Why Each Northwest Team Will Succeed Down the Stretch… and Why They Won’t
The final stretch of the NBA season is here, and every team is prepping to end their seasons on a high note (well, except for the bottom three teams in each conference who have nothing left to play for but ping pong balls in June). Each team has different goals for the rest of this season, from team success to individual player improvement, especially in a divisive division like the Northwest. The top teams are playing with championship aspirations while others are hoping that their franchise player makes themselves known in the last 25 or so games. Here’s a check in on each team and what would qualify as a second half success.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Image from Canis Hoopus
Why They Will Succeed:
Maintained health and consistency from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Why They Won’t:
The defense slips and Monte Morris doesn’t pan out.
This is the best season the Timberwolves have put together since 2003, when franchise legend Kevin Garnett led them to the Western Conference Finals. They have played amazing defense and have two of the better scorers in the league in Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. If everyone stays on the floor and ANT rises up come playoff time, they have as good of a chance to represent the Western Conference in the Finals as anyone outside of Denver. They could cascade through the standings though, if the defense recedes to league average, reminiscent of many previous seasons for Minnesota. Both the defense and playmaking outside of veteran point guard Mike Conley needs to maintain and improve respectively if the championship chatter surrounding the team is going to become reality. Younger teams are usually shaky in the playoffs, but the Timberwolves have two things that a lot of young teams don’t, veteran leadership and a series worth of experience against one of the best playoff performers in the past five years.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Image from Thunderous Intentions
Why They Will Succeed:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and ridiculously hot shooting
Why They Won’t:
The dreaded rookie wall and Chet Holmgren’s lack of physicality
It’s almost a broken record, but this Thunder team is the best one in recent memory, and it is mainly thanks to their new-age Big Three. SGA, Jalen Williams, and Holmgren have been outstanding, both as a group and duos, with each wing combining with Holmgren to form a top-20 pick and roll when they undergo the action. Their shooting, especially from three-point range, has been well above league average, despite the fact that they only have one player in their rotation that is known as a shooter in Isaiah Joe (until Gordon Hayward suits up). The shooting will regress to the league norm, but the concern lies with their rookies, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren. They have yet to hit rough patches this season, but an ill-timed slump could result in an earlier than expected exit from the playoffs for the second-youngest team in the Association.
Denver Nuggets
Image from The Denver Post
Why They Will Succeed:
Nikola Jokić remains elite, and we get more of the same.
Why They Won’t:
Nobody steps up off the bench comes playoff time.
Nobody is worried about the Denver Nuggets and their shaky entry into the All-Star break. They remain in the fourth seed in the West, three games clear of the fifth seed Phoenix Suns. Jokić has been the leading MVP candidate ever since Joel Embiid went down and no team in their conference has made a move that should seriously concern them. Looking at each potential center matchups, people are trying to find a reason to not pick the Nuggets to win it all again. Jusuf Nurkic? The Joker has dominated that matchup. Rudy Gobert? Maybe, but his playoff history is about as inconsistent as it gets. Chet Holmgren? Jokić has put the rookie under the rim and into the basket in all four of their matchups, despite only winning one. The only team who can definitively stop the Nuggets is themselves, and their lack of bench depth may do just that if Mike Malone is unable to iron out a solid eight-man rotation.
Utah Jazz
Image from The Salt Lake Tribune
Why They Will Succeed:
Keyonte George steps up and proves himself as a lead guard in the NBA.
Why They Won’t:
The team remains committed to the short-term and loses sight of the big picture.
The Jazz face a harsh reality check once they tip off the back stretch of the season. They are 11th in the conference and the ten teams above them are better than them, almost without a doubt. Could the Jazz come out of the gates swinging and jump up a few spots? Sure, but even if they made the playoffs, they have almost no chance of taking down the top seeds in a seven-game series. The Jazz should instead focus on their long-term plans and figure out who they can put around Lauri Markkanen next season. One of those candidates is their first-round pick, Keyonte George. He has proven himself an NBA-level scorer and a net-neutral defender, so if he can add some improved playmaking, he can enter his second season ready to contribute on a higher level.
Portland Trail Blazers
Image from Reddit
Why They Will Succeed: Scoot Henderson makes a push and finishes in the top three of Rookie of the Year voting.
Why They Won’t: Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle and Malcolm Brogdon continue to dominate the minutes distribution.
The Blazer’s hopes of contention left them this summer when they traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. The problem, though, is that they didn’t move any of their veterans at the trade deadline and aren’t giving their young, promising players the majority share of minutes. The positive side of this situation is that the game appears to be slowing down for Scoot Henderson, and he is beginning to make plays and score at a more consistent level. If he can continue that track, he gives the organizations hope for the future. If he continues to sit on the bench in favor of the older players that aren’t a part of the long-term plan, then the Blazers could lose valuable development time that could help them in the future.
