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Utah Jazz: The J-Notes’ post-free agency West power rankings

By Ryan Aston

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz looks to shoot in front of the defense by Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 30, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz looks to shoot in front of the defense by Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 30, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
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Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 11: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes to the basket against the Utah Jazz on April 11, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

10) Portland Trail Blazers

Full disclosure — I’m not a fan of the current Blazers. Last year, I wasn’t feeling them at all, projecting them to finish outside of a playoff spot. In the end, they were better than that, but not by much. They were exposed in a major way in their first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans.

So what did Portland do in response to getting swept? Nothing, except for let key reserves Shabazz Napier and Ed Davis walk for nothing. Damian Lillard is a top-15 player in the league and CJ McCollum is also a game-changer from the backcourt, but this squad is closer to hitting the reset button than making significant progress.

9) San Antonio Spurs

The fact that Gregg Poppovich got the Spurs to the playoffs last season in spite of the Kawhi drama was one of his greater accomplishments. He’ll still be on the bench again next season and his squad will be led into battle by DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge; a team could do a lot worse than that set-up.

I just don’t see that being enough to lock the Spurs in for a playoff spot. They’ll battle, but the West is a gauntlet. Really, it feels like the end of an era in the Alamo City.

8) Minnesota Timberwolves

If you see where I’ve ranked the T-Wolves and think, “Whoa — that’s too low!,” I totally get it. After all, Minnesota was locked-in as a top-four team in the West last season before Jimmy Butler went down.

Nevertheless, teams around them got better, Andrew Wiggins (and, to a much lesser extent, Karl-Anthony Towns) haven’t developed exactly like you’d want them to and major financial difficulties loom. They’ll be in the fight all year, but there are some hurdles to clear here.

7) Denver Nuggets

Without question, Coach Michael Malone’s team was one of the best offensive squads in the Association in 2017-18. Per 100 possessions, the scored nearly 110 points, which was good for sixth-best league-wide.

If Michael Porter Jr. pans out and a healthy Paul Millsap can jive with Nikola Jokic, they could be even better in ’18-19. I still wonder if they’ll guard anybody, though. They should be in the playoffs, but building around a big man that’s a major defensive liability may be foolhardy.

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