NBA Cup Preview || West Preview
Edition #188
And it’s about that time. The 2nd annual NBA Cup is about to begin, and it’s going to be a fun one. Some teams (like the New York Knicks) have a very easy route to get to that championship. Other teams (like the Clippers) have their way to go.
Let’s look into the NBA Cup!
We’re going to start with the West and then get into the East tomorrow!
West Group A:
The Wolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets, and Blazers are all in this group, featuring Anthony Edwards, James Harden, De’Aaron Fox, Jalen Green, and Scoot Henderson.
Last year, the Kings actually won their group (even though the Wolves were in it). The funny thing is, the Pelicans were the root cause of the Kings, not only losing in the NBA Cup quarterfinals but also their play-in loss earlier this year.
(H2H LAST YEAR)
All these teams are building something in their own way. Minnesota traded Karl Anthony-Towns and got back Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The Clippers have lost Paul George, but have their all-new stadium (which includes The Wall), in the Intuit Dome. The Kings failed to make the playoffs in 2024, but they’ve added DeMar DeRozan. The Rockets are getting back to those James Harden days with two studs in Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, and have been one of my favorite teams to watch this year. Finally, the Blazers, who I know for a fact will be a superpower one day. They’ll be winning the NBA Cup very soon.
I’m gonna go how everyone else is gonna go. I have Minnesota winning this group. This has to be one of the most fair groups in the league, but I just don’t see a way someone else wins the group.
West Group B:
The Thunder, Lakers, Suns, Spurs, and Jazz are all in this group, featuring the defending champs (of the NBA Cup) in the Lakers. You have Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, LeBron James, Devin Booker, Victor Wembanyama, and Lauri Markannen.
Fun Fact: The Lakers, Suns, and Jazz were all in the same group last year.
You have the Thunder, who have some of the best players in basketball in Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and now you also have Isaiah Hartenstein (who could make his debut). This was a team that finished #1 in the Western Conference last year. You have the Lakers, who won this whole thing last year. They drafted Dalton Knecht and have a new coach in J.J. Redick. The Phoenix Suns have the trio and also have Tyus Jones, who could make a huge impact during the NBA Cup, especially with the loss of Kevin Durant. Victor Wembanyama won Rookie of the Year last year, and with the additions of Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul, the veteran leadership could help them win a bit more games. Finally, you have the Jazz, who are a rebuilding team but are building under Markannen, their all-star center.
I might surprise you all a bit here because even with the injury of KD, I have the Suns winning the group. It doesn’t matter how good the Thunder have been this season, because this is almost like the playoffs, and this is a young Thunder team that doesn’t have a lot of experience in the playoffs. Plus, both the Suns and the Thunder are 8-1. This is just my hot take. Even if my reasoning is wrong (which it might be), I love the Suns winning the group.
West Group C:
The Nuggets, Mavs, Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Warriors are all in this group, featuring Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and Stephen Curry.
Fun Fact: The Warriors, the Nuggets, and the Mavericks are the last 3 NBA Finals contenders, and they’re all in the same group competing against each other.
Fun Fact #2: Klay Thompson (Mavericks), will be in the same division as his former team, the Warriors.
I believe that this could be one of the hardest groups out of all, but the problem is injuries and slow starts. Let’s start with the Nuggets, who weren’t able to win against the Thunder, Clippers, and Timberwolves, to start the season, but are slowly getting back to form after a few wins against some mid-teams. The Mavericks are coming off a finals berth against the Celtics, where they eventually lost. They’ve added Klay Thompson this offseason. Speaking of a former Warrior, the Warriors could be the biggest surprise of the season, starting 7-2, and beating the Celtics at the TD Garden. Buddy Hield has been crazy good. The Pelicans lost Dejounte Murray to injury, and as a result, have been one of the worst teams in the league (14th place). Finally, the Grizzlies lost Ja Morant to a hip injury. This team was looking good (in 6th place), but Ja has been the most impactful. The loss of Ja kills them.
I have the Warriors winning this division. The Mavs, Grizzlies, and Pelicans aren’t looking good, and all the Warriors need is one win against the Nuggets. If they can beat the Celtics (yes, I know, without Jalen Brown), they can beat the Denver Nuggets.
