Another year, another NBA standings prediction. This is one of my favorite articles to write each season, and it’s fun to see how much a year can really change things.

One example: I had the Utah Jazz at the top of the Western Conference standings last year, and this season, I have them coming in second to last.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had an incredible season last year, and they should only get better. It might be aggressive to put them in the top three of the Western Conference, but Rudy Gobert = regular season wins.

Some of these other teams may rest their star players who are coming off an injury, and the chemistry development will take time – much like Minnesota.

Western Conference predictions:

1. Los Angeles Clippers (55-27)
2. Denver Nuggets (53-29)
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (51-31)
4. Golden State Warriors (50-32)
5. Dallas Mavericks (47-35)
6. Phoenix Suns (46-36)
7. New Orleans Pelicans (46-36)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (45-37)
9. Los Angeles Lakers (42-40)
10. Portland Trail Blazers (40-42)
11. Sacramento Kings (38-44)
12. Houston Rockets (35-47)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder (33-49)
14. Utah Jazz (29-53)
15. San Antonio Spurs (27-55)

The Clippers arguably have the most talented and deepest roster in the NBA, and they should be the clear front-runners to win the West. The only way they don’t grab the No.1 seed is if Kawhi Leonard and Paul George rest some nights.

The Golden State Warriors are now sort of a wildcard in the West after the Draymond Green–Jordan Poole dilemma surfaced in practice. It’s difficult to see that derailing their season, but it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.

The Grizzlies are going to be good, but they’ll be without their best defender in Jaren Jackson Jr., for who knows how long. They also lost some solid rotational players like Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton.

The Suns virtually have the same team as last year, but they have bad vibes written all over them. There’s the Robert Sarver situation being played out, but luckily, he will be selling the team. There’s no place for his actions in this league.

Jae Crowder will get traded, and Deandre Ayton doesn’t look thrilled to be in Phoenix. To make matters worse, the Suns lost to the Adelaide 36ers (Australian professional basketball) earlier this month.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Trail Blazers and Lakers look, as both teams seem destined for the Play-In Tournament. Other than the Kings, the 12-15 teams in the West will be tanking hard for Victor Wembanyama.

Bonus!

Eastern Conference predictions:

1. Milwaukee Bucks (61-21)
2. Philadelphia 76ers (56-26)
3. Miami Heat (53-29)
4. Boston Celtics (52-30)
5. Brooklyn Nets (50-32)
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-33)
7. Toronto Raptors (46-36)
8. Atlanta Hawks (44-38)
9. Chicago Bulls (42-40)
10. New York Knicks (39-43)
11. Washington Wizards (38-44)
12. Charlotte Hornets (37-45)
13. Detroit Pistons (35-47)
14. Orlando Magic (33-49)
15. Indiana Pacers (29-53)

The Eastern Conference will be a lot of fun to watch. The Bucks look like the clear-cut favorites to win the East, and I don’t even know if it’s close.

There are a lot of great teams in the East, but there are way too many question marks.

• How does James Harden look this season?
• Will the Heat regress after not making any major moves?
• How do the Celtics respond to the Ime Udoka news
• How will the Nets mitigate any distractions?
• How will the Cavaliers mesh and who defends on the wing?
• Will Trae Young share the ball with Dejounte Murray?
• Will Goran Dragić fill the backup point guard need for the Bulls?

Notice I didn’t add the Raptors to this list. They’re a sneaky team and are getting slept on. They didn’t make any major moves, but they made some good decisions on the margins.

There are a lot of storylines heading into the NBA season, and it’s going to be a fun one. Let’s hope the Timberwolves take another step forward and lock up home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Let us know in the comment section below if you agree or disagree with our list.