LeBron and Steph’s next chapters, Ja Morant’s return and more Western Conference storylines to watch
The NBA’s Western Conference is a glorious mess.
Heading into the season, all but two teams can reasonably cross their fingers for a spot in the Play-In Tournament or better. Multiple franchises will be disappointed come April.
At least three of the hopefuls won’t play a second of postseason basketball. Various teams that will push for the top six won’t get there. Groups that consider themselves the quality of conference finalists will get bounced in the first round.
As competitive as the West was a season ago, this season could turn into a fight for the ages.
Do LeBron James or Stephen Curry have a Team USA encore in them? Do the Memphis Grizzlies, behind a healthy and available Ja Morant, re-enter the mix? Does Victor Wembanyama take over as a top-five player?
With the start of training camp less than a week away, Sam Amick and Fred Katz connected to break down five Western Conference storylines they are looking forward to following this season.
Do LeBron James and/or Stephen Curry have a Team USA encore?
Amick: If James and Curry never truly compete for a championship again, then their magical run as Team USA buddies in France over the summer will go down as a swan song for the ages.
And considering the greatness that was on display during their gold-medal journey, with the 39-year-old James carrying the Americans for so much of the Olympics and the 36-year-old Curry saving them in spectacular fashion in those final two games against Serbia and France, the pressure is now on the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, respectively, to find a way to avoid wasting the final years for these all-time greats.
