Team to beat:  The Sacramento Kings finished 3^rd in the West last year and were in the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs.  This team had what felt like 3 signed players up until free agency, and looks a lot different already than it did last year.  Gone is Reggie Jackson, in with the much-maligned Jahlil Okafur.  The team has 2 solid players in aging Pau Gasol and a resurgent James Johnson.  Carmelo Anthony is the star of the team, and will continue to be a major scorer.  The team always seems to outperform its roster, as GM Klemmelo is a great strategist, and knows what players will mesh well together.  This year the team looks dicey as they look to be starting an entire starting lineup over 30 years old.  This is ancient in NLL where the league appears youth obsessed.  The team is the 2^nd oldest in the league averaging just over 28 years a player, and has the oldest starting lineup by far averaging 32 years old.  With age comes experience, and as long as the team stays healthy, they should continue to dominate. 

Key story line:  The up and comers.  This division has traditionally been dominated by the Lakers and the Kings over the past few years.  This year, the Clippers are on a mission to win after being in tank mode for years, and the Warriors look to build on last season’s playoff run with an even better year.  The Clippers boast a ton of talent across the board, ranging from the rookies Dennis Smith and Josh Jackson, to the young starts Aaron Gordon and Devin Booker.  It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if the Clippers end up winning this division and having a worst to first type season. 

The Lakers looked to reboot after trading Dwayne Wade for some young players, but the team looks a bit devoid of star power right now with their best player likely Nikola Vucevic.  Gone are playoff champs Andre Iguodala and Manu Ginobli.  The team has always been predicated on outperforming their NBA counterparts with “glitch” type players and an awesome coaching strategy by the savvy GM.  If the Lakers end up being a playoff team this year with the roster they have, it will be one of Greemigs best coaching seasons. 

As stated earlier, Golden State has some great young players in Frank the Tank, Dario Saric, still youthful Harrison Barnes, and Marcus Smart.  Up and down the roster they have young players that look to be on the rising side of their careers.  What will hurt them early is the veteran Nic Batum being injured for a good bit of time.  This is a solid team that could win any night, stringing together a series of wins may be a problem though.

The Suns are a team that is very intriguing.  They went all in for next season trading away good rotation players for an injured star in Gordon Hayward.  Kemba is a constantly underrated point guard, and they have a solid frontcourt in Gortat and Al Horford.  This team looks like they could be a quiet sleeper this year, and are hoping to spoil GM VT’s hopes of a lottery pick by sneaking into the playoffs.

Five best players:

1)     Suns PG – Kemba Walker

Kemba is one of the best point guards in the league right now and he has only gotten better this year.  He has that combination of outside shooting, creating for others, and penetration ability that few players can put together.  He also plays stellar defense, and has that leadership ability that you always want your point guard to have.  He is the player that could keep the Suns afloat this year, and hopefully keep the team ready for a Gordon Hayward return next year.

2)     Clippers SG – Devin Booker

Devin Booker has turned himself into one of the best scorers in the league already.  He hasn’t quite figured out what it takes to be a winner yet, but this season may prove differently.  He was the steal of the draft two years ago, going 10^thand may be the best player out of that year’s draft class.  He doesn’t quite have the ability to carry a team yet, but he’s only 21 years old so he has time.

3)     Kings SF – Carmelo Anthony

Melo is probably the best pure scorer in the division, surpassing even Devin Booker.  It’s a toss-up between him and Booker right now, but Melo also brings some savvy veteran moves that you just must watch to enjoy.  He’s capable of averaging 30 a night for the Kings, and will likely be in the conversation for MVP this season if his team is good.  Melo doesn’t have the best image in the NBA, but he’s one of the best NLL players of all time.

4)     Golden States SF – Harrison Barnes

Barnes has blossomed as an elite SF/PF on Golden State, and he’s still only 25.  People forget that this guy is just entering his prime and was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school.  He plays great defense, can shoot from anywhere on the court, and is an elite isolation player.  He can be the focal point of your offense, and is worth every penny they pay him.

5)     Lakers C – Nikola Vucevic
He’s is a great scorer from the center position, and is a double-double machine.  He isn’t known for his defense, and that’s going to hurt his team this season as he really doesn’t protect the rim well.  If the Lakers can help him out with some defense, he will be an all-star this season averaging 20/10.  He’s also on a bargain of a contract at $12M/year, which makes him doubly nice!

Sleeper:  The Clippers may surprise a lot of teams this year.  After being a pushover all last season, and intentionally tanking, they are going all in this year, trading a top pick in next year’s draft for Aaron Gordon, who looks to be having a breakout season in the NBA.  I like this team to win at least 40 games this year, and maybe if they can package a couple of young players for another star, they could be the crème de la crème of the division.

Breakout star:  Dario Saric is finally getting his number called as the fulltime starter this season.  He can do a little bit of everything, pass, shoot, play defense, and may end up being a surprise to the league.  I think he’s going to come out and show everyone why international players are worth investing in.

Best newcomer: I can’t give this award to a rookie as we just don’t know how good they are yet.  I’m going to say Pau Gasol.  It feels like he’s been on the Kings for a while, but in fact he joined them after the season ended.  He’s a hall of famer, and decided to rejoin the team on a nice 3-year deal.  He is a double-double guy who also plays good defense.  Don’t let his age fool you, he can still hoop!  His game has never been predicated on athleticism, so he will continue to be productive for a few more years.  He’s one of those great players whose value is down because he’s old.  I think Pau is what makes the Kings work this season, and what will keep them on top.

Prediction:  Honestly, looking up and down the division, I just don’t know how it’s going to pan out.  It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if any one of these teams ends up winning.  Lakers have proven they can outcoach you, Clippers probably have the best roster top to bottom.  Golden State has a solid group of young players, and the Kings are proven winners.  Phoenix has a solid starting 5, and wants to sneak into the playoffs too.  I think that this division won’t yield a top 3 team record-wise out West, but may get 3-4 teams into the top 8.