Dallas Mavericks: Predicting the Western Conference standings

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PHOENIX, AZ -DECEMBER 26: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against James Ennis III #8 of the Memphis Grizzlies on December 26, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Bottom Feeders

The West can’t be completely full of great teams. These three teams are not quite ready yet, but that doesn’t mean they’re the worst teams in the league or that they aren’t getting better.

15. Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are probably going to be in the cellar this year in the West. They traded away their big two of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley over the past couple years and have not filled in with big time talent just yet. That is not to say they don’t have some players that are on their way up, but overall, they need some work.

After a successful draft in which they selected Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke, the Grizzlies are building towards a solid core. Adding them to the already impressive Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas will help the team grow going forward. A top pick in next year’s draft would definitely help push the rebuild up a little.

Somewhere in the vicinity of 20 wins will probably be the end result of the Grizzlies season.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder

If you want to talk about a fall from grace, the Oklahoma City Thunder are probably the most notable team in that category. After a fun year of Russell Westbrook and Paul George running the offense, the Thunder are now void of star power and left with an aging point guard, a ton of future draft picks and plenty of memories.

I expect the Thunder to really struggle this year. Chris Paul is not going to be able to carry this team anywhere near the top 10 in the West and that is if they even keep him around the whole season. The rest of the roster is built to support star power and that is not an option right now. It will probably be a couple years until OKC can get back into the conversation.

A similar 20-22 win frame for the Thunder seems like a reasonable estimation.

13. Phoenix Suns

I am still unreasonably high on the Phoenix Suns just because of how good I think Devin Booker is, but at some point they really need to start putting some serious talent around him to win some games. Deandre Ayton was a good start for this and Cameron Johnson and Ty Jerome could make good strides too, but they’re still short of the mark.

I want to see the Suns succeed, but it has to start somewhere and this rebuild isn’t done yet. Some of the players added this summer will be good additions, but they are still lacking in major star power.

The Suns will do a little better this year, I believe, perhaps getting into the 22-24 win range.

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