Nothing lasts forever, and reflecting on the history of this division, we've seen the OPs in full force and we have seen them fade as well. Change is happening.
We are seeing it this season. The obvious team on a serious surge is the Clippers. This franchise was once represented by eventual Hall of Famer Nick Van Exel, a PG who led the Clippers over many seasons to competitive seasons and mutiple playoff births. The Clippers landed the coveted #1 pick in the draft this past off-season, and Kevin Durant has the makings of the next big name this league will learn to respect. Not settling for just Kevin Durant, the Clippers traded for maybe the most accurate pro prospect compatison for Kevin Durant in the draft in Dirk.
The results have been positive for the Clippers so far, seeing immediate success and keeping themselves within a game from the Lakers and Kings. They are currently 2nd in the league in offensive efficiency, but their defense still needs some work and could be their achilles heel.
The other team from Los Angeles, the Lakers, started the season off on fire and has kept pace with their win %. I don't believe many saw this coming, but the emergence of Tony Allen and Andrew Bogut has propelled them into contenders for the division. Kobe Bryant being played at PG has been working well (putting it lightly). He's the current favorite for MIP as he's averaging a career high in PPG and APG. Lot of balance to this team being led by a resurrected Kobe.
The Lakers are currently #3 in defensive efficiency, but the key stat to keep an eye on is the number of free throws this team attempts per game. The Lakers get free points and cause personal fouls to disrupt the opposing teams depth chart. The Lakers don't have much to poke holes in. Their offense isn't elite, but it's still strong with Kobe at the point. A solid offense with a top tier defense is what could ride the Lakers to the division championship.
Speaking of resurrected, the Sonics have grown into a team that's a few seasons down the road to challenging for this division for the franchise's first time. The trio of Rondo, Roy and Gasol got a much needed addition of Richard Jefferson just moments after this past sim. He comes at a much needed time, as the Sonics had a sim to forget after starting off strong. The addition of Jefferson gives the Sonics a much needed primary scorer at the wing the team with Roy and Granger. The Sonics already had a good offense before Jefferson, but what remains to be seen is how Jefferson effects their defense and rebounding. The young core is still developing in this area, and the Sonics are a poor rebounding team. Outside of Marion, there is no one imposing on the boards. Jefferson could help by using his height with Granger and Marion to maybe win some more rebounds.
Raise your hand it you thought the Warriors would be hovering around the .500 mark 3 sim in. I didn't. The Warriors are the textbook definition pf building a team with a build and philosophy in mind. The Warriors are dangerous from the 3-point arc and they absolutely live by the 3. They take the most 3's, make the most 3's, and have the highest conversion %. The only team to average over 40% as a team from deep, it's no secret how they have been hanging with the league despite what others would call a "bare roster". It remains to be seen how far this team can go, but playoffs are not out of reach. Despite their efficiency from deep, the team is just average offensively. Defense is poor and for some reason a poor free throw shooting team, which is strange for a team that is leading the league in 3P%.
The Suns continue to stick around, but this team looks like it may look towards the upcoming draft and look to grab a franchise player. Same with the Blazers, as they are still searching for their identity post-Dirk life. These two franchises will eventually land players from the draft, free agency or trade to boost them, but at the moment they have fallen behind.
This season has shown signs of parity for the first time in a while. This season for the Pacific looks to be setup for a great fight, but even looking past this season, the division is up in the air. A top 2 seed is the prize, which can be the difference maker in securing home court advantage in playoffs.
The division has gotten much stronger in such a short amount of time. It should be fun to follow.
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