Roundball Roundtable: Western Conference arms race
With a little more than two months remaining in the regular season, theScore's NBA editors answer some of the biggest questions around the league.
Which deadline addition has made the biggest impact?
Luka Doncic (Lakers): The Slovenian has galvanized a Los Angeles Lakers squad that was simply trying to avoid the play-in. Suddenly, JJ Redick's side is jostling with the Denver Nuggets for the second seed in the West thanks to an eight-game winning streak capped by a 23-point statement victory over those same Nuggets. Doncic was also instrumental in wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the LA Clippers (twice), plus a gutsy overtime thriller over the New York Knicks. However, he's arguably made the biggest impact on LeBron James; the 40-year-old, who averaged 24 points this season before the Dallas Mavericks essentially dropped Doncic into the Lakers' laps, has lifted that mark to 27.1 points since the two joined forces. - Jonathan Soveta
De'Andre Hunter (Cavaliers): Cleveland's been searching for a wing who can take on difficult defensive assignments along the perimeter, helping reduce the workload of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Enter Hunter, who's contributed to the Cavaliers' 14-game winning streak and helped them become the first team to clinch a playoff berth. The 27-year-old is limiting opponents to 43.3% shooting from the field and 29% from three as a member of the Cavs. Offensively, Hunter has maintained his efficiency, averaging 14.3 points per game, while his 3-point percentage has jumped to 50% due to fewer shot attempts. Adding Hunter completed the Cavs' ideal lineup, which will help them compete for a championship. - Donald Higney
Jimmy Butler (Warriors): Butler's case as the most impactful deadline addition is simple: winning. The Warriors are a whopping 11-2 since he arrived in the Bay Area (he sat out one of the two losses with a back injury). Golden State has been in the top 10 in both offensive (fifth) and defensive (fourth) ratings since Feb. 6, jumping up from 19th and 10th in those respective categories. The former Most Improved Player gives head coach Steve Kerr a post-up presence not seen in Golden State since Kevin Durant's departure. Butler is posting up a little over 5% of the time and is scoring 1.8 points per possession in his 12 games with the Warriors; if he were to score that frequently over an 82-game season, he'd be the most efficient post-up player of the past decade. - Thomas Tittley
Which deadline addition is struggling the most with their new team?
Jake LaRavia (Kings): After a strong 2023-24 with the Grizzlies that saw LaRavia average 10.8 points across 35 games, his success seemed to carry into this season. LaRavia began the campaign as a consistent contributor off Memphis' bench, averaging 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 49% from the field and 44.4% from three. However, since the 23-year-old was traded to the Kings, his production has fallen off a cliff. LaRavia is playing 2.7 fewer minutes per game and scoring 2.9 fewer points than with the Grizzlies. The former first-round pick's shooting percentages have also plummeted: LaRavia is shooting 36.4% from the field and just 33.3% from beyond the arc in 12 games with Sacramento. - Joseph Luca Casciaro
Andrew Wiggins (Heat): Butler's trade demand meant Miami needed a return that matched his near-$50-million outgoing salary but also brought back a two-way wing who could immediately slot into Butler's old spot in the starting lineup. Wiggins seemed like the perfect plug-and-play solution; however, the former first overall pick has been woefully inefficient since landing in South Beach. The 30-year-old is shooting 39.8% from the field and 32.6% from deep in a Heat jersey, and an ankle sprain has limited him to seven out of a possible 14 games since the Feb. 6 blockbuster. His 18.4-point average technically ranks second on the team, but at 14.7 shots per game, his poor shooting has arguably hurt Miami more than it's helped. - Soveta
Jusuf Nurkic (Hornets): - Charlotte might be suffering from buyer's remorse after acquiring Nurkic. The franchise acquired the veteran center to fill the void left by trading Mark Williams to the Lakers. However, the trade was rescinded after Williams failed his physical with L.A. Now the Hornets have two centers who have missed a considerable amount of time on the roster - Nurkic and Williams have been unavailable for 31 and 33 games, respectively. In eight games with the franchise, Nurkic has averaged 7.5 points on 44.2% field-goal shooting in under 20 minutes of action. - Higney
Which of the 4 teams in the West battling for 2nd place will finish strongest?
