NBA 2019-20: 3 Western Conference teams that could disappoint next season

The NBA’s Eastern Conference may no longer be the 'Leastern Conference' but the Western Conference looks to be gearing up for another tight playoff battle.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors have taken major steps back but both teams can be competitive. As the NBA season prepares to begin in over a month, every team but Memphis and Phoenix can make a credible argument for how they could reach the postseason. Inevitably, some teams will disappoint.

So who are going to be those unfortunate teams? Note that I am not asserting that these teams will definitely fail to make the playoffs. But here are a few teams who people seem to assume will make the playoffs who could find themselves facing a very unpleasant surprise.

#3 Portland Trail Blazers

Does Damian Lillard have enough help in the wings?

Yes, the Trail Blazers made the Western Conference Finals. Yes, it seems like they are constantly underestimated by the rest of the NBA. Yes, Damian Lillard is ridiculously good.

But there are a couple of factors which should make the ever-loyal and fanatical Blazers fans nervous. The Blazers have been lacking in wing depth for the past few years and are now thinner and smaller than ever after losing Al-Farouq Aminu and Moe Harkless, both at 6'9, while getting the 6'5 Kent Bazemore in return.

In fact, Portland’s depth is very shaky. They have six guys in Lillard, CJ McCollum, Rodney Hood, Kent Bazemore, Zach Collins, and Hassan Whiteside. But who is their backup point guard or big man? Are they really planning to depend on Mario Hezonja or Pau Gasol’s?

Despite their Western Conference Finals appearance, FiveThirtyEight gives the Blazers only a 34% chance of making the playoffs, below Minnesota and New Orleans. And while Portland will be stronger in the playoffs just because Jusuf Nurkic should be back at that point, this team needs more contributors to last for 82 games.

#2 Los Angeles Clippers

Both George and Kawhi have fitness concerns

The Los Angeles Clippers, the team everyone seems to be picking as the favorites to reach the NBA Finals from the West, should be wary of the health concerns that could be coming their way.

The Paul George-Kawhi Leonard duo appears incredibly fearsome, both in how they can work together and their defensive capabilities. But that assumes that the two of them are healthy, and there are major concerns for both players.

Kawhi’s injury concerns are well documented at this point, as he openly stated that he would not have reached the Finals without the “load management” which had him out for over 20 games last year. Further load management may be necessary as there are concerns that his quad issues may be degenerative. Paul George, on the other hand, had shoulder issues at the end of last season which drastically decreased his effectiveness and caused him to undergo surgery.

The Clippers do have backup weapons, such as the Lou Williams-Montrezl Harrell tandem which gave the Warriors fits in the first round. But this is a thinner team less able to handle a sudden long-term injury, and there are other questions such as their backup big man rotation. While the Clippers should not have any issues in making the playoffs, injuries could seriously derail their run in the postseason.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers roster looks really bleak beyond Davis and LeBron

The Lakers have pushed all their chips in to bet on the next two years and bet that the duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James can win a title. And unlike the George-Kawhi duo, the LeBron-Davis duo has a smaller injury risk. While Davis has been stereotyped as injury-prone, he played 75 games each in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. And LeBron has been an ironman for his entire career until last year.

But the Lakers supporting cast is much weaker than the Clippers. No one besides LeBron and Rajon Rondo is a threat as a ball-handler, whether in isolation or in a pick and roll. There are rumors that the Lakers will start James as a point guard for this reason, though Frank Vogel denied them. And if Father Time finally comes to claim LeBron, this team has no Plan B.

My prediction is that LeBron will continue to remain one of the top players in the league this season, and so the Lakers should make the playoffs (next season is a different story). But if he is not himself, or goes down for a significant period like he did last year, then Lakers fans should panic.