidate in Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is averaging 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and three blocks per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 34% from three point range.

The Spurs also have a very good second option is De’Aaron Fox. Fox is averaging 18.8 points and 6.1 assists per game. The other players are starring in their roles. Stephon Castle has become a very good perimeter defender along with being a dependable offensive option, same with Devin Vassell and bench players like Keldon Johnson and Dylan Harper.

On paper, this is a championship team, certified number one, all-star player at the second option, great role players, they rank top ten in both offensive and defensive rating. The only thing that can stop them is lack of experience.

The average age of the San Antonio Spurs is 24.2 years old. The average age of the NBA championship teams over the last 10 years is 28.7 years old. The youngest teams to win a championship were the 1976-77 Portland Trailblazers at 25.31 years old and the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder at 25.33 years old.

The Spurs would be the youngest team to win a championship in NBA history by a significant margin. Usually teams have to go through a few playoff seasons to figure out how to navigate through the entirety of the playoffs.

It will be very interesting to see if their youthful ignorance will be a positive or negative come playoff time.

After years in the bridal party, the Wolves want the ring

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been eliminated in the western conference finals, the last two seasons. They have been through the playoff pain that San Antonio has yet to endure. So, is it time for them to break through to the NBA Finals?

Minnesota is currently in a battle with the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets for the three seed in the west and has everything you want in a championship contender. The go-to number one option in Anthony Edwards. Edwards is averaging 29.5 points, shooting 49.5% from the floor, and 40% from three. The second option is Julius Randle, who is averaging 21.5 points and 5.3 assists per game. The Timberwolves also have a top ten rated offense and defense. So, what is the issue?

So, what can stop this team from finally getting over the hump? The lack of playmaking from the primary ballhandlers. The leader in assists on this team is Randle at 5.3 per game. In the playoffs, the T’Wolves will need Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and the other ballhandlers to create for others as defenses will lock in on stopping the initial action from leading to points.

Will the lack of playmaking cause them to lose to the Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets, or Rockets?

Houston, Defense isn’t the Problem

The Houston Rockets were one of the big surprise teams of last season. They finished the regular season with the second best record in the west. Their success last season was dependent on the defense being elite. In the playoffs they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in a hard fought seven game series, where the lack of an elite offensive force really hurt them.

So, in the offseason, they traded for one of, if not, the most talented perimeter scorer in NBA history, Kevin Durant. The addition of Durant in theory should get the Rockets over the hump come playoff time. Durant is having another excellent season, averaging 26.1 points per game, shooting 50% from the floor and 40% from three point range.

Even with Durant’s great play, the offense is still the biggest issue for Houston. The Rockets have an offensive rating of 114 over their last 20 games. This rating would put them right above the Memphis Grizzlies for 21st in the NBA. That is simply not good enough.

Fred Vanvleet was supposed to be the starting point guard this season but tore his ACL in the offseason and his absence has been felt all season. The leader in assists is Alperen Sengun with 6.2 per game. Come playoff time, when the game slows down and offenses have to execute against top level defense, the Rockets have to find a way to get easy buckets.

Can Houston trust Reed Shepard to play extended minutes? He adds shooting and ballhandling but can be a liability on defense. Amen Thompson has taken on the point guard responsibility but his lack of outside shooting can hinder the offense in a major way. Thompson is shooting 20% from three point range.

For Houston to make a deep playoff run, they will need to find ways to get easy buckets and someone will have to step up as a creator for others.

The Biggest Strength and the Biggest Weakness

The Denver Nuggets are the best offensive team in the NBA behind the genius play of three-time MVP winner, Nikola Jokic. Jokic is averaging 28.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game while shooting 57% from the floor and 39% from beyond the arc. Jokic is a once in a lifetime offensive talent but the same cannot be said on the defensive end.

The following video is a breakdown from Collin Hatfield on Nikola Jokic’s defense against the Timberwolves.

Collin does a great job of breaking down, how easy Anthony Edwards is able to breakdown the Nuggets’ defense when they involve Jokic in the action. Jokic’s lack of a presence on the defensive end is a big part of why the Nuggets are 24th in defensive rating.

Denver’s best defensive player, Aaron Gordon, has recently returned to the lineup, that should help, but one good defensive player isn’t enough to overcome the holes they have on that side of the ball.

If the Nuggets want a real chance to win the NBA championship, defense has to be a priority for the rest of the season and the playoffs.

Who Wins the West?

The western conference is wide open for any of the contenders to win it. Will it be the Thunder, Spurs, Timberwolves, Rockets or Nuggets? Or maybe the Los Angeles Lakers or Phoenix Suns? Who will overcome their flaws to go to the NBA Finals?