Lakers' LeBron James Says Clippers, Suns, Nuggets Among West's Top Teams

After the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a 1-5 preseason on Friday night, LeBron James acknowledged his team has work to do to keep up with the best teams in the Western Conference.

Speaking to reporters following a 133-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings, James rattled off a list of top contenders in the West that includes the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.

"That's just the name of a few of the teams that's gonna come out and be ready to go from the jump because of the chemistry they've had for quite awhile now," he said. "So, you know, we're one of the teams that has to continue to learn on the fly and not waste a day."

Since everything James says gets put under an intense microscope, it's perhaps notable that he didn't mention the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors in that group.

James did cite the Clippers, Suns and Nuggets as "among" the top teams in the Western Conference. The Warriors are certainly going to be in that group, though there are some metrics that don't think highly of them entering this season.

The Clippers have arguably the highest ceiling of any team in the NBA. We haven't seen them at full strength since June 14, 2021, when Kawhi Leonard suffered a partially torn ACL in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz.

Leonard sat out the entire 2021-22 season while rehabbing his knee. Paul George only played 31 games last season due to injuries, yet the Clippers still managed to finish 42-40 and made the play-in tournament as the No. 8 seed.

The Nuggets are also betting on better injury luck this season. Jamal Murray tore his ACL in April 2021 against the Warriors and sat out the entire 2021-22 campaign. Michael Porter Jr. was limited to just nine games last season due to a back injury that required surgery.

Reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic carried Denver into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed last season. They were the three seed in the Western Conference two years ago with Jokic, Murray and Porter healthy.

Phoenix is coming off one of the best two-year runs in franchise history. The Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021 and led the league last season with 64 wins. There have been some bad vibes from the team, particularly involving Deandre Ayton after his contract negotiations during the offseason.

On paper, though, it's hard not to think the Suns can at least be among the top teams in the Western Conference.

The Lakers are still fighting an uphill climb to make the playoffs. James and Anthony Davis have to stay healthy for that to happen. It's unclear where they are going to find three-point shooting. Russell Westbrook, who injured his hamstring in Friday's preseason loss, is still being shopped in trades and may or may not be coming off the bench.

No one is ever going to think of James or the Lakers as an underdog, but they appear to need a lot of things to go right if they are going to be a top-six seed and avoid the play-in tournament.