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The Western Conference has become the more competitive of the two conferences in the NBA of late. Most of the stars have moved to star-studded teams on the western side of the NBA and thus the conference has been tighter in each subsequent year, with 2019 being no different.
The Western Conference consists of 3 divisions, Northwest, Pacific and the Southwest divisions. The Pacific Division is one of the most competitive divisions, featuring three of the biggest markets in the NBA as well as two young teams on the rise.
The Golden State Warriors were the most recent Pacific Division winners, followed by the young and talented Los Angeles Clippers, who also qualified for the playoffs this season. The Sacramento Kings are one of the most exciting teams in the NBA and narrowly missed out on the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most well-known franchises in the world and have 16 NBA titles to their name. Finally, the Phoenix Suns round off the 5 teams, being a young team looking to effect the renaissance of the side.
The Los Angeles Lakers do not own a pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Let us discuss the most important need for each of the other Pacific Division teams heading into the NBA Draft.
#4 Los Angeles Clippers (Pick #48 and #56)
Need: Rotation players, forwards
Not needed: Guards
The Los Angeles Clippers are a really young and talented team on the up and will be actively pursuing star free agents to make their team into title contenders. They already have a really good bunch of players to fill in around the stars they might sign.
The Clippers currently own the #48 and #56 picks in the 2019 NBA Draft. Their 20th pick in the first round was sent to the Boston Celtics as a part of the Jeff Green deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Clippers are already stocked at the guard's position, but one spot they might look to reinforce is the forward position. With players such as Ignas Brazdeikis from Michigan, Aubrey Dawkins from UCF and a long shot in Eric Paschall from Villanova available in the late 40-early 50, the Clippers will do well to draft someone who can step up and grow into their role in the team.
#3 Sacramento Kings (Pick #40, #47 and #60)
Need: Rotation players
Not needed: Shooting guards
The Sacramento Kings were the breakout team of the 2018-19 NBA regular season, with their inspiring performances almost getting them to the playoffs. The Kings have a really young team that will only get better and they will look to strengthen their bench with the 2019 NBA Draft coming up.
The Kings gave up their #14 first round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015, who gave it up to the Boston Celtics, who now hold it. The Kings have the #40, #47 and #60 pick of the 2019 draft and could look to move up in the draft.
They can trade two or all of their picks to potentially end up either at the top of the second round or the end of the first round. The Kings have a really solid frontcourt in Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles while a backcourt of De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield is set to make an impact in the NBA in the near future.
The Kings need to solidify their rotation with players such as Eric Paschall from Villanova, Kyle Guy from Virginia and Jalen McDaniels from San Diego State if they keep their picks.
The Kings can potentially go up to early second round after a trade and they might be able to get Darius Bazley, who skipped college or Talen Horton-Tucker, a solid forward from Iowa State.
#2 Golden State Warriors (Pick #28 and #58)
Need: Center, small forward
Not needed: Guards
The Golden State Warriors had the 3rd best record in the NBA this season and thus have ended up with the #28 pick and the #58 pick in the 2019 draft. This has become important for them now considering the season-ending injuries to their star players Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors, as we saw in the postseason, lack depth with their rotation and with their veterans looking to move on, they will need some depth and the draft will help them get players who can grow into talented stars and maybe even help them immediately.
The Warriors need a good center they can slot into their rotation. They would be looking at players such as Bruno Fernando from Maryland, Nicolas Claxton from Georgia from the first round pick or players like Simi Shittu from Vanderbilt or Jaylen Hoard from Wake Forest.
With Durant out with a ruptured Achilles, they might be short on the forward position too, with players such as Matisse Thybulle from Washington or maybe even Darius Bazley if they are looking to be ambitious. They can grab a player such as Yovel Zoosman from Maccabi Tel Aviv or Miye Oni from Yale in the second round.
#1 Phoenix Suns (#6 and #32 pick)
Need: Point guard, power forward
No need: Small forwards
The Phoenix Suns have been the basement dwellers of the Western Conference for a long time, but do not have a very great roster to show for it, having been out of the playoffs for a long time.
The one spot they are really missing any talent at is the point guard, which has got to be their focus in the 2019 NBA Draft, where the Suns have the #6 pick and the #32 pick. They have an excess number of small forwards and might look to draft a power forward too.
With the #6 pick, the Phoenix Suns have an opportunity to draft a player like Darius Garland from Vanderbilt, Coby White from North Carolina or DeAndre Hunter from Virginia, who is a forward coming up on many big boards.
At #32, the Suns have a chance to take some risks and go for a player like Darius Bazley, who skipped the college program to ready up for the draft on his own. They also have a chance to draft Carsen Edwards from Purdue, someone who projects to be a great role-playing point guard.
They might even be able to draft Ty Jerome from Virginia, who has been impressive in his college season as a junior. The Suns know the positions they need to strengthen, they just have to make better decisions as compared to their recent past.
Guess the Lakers players!
