To kick off our 2023-2024 NBA season coverage, Back Sports Page will preview all 30 NBA teams for the upcoming year. However, unlike years past, our previews will be put out according to their respective divisions. In our fifth preview, we looked at the Northwest division.
In our final preview before the season, our basketball staff examined the Pacific division. All five teams made the playoffs last season, making it arguably the most competitive group in the league. With a reloaded Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, can either of them overthrow the Los Angeles Lakers as the team that makes the Western Conference finals? Or will the Los Angeles Clippers finally stay healthy?
As we wrap up the preview portion of the preseason, follow along during the rest of the year as we continue coverage of all 30 teams.
(Writers featured in this preview are Stacey Cumming, Chrys Henderson, Aaron Parker and Nate Powalie)
Golden State Warriors Preview
(AP Photo)
Last Season Record: 44-38, 6th place in Western Conference (Lost in Second Round to Los Angeles Lakers 2-4)
Players Added: Chris Paul, Brandin Podziemski
Players Lost: Jordan Poole, Andre Iguodala, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
It was a hard-hitting loss for the Golden State Warriors fans in Game 6 as they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. These fans and players are accustomed to different outcomes, with the Warriors appearing in six of the last nine NBA Finals, taking home the Larry O’Brien trophy four of those times.
The Warriors are not necessarily a “big” team, and that was blatantly apparent in the first round against the Sacramento Kings and, in particular, 7’1” Domantas Sabonis. Yes, not every team has a beast like this on their roster, but it definitely creates a deficiency that Golden State needs to address. Another thing to add to this list is watching fouls. In the semifinals, the Warriors committed 42 more fouls than the Lakers. Giving teams easy points like this cannot happen this season.
This season, Golden State will enter the season with a renewed sense of focus and hunger, especially after securing Chris Paul through a trade for Jordan Poole. There will definitely be an adjustment period as the team figures out how Paul will acclimate into the team and the other starters, but make no mistake, this addition definitely strengthens the Warriors and increases their odds of entering the post-season again.
Trading Poole away will also help the overall chemistry of the team, as he and Draymond Greene had several heated exchanges, with one resulting in a punch being thrown in Poole’s direction during a pre-season practice. Yes, Greene is known for his aggression and hold-no-bars approach, but whether this was Poole’s fault or not, the chemistry and cohesion last season were affected because of this.
Getting Paul into the lineup and creating continuity with his new teammates is going to be crucial for Golden State’s success. This is a team that may hit some speed bumps along the way, but we will absolutely be seeing Dub Nation in the playoffs once more this year.
-Stacey Cumming
Los Angeles Clippers Preview
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Record Last Season: 44-28th, 5th place in Western Conference (Lost in the First Round of playoffs to the Phoenix Suns 4-1)
Players Added: Kenyon Martin Jr., Kobe Brown, Jordan Miller
Players Lost: Eric Gordon
Most teams that finish in the top six (5th overall) in a tough Western Conference, having dealt with injuries and changes to their roster by the trade deadline, would look at their regular season as a success, but it was another disappointing ending to the 2022-23 season for the Los Angeles Clippers. Head coach Ty Lue had his team finish six games above .500 (44-38) despite two of his best players only playing in 38 games together in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
This team has not been able to finish any of the past four seasons with Leonard and George both healthy, so what indication does anyone have that this upcoming season will be any different? Leonard has not played in more than 57 games in a Clipper uniform, and George has only played in 189 games out of 308 games in four years. They went 24-14 last season when the duo was on the court together, which gives this organization some optimism heading into this season. Relying on players the likes of Terrance Mann, Bones Hyland, Norman Powell, Nicolas Batum, and Marcus Morris Sr., amongst others, just won’t be enough to keep pace in a grind-it-out Western Conference.
Owner Steve Ballmer is desperate to win a championship for his organization, but if he can’t count on the two players he should be counting on to be available while he’s sitting courtside cheering like he normally does for home games, then no one should be surprised if this is a completely revamped roster when they open their new Intuit Dome arena next season. Also, now with the players’ resting rules in effect that don’t allow teams to sit two-star players at a time, especially for nationally televised games that are deemed healthy enough to play, there will be something different this team hasn’t had to account for in recent years.
-Chrys Henderson
Los Angeles Lakers Preview
(AP Photo/ Jae C. Hong)
Record Last Season: 43-39, 7th place in Western Conference (Lost in Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets 0-4)
Players Added: Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis
Players Lost: Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr., Wenyen Gabriel, Tristan Thompson, Malik Beasley, Lonnie Walker, Mo Bamba, Shaquille Harrison
The Lakers had a pretty busy off-season, which many felt was a major success. Looking to build on a Western Conference appearance, general manager Rob Pelinka preached continuity and keeping the core that made the Lakers one of the best teams in the NBA after the All-Star break. The franchise re-signed Austin Reaves on a bargain four-year $56 million contract, Rui Hachimura for a three-year $51 million, and D’Angelo Russell on a two-year $37 million deal. The team also gave extensions to Anthony Davis, who signed for a three-year $186 million deal, locking him up until 2028, and Jarred Vanderbilt on a four-year $48 million contract.
