Thunder is unique! Western team strength list: Rockets and Nuggets second gear, Clippers Lakers and Timberwolves third gear

As the free market this summer is basically coming to an end, the lineup of all teams in the league next season has been confirmed. In the West, many teams have made targeted reinforcements, especially the Rockets, Nuggets, Clippers, and Lakers, whose strength will also be significantly enhanced next season.

Judging from the current lineups of each team, the strongest team in the Western Conference next season should be the defending champion Thunder. Although the Thunder did not make any moves this summer and their lineup has basically not changed compared to last season, they won the championship with this lineup last season, and their lineup is still very young. So even if the Thunder did not strengthen and just retained the championship lineup they won last season, they are still the strongest team in the league and can be said to be unique in the West.

In addition to the Thunder, of course, there are many strong teams in the West, among which the Rockets and the Nuggets should be the second only to the Thunder, and may even compete with the Thunder. The Rockets are one of the teams with the biggest lineup changes this summer. They not only got Durant in trade, but also got strong players such as Adams, Capela, Finney Smith, and Okogie, and reached contract renewals with players such as Van Vreet and Smith Jr. The Rockets have formed such a luxurious lineup, which is undoubtedly aiming to win the championship, and there is indeed great hope of winning the championship.

Nuggets have been the top team in the West in the past few years and have won the championship in 2023. This summer, the Nuggets also made reinforcements, not only replacing Porter Jr. with Cameron Johnson, but also getting players such as Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Hardaway. Their strength has also been significantly enhanced and they also have hope of winning the championship.

Next, the Clippers and Lakers, the two Los Angeles teams, also strengthened, and their strength was stronger than last season. The Clippers successively obtained Lopez, Collins, Bill, Paul, plus Harden, Leonard, Zubac, etc. to form a very luxurious lineup, but the lineup is a bit old. Based on James, Doncic and Reeves, the Lakers also got Ayton, Smart and Laravia. The lineup is also very luxurious, but the defensive end is a bit of a bad meaning.

It is worth mentioning that the Lakers and the Clippers both won 50 wins last season, ranking in the top six in the Western Conference, and directly qualified for the playoffs. Next season, the Lakers and Clippers will have higher records. If they perform well, they will have the strength to compete for the championship.

In addition, although the Timberwolves did not make much reinforcement, they reached contract renewals with Randle and Reed respectively, basically retaining the lineup from last season, and only losing one Alexander Walker. The Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference Finals in the past two seasons, so they should not be underestimated next season. It should not be a big problem to enter the playoffs, and they may even reach the Western Conference Finals again. Among the remaining teams in the Western Conference, the Warriors, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Spurs are not weak, and they all have the chance to make the playoffs. Among them, it is particularly worth mentioning that the Mavericks, whose lineup is also quite luxurious and theoretically has the ability to compete for the championship. It’s just that Irving suffered a serious injury and may miss most of the season, so the Mavericks’ record will definitely be affected, and they may still have to play in the playoffs. However, as long as Irving returns in time, the Mavericks are likely to become the disruptor of the Western Conference playoffs.