#5 Los Angeles Lakers
Fully healthy, this year’s Lakers team has a chance to win yet another title, but injuries are a big concern with this team. Anthony Davis has been out for over two months now with a mysterious “calf injury” and LeBron James has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain for the last several weeks.
As a result, the Lakers have slipped in the standings and may very well end up outside of the Top-4 in the Western Conference, meaning they will not have home court advantage in the playoffs.
Obviously the key for this team will be having both LeBron James and Anthony Davis healthy and playing at a high-level, but the biggest question is who will step up and be that third guy on this team?
Can Dennis Schroder be this guy or will newly acquire big man Andre Drummond fill this void? Overall, the Lakers have the roster to contend for another championship, but healthy could get in the way of them winning back-to-back titles.
#4 Phoenix Suns
The Suns are a dangerous team this year and they are going to be a very tough team to beat in a 7-game series in the postseason. Led by future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul, the Suns not only are one of the top offensive teams in the NBA, but they are one of the top defensive teams in the league as well.
Devin Booker is arguably the most slept on player in this lague given what he can do offensively, and with DeAndre Ayton being a factor on both ends of the court at the center position, there really are no flaws with the Suns this season.
They are a game and a half behind the Utah Jazz for first-place in the Western Conference and quite honestly, they have a great chance to win the Western Conference regular season title!
They are in the midst of playing their best basketball of the season, winning 15 of their last 18 games and with them being one of three teams to rank inside the Top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the Phoenix Suns have a really strong chance to win their first championship in franchise history this year.
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#3 Brooklyn Nets
Fully healthy, the Nets have arguably the best roster in the NBA with their superstar trio in Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, but these guys have barely played together. This could definitely spiral into a major concern in the postseason, especially since their whole team chemistry could be off as a result.
Nevertheless, the Nets three superstars are still more than capable of carrying a team to the NBA Finals by themselves, but there definitely is a cause for concern for the Nets as the playoffs draw closer.
James Harden is currently out with a hamstring injury and after just returning, Kevin Durant is now out again with a thigh contusion. They are still heavy favorites to win a title this year and are still one of the most dominant teams in the NBA, but the Nets could actually show signs of being mortal and beatable in the postseason.
#2 Philadelphia 76ers
This year is Philadelphia’s best chance to win a title, especially given how well Joel Embiid has been. He missed some time with a knee injury, but before that, Embiid was considered the favorite to win NBA MVP this year and has continued to build his resume since returning.
With Ben Simmons possibly being this year’s Defensive Player of the Year and Tobias Harris playing his best basketball as well, the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves as one of the elite teams in the NBA and have sat at the top of the Eastern Conference standings all season long.
There is no stopping Embiid when he gets going and with not many teams in the Eastern Conference having a big man that can guard Joel Embiid, the Sixers should be able to make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
Whether or not they can take down the Nets, Bucks or whoever else stands in their way is the key question though.
#1 Utah Jazz
And finally, the Utah Jazz sit at the top of our power rankings entering the playoffs. All season long, they have been dominant on both ends of the court and with numerous contributors, as well as a young superstar in Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz are the team to beat in the Western Conference this year.
Mitchell sprained his ankle the other day and is currently considered week-to-week, which could definitely lessen Utah’s chances to find postseason success if this injury lingers, but overall, they have a lot of talented players on this roster that can and will step up when their number is called.
Outside of Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles and all more than capable of stepping up and making big plays on both ends of the court, which is why the Jazz have their best chance ever to potentially win a championship.
Donovan Mitchell was sensational in the playoffs last year and if he is healthy this year for the postseason, we can expect him to once again put on a show and put the Jazz on his back!