Expectations are sky-high for this team with the players they’ve kept and the pieces they added. The uncertainty of LeBron James‘ future after this season makes this window they have extremely important, especially in a loaded Western Conference. This is arguably the deepest team on paper in the LeBron/AD era, even more so than the 2020 championship team. For this team, it’s obviously about health more than anything but also about building on the success they had last season up until getting swept in the Western Conference Finals against eventual champions Denver Nuggets.
The additions of Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish will be massive for the Lakers’ depth in a long 82-game season grind. The Lakers added Wood after the frontcourt depth was pretty thin, and Anthony Davis has made it known that he has no desire to play center full-time like last season. Christian Wood is a skilled big man who can score in a variety of ways, although he is not known as a consistent defender. Austin Reaves is coming off a big summer for his development on Team USA, where he was the 2nd leading scorer on the team in the FIBA tournament, averaging 13.8 points per game only behind Anthony Edwards.
It should be an interesting upcoming season for the purple-and-gold as they look to add banner #18 and LeBron James looks to capture his 5th ring.
Aaron Parker-
Phoenix Suns Preview
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Last Season Record: 45-37, 4th place in Western Conference (Lost in Western Conference Semifinals to Denver Nuggets 2-4)
Players Added: Grayson Allen, Udoka Azubuike, Bradley Beal, Bol Bol, Drew Eubanks, Eric Gordon
Players Lost: Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, Darius Bazley
The Phoenix Suns were eliminated in a disappointing fashion in last year’s playoffs after being blown out by the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 in front of their home crowd and fans. Suns forward Kevin Durant just about covered the emotion of the night, saying, “It sucked. It was a bad feeling, embarrassing. They came out and hit us in the mouth, and we couldn’t recover.”
This season has the potential to erase that pain and embarrassment. The Suns enter the 2023-24 season as one of the favorites to take what would be their first-ever championship title. Owner Mat Ishbia has been very aggressive in his acquisitions this offseason, ensuring this team is better prepared to reach and hopefully win the next playoffs. One of these moves was securing new head coach Frank Vogel. This is a coach who did exactly what the Suns were gunning for three seasons ago.
One major asset, or should I say two, that this team has is Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, two of the top 10 players in the entire league. While they did lose some other bigger names in Deandre Ayton (as this preview was being written) and Chris Paul, Phoenix more than made up for it, bringing in some strong support for their two stars, specifically Bradley Beal, who is a top 30 player in his own right. This new big three are all prolific scorers and, at this point, are each in the prime of their career.
Creating the chemistry with these new additions is going to be key to the Suns’ success throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. If they can find that, you should see a well-oiled machine this year, who will likely be a top seed in the Western Conference heading into the postseason.
-Stacey Cumming
Sacramento Kings Preview
Record Last Season: 48-34, 3rd place in Western Conference (Lost in First Round to the Golden State Warriors 4-3)
Players Added: Sasha Vezenkov, Chris Duarte, Harrison Barnes, Trey Lyles, Nerlens Noel, JaVale McGee, Alex Len,
Players Lost: PJ Dozier, Matthew Dellavedova, Richaun Holmes
After a surprising season in the 2022-23 campaign that saw them snap what was the longest playoff drought in the NBA, there are high hopes to build upon in Sacramento in the 2023-24 season. Sure, they may not have put away the Warriors, but now the goal is to win a playoff series. With an exciting young core that includes De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray, the Kings should be a very intriguing team to watch, at least for the next couple of years.
One challenge that will present itself to the Kings in the upcoming campaign is the talent in the Pacific Division. With a star-studded group in the Warriors, the Lakers having LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Clippers and Suns having stars in their own right, it’s kind of difficult to tell who the lead guy is in Sacramento. If the Kings can find their own star who can lead them, they should be able to make noise again this year. Another challenge is building off of momentum. The Kings were hot at the start of last season and kept riding the wave into the playoffs. Overall, it’s hard to tell whether the Kings actually got better. Duarte has a similar play style to Kevin Huerter, and Noel and McGee will provide a steady paint presence off the bench.
Overall, the future (and the Beam) looks bright in Sacramento. The Kings will be a team to watch who provide plenty of intrigue. And fans of Northern California basketball will have lots to root for. The 2023-24 season should be another fun one in Sacramento. But if things don’t go right early, there may very well be a cause for panic, and one of the young guys could find themselves packing their bags.
-Nate Powalie
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Aaron Parker is a contributor for Back Sports Page as a basketball writer. Growing up in Los Angeles, Aaron became a hardcore Los Angeles Lakers fan. He writes content on the Lakers as well as the Clippers. Other than his passion for basketball, Aaron is also a huge NFL and boxing fan. You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AirParker24.
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