The Western Conference is once again loaded this year with no less than six teams believing they can make the NBA Finals and win a championship.

The top of the conference features the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the two Western Conference Finalists last season who battled in a seven game series that was ultimately won by the Spurs. The Spurs have kept their core intact, as have the Thunder, who won the title in 2025.

The next tier features the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

All four teams retooled in the offseason and feel they are still strong enough to compete. No team underwent more changes than the Lakers, who added more depth and better fits around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

The Lakers were fourth in the West last season, and could’ve ended up third if not for injuries to Doncic and Reaves in the final weeks of the season. Despite not having two of their three best players, they still knocked off the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs before being swept by the Thunder in round two.

The difference between the Lakers this season and last season is that they no longer have the luxury of LeBron James.

The team is deeper, in that head coach JJ Redick should be able to dip further into his bench, but the loss of Doncic or Reaves this season will be felt more than it was last season, as they don’t have a star player on the level of LeBron to carry the load.

The additions of Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardy, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, and rookie Cameron Carr will take time to gel as everyone figures out their right role.

They could finish anywhere from third to sixth depending on health.

If Luka plays 70+ games, they could easily finish third given his level and the team around him, but if he only plays 50+ games, they could wind up sixth, maybe seventh if the Portland Trail Blazers make a leap.

The current roster construction is heavily dependent on Luka remaining healthy, and while they should be very good while he’s in the lineup, it’s tough to trust that he’ll play 70+ games given his recent injury history.

Given how the Rockets and Timberwolves improved, and the Nuggets’ regular season consistency, I have the Lakers finishing sixth in the West.