Offseason Power Rankings: Thunder and Nuggets Lead the Pack in Competitive Western Conference

Is the Western Conference really the toughest conference in the NBA?

Only four West teams finished below .500 last season, and two of them should be much improved this year. The Memphis Grizzlies are getting basically everybody (including Ja Morant) back from injury, while the San Antonio Spurs added a couple of key veterans (including one of the best point guards in league history) around one of the best 20-year-olds we’ve ever seen.

Only one of the 11 teams that finished .500 or better has seemingly taken a big step backward. And that team – the LA Clippers – still has Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and a solid supporting cast.

So if your favorite team appears to be too low in the rankings below, it’s only because there are too many good teams in front of them.

For these offseason rankings, we’re looking at each conference separately, with the Eastern Conference rankings having been published last week. All stats refer to the 2023-24 regular season unless otherwise noted. Last week’s rank is based on how team’s finished in the playoffs, Play-In and regular season.

Previously…

OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)

The league averaged 114.5 points scored per 100 possessions and 99.2 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes last season.

NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via threads.