2019-20 NBA Season: Western Conference Standings Prediction

#5 Utah Jazz

Quinn Snyder and Donovan Mitchell

The Jazz traded for star point guard Mike Conley and signed Bojan Bogdanovic, Jeff Green, and Ed Davis. Donovan Mitchell finally has a great two-way point guard alongside him in the backcourt in addition to Indiana Pacers’ leading scorer in the playoffs.

Jeff Green is a versatile forward who can come off the bench and score, and at the same time, Rudy Gobert gets a great rebounding backup in Ed Davis. In total, it’s fair to say that the Utah Jazz are legitimate contenders in the West. Their defense will be the same meanwhile their offense improves significantly.

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#4 Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis and LeBron James

The Lakers managed to finally trade for the best big man in the league in Anthony Davis but were unable to sign Kawhi Leonard. However, they used the remaining cap space quite well with the signings of four-time All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, guards Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, and Troy Daniels as well as veteran forward Jared Dudley.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Alex Caruso, and Rajon Rondo all re-signed with the team. So the end result is that 'Bron and AD have a very strong supporting cast around them. The Lakers have many new additions so it'll take time and experience for them to settle in in order to create a new team identity; hence the 4th seed prediction.

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#3 Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

Adding two MVP-caliber players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, re-signing Patrick Beverley and Ivica Zubac, while losing only Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and draft picks means that the Clippers have made huge strides towards being a championship contender. The Clippers also signed versatile forwards JaMychal Green and Mo Harkless.

Doc Rivers was already coaching a team that fights hard on defense and works together to score on offense in a variety of ways through Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell's leadership. But now he has 2 superstars leading the charge on both ends of the floor which could make all the difference in the world.

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#2 Houston Rockets

James Harden and Russell Westbrook

With the only roster difference from last season being the replacement of aging Chris Paul with a younger plus more athletic Russell Westbrook, the Rockets look set to be amongst title contenders once again. With "The Beard" and Russ running the show in H-Town along with the same role players as last year except for the addition of veteran big man Tyson Chandler, the team may finally make the NBA Finals.

However, it could require them to work harder than ever to achieve this feat due to the Clippers, Lakers, Nuggets, and Jazz looking very dangerous ahead of the 19-20 season as a result of significant trade acquisitions and free agency signings.

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#1 Denver Nuggets

Bol Bol and Michael Porter Jr.

The Nuggets aren't seen as powerful as the previous three teams but certainly have the deepest roster in the conference. Defense doesn't matter as much in the regular season which is why I have them as the number 1 seed in this prediction.

With the additions of Michael Porter Jr., Jerami Grant, and Bol Bol, Denver can only get stronger on both ends of the floor. By retaining Nikola Jokic and extending Jamal Murray's contract, it seems that the team will be amongst contenders for many years to come.

A key aim should be utilizing Paul Millsap's contributions as he will be 35 years old by the time the 2020 postseason commences.