With two months to go before the start of the new NBA season, the Golden State Warriors are considered by many to be the favorites to win the Western Conference, if not the world championship.
The other two teams in the West that are considered to have a legitimate shot at winning it all are the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.
Both teams have some minor but significant question marks, although many feel the Clippers’ question marks aren’t as serious as the Suns’.
Therefore, right now, the Clippers appear ahead of Phoenix in many power rankings, as well as oddsmakers’ lists in Las Vegas.
The NBA Championship odds have not moved much since free agency died down🏆
Boston Celtics: +450
Milwaukee Bucks: +550
Golden State Warriors: +650
Los Angeles Clippers: +700
Phoenix Suns: +1000 pic.twitter.com/RxMIRwhvYL— ClutchPoints Betting (@CPBetting) August 13, 2022
But are the Clippers really more likely than the Suns to win the championship next summer?
When one takes a close look at the situations of both squads, it’s a legitimate debate.
The Clippers Have A Strong Squad, But They Have Red Flags Too
Any team with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on it will always have a puncher’s chance at winning the NBA title, as they’re two of the league’s premier two-way stars.
Both of them will not only give you about 25 points a game in an efficient manner but also contain opposing forwards and wings on the defensive end.
The addition of Robert Covington last season was key, as he is a 3-and-D forward with length who can also corral stars on the opposing team.
Norman Powell, who was also acquired last year via trade, gives L.A. a potent scorer in the backcourt.
The Clippers also signed former All-Star point guard John Wall this offseason, and that is where the question marks begin.
Wall used to be a speedster who could attack the basket and get others involved, but he hasn’t been the same since tearing his Achilles a few years ago.
In the 2020-21 season, his last season to date, he shot just 40.4 percent overall and 31.7 percent from 3-point range, and the track record for guards returning to form after an Achilles tear isn’t exactly good.
Leonard is coming off a major injury of his own, a partial ACL tear sustained in the spring of 2021, and he has multiple other chronic injury concerns.
George also hasn’t been very durable himself, as he has played in just 133 of a possible 226 games in his three seasons as a Clipper.
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Norman Powell are here sitting next to each other.
Absolutely insane how much firepower the Clippers have in street clothes. pic.twitter.com/Tkvjw45xUC
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 26, 2022
The Suns Are Proven, But Haven’t Gotten Over The Hump
If you want durability and a near-certainty of availability in the regular season, there are the Suns.
Although Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton missed 17, 14 and 24 games, respectively, last season, none of them are nearly the walking injury threats that Leonard and George are.
Phoenix won a league-high 64 games in the 2021-22 season while finishing in the top four in offensive and defensive rating, and thus, it was picked by many to win the championship.
But after taking a 2-0 lead in the second round of the playoffs over the inferior Dallas Mavericks, it fell apart, allowing them to tie the series, then take Game 6 and Game 7 by giant margins.
The Suns lost Game 7 at home, 123-90, in one of the most stunning winner-take-all games in NBA history.
If the Clippers stay relatively healthy, they could very well win more regular season games than the Suns, especially with Paul now at 37 years of age.
But come playoff time, the Clippers have proven only one thing thus far: that they will fall apart in big games and fall short of their ultimate expectations.