Memphis Grizzlies: Only four teams are in the top 10 of both offensive and defensive rating: the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champion Boston Celtics, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Head coach Taylor Jenkins has done a terrific job despite the Grizzlies once again being one of the most injured teams in the league, unearthing the Association's most effective lineup. The starting five of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey is plus-28.6 per 100 possessions (minimum 300 possessions). Only two other lineups in the league possess a plus-20 point differential. As they get healthy, the Grizzlies should start racking up wins; they have the Western Conference's fourth-softest remaining strength of schedule. - Tittley
Los Angeles Lakers: There is arguably no hotter team in the Western Conference right now. L.A. is 14-3 in its last 17 contests, and acquiring Doncic has altered the team's trajectory - it's now tied with the Nuggets for the 2-seed in the West. Since making his Lakers debut Feb. 10, Doncic is averaging 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.8 steals. LeBron James has also stepped it up since the deadline, putting up 28.2 points per game on 52.7% shooting. The duo combined to score 50-plus points five times over the last eight games. Thankfully for Lakers fans, James is only expected to miss one-to-two weeks with his groin injury. - Casciaro
Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have cooled after dropping just two games in February on the heels of nine straight wins. But there are indications that they can snap out of the recent funk. For one, key starter Aaron Gordon is back from a three-game absence. The Nuggets own a 10.1 net rating with him on the court this season, which is second on the team to only Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP also appeared limited by an ankle issue during a narrow loss to the Boston Celtics on March 2 after hurting himself on the opening tip, but he looked more mobile in Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings. Though Denver has one of the toughest remaining schedules, per Tankathon, the rest of its regular season will look much lighter once the ongoing back-to-back on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder is out of the way. - Soveta
Which West play-in team has the best chance to make a playoff run?
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards and Co. have a real shot at making another deep playoff run. The 23-year-old is leading the league in made 3-pointers (257), knocking down 4.1 per game on 40.6% shooting - helping him set a new career high in points (27.2). Julius Randle has been impactful since returning from a 13-game absence due to a groin injury, averaging 17.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in five straight wins. Jaden McDaniels stepped up in Randle's absence, recording 18.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals since Feb. 1. The trio of Edwards, Randle, and McDaniels, along with the T-Wolves' collection of high-energy players, could upset a few rival teams and make it back to the Western Conference finals. - Higney
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers have the right characteristics to be a thorn in the side of a top seed. Los Angeles owns the league's second-best defensive rating (109.5) and is capable of getting easy points in transition thanks to its 9.6 steals per game, the third-highest mark in the NBA. Head coach Tyronn Lue also has two future Hall of Famers who can give opposing team fits. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are probably over the hill when it comes to leading an organization to 50-plus victories, but can they explode in a seven-game series? Absolutely. Harden recently scored a season-high 50 points in a win over the Detroit Pistons, his first game of 50 or more since joining the Clippers. - Tittley
Sacramento Kings: The Kings have faced hardships this season, such as firing head coach Mike Brown and trading star guard De'Aaron Fox. But things aren't as bad as they may look. Sacramento's gone 20-12 with Doug Christie as interim coach, improving to 33-30 overall, good enough for ninth in the West. Christie has also led Sacramento to the eighth-best offense (117.4) in the NBA since taking over and has deployed Keon Ellis as a key part of his rotation. Ellis is logging 26.1 minutes a night under Christie and averaging 9.7 points per game while shooting at a 44.7% clip from three. The roster also boasts DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis. DeRozan and LaVine are both averaging over 20 points, while Sabonis is tied for the league lead in double-doubles. - Casciaro