Ranking all 15 teams in the West by watchability
We did the Eastern Conference rankings of which NBA teams you'd tune in more to see play, so now it's the West's turn. Here are the franchises ranked least to most watchable:
15. Sacramento Kings
Year 2 of De'Aaron Fox and Year 1 of Marvin Bagley III. The rebuild continues.
14. Memphis Grizzlies
Jaren Jackson Jr. comes with a lot of hype. That's a good reason to tune in once or twice.
13. Los Angeles Clippers
Honestly? There's not a ton to get excited about here. They might be better record-wise than other teams, but now that Lob City is completely dismantled, it's a star-less squad.
12. Dallas Mavericks
Hello, Luka Doncic! Pairing him with Dennis Smith Jr. will be entertaining, and with DeAndre Jordan, this team should compete more than it did last year.
11. Phoenix Suns
Deandre Ayton! Devin Booker! Josh Jackson! It's like a Rising Stars Challenge roster.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves
It feels like this is the most drama-filled NBA team. Will they trade Andrew Wiggins? Is Jimmy Butler unhappy?
9. San Antonio Spurs
Speaking of drama … how's this DeMar DeRozan thing going to work out in San Antonio? Is he about to have a revenge season with Gregg Popovich unlocking DeRozan's full potential? That's intriguing.
8. Portland Trail Blazers
I can't figure out why I'm not more excited about watching Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum hit buckets and Jusuf Nurkic get physical. Maybe because, despite grabbing the 3-seed last year, they barely made the playoffs in the crowded West?
7. New Orleans Pelicans
Do I need a bigger reason than watching Anthony Davis playing basketball? Didn't think so.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Russell Westbrook and Paul George Show, Season 2. Now potentially without Carmelo Anthony.
5. Denver Nuggets
I had them here in last year's West rankings, and they're staying here because Nikola Jokic is so much fun to watch. And now a team with other entertaining parts added Isaiah Thomas AND Michael Porter trying to make comebacks (if you want to call it that for a rookie)? That's the sound of me buying NBA League Pass.
4. Golden State Warriors
This is no slight to the dynasty Dubs, but we know what they look like by now. Yes, it's beautiful basketball. Yes, it's all that offense engineered to run like sports car. But we've seen this show before. Okay, maybe we all watch to see if they lose.
3. Utah Jazz
That's right, I'd rather watch a Jazz game at this point than a Warriors matchup. Donovan Mitchell is responsible for a lot of that, but this team as a whole is a joy to watch … and aren't you going to watch what Grayson Allen will do in the NBA?
2. Houston Rockets
If you like offense and a team that has the best shot at unseating the Warriors, then may I suggest watching lots of Rockets games?
1. Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James and the young core likely won't be the best team in the West. But it's pretty obvious to say they're the most watchable team thanks to "LeBronzo."
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