3 Things Each Northwest Division Team Must Change Following NBA All Star Break

Just two weeks away from NBA All-Star Weekend the Oklahoma City Thunder have been the clear-cut leader in the Northwest Division and appear to be primed for another deep postseason run this season.

While the Thunder are showing why they deserve such praise, the rest of the division is wide open, and the battle for second place will come down to which team can improve during the second half stretch of a condensed NBA season.

Every team in the division, however, can afford to get better—even the Thunder.

When it comes to playoff positioning and earning home-court advantage, each team needs to focus not just on what they’ve done to win games so far, but what must change entering the final two months of the season.

Oklahoma City Thunder

1. Team Defense

The Thunder are averaging more than 101 points per game, which on most nights more than makes up for being 21st on defense.

But on some nights that just doesn’t cut it.

In losses this season, the Thunder have given up 42 percent from behind the three-point line—10 percent higher than their season average—and allowed more than 103 points per game.

Serge Ibaka is arguably the best low-post defender in the entire NBA, but if you're the Thunder you have to put forth the same effort on the perimeter as your star defender does down low.

2. Start James Harden

At just under 32 minutes per game, Harden is practically already playing starter minutes.

It’s no secret that the team looks better on offense when Harden is in, but it’s also fairly obvious that the team looks better on defense when Sefolosha is in the lineup.

Averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists and free throw percentage, Harden is having his best season of his young career and could help propel an already prolific offense to the best in the league—something that would be particularly handy on nights when the defense isn’t at its best.

3. Beat the Teams You're Expected to Beat

Obviously, the Thunder haven’t gotten to 21-6 without already doing this.

That being said, losses to Washington and Sacramento shouldn’t be tolerated by a group of players and coaches looking to advance out of the West this year and into the NBA Finals.

Every team loses games that they should win. The Chicago Bulls have lost to the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers dropped a game to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat have lost to the Milwaukee Bucks twice this season.

But if the Thunder are looking to solidify home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, those kind of losses need to be eliminated in the second half of the season.

Denver Nuggets

1. Defense

The team’s offense has bailed them out of some bad defensive performances, but when the playoffs come around defense is going to be just as valuable a tool for the Nuggets as their offense.

Throughout the early part of the season, the Nuggets have allowed their opponents to shoot more than 37 percent from behind the three-point line—the second highest in the NBA.

If the team adds Wilson Chandler to the roster, that's a step in the right direction. But even a good defender can't change the culture of a team on his own. 

Everybody must step up on the defensive end.

2. Win Against the West

At only 8-11 against conference opponents the Nuggets are the not-so-proud owner of the division's worst record against the West this season.

With 29 games remaining against the Western Conference—22 after the All-Star Game—it's going to be crucial for this team to compete head-to-head against the teams that are vying for their spot in the playoffs. 

3. A Leader Must Emerge

The Nuggets, lacking a definite go-to guy, are relying on their depth.

The depth has gotten the team to the No. 1 offense in the league so far, but when it comes to stepping up late in the season, you’d like to see someone like Ty Lawson or Nene put the team on his back and solidify a playoff spot.

With Danilo Gallinari missing time over the next month, it’s time for somebody to step up and take lead while the team’s leading scorer is out.

Portland Trail Blazers

1. Point Guard Play

Through 28 games this season, Raymond Felton is having one of his worst seasons as an NBA point guard, averaging a career low in points, three-point percentage and field-goal percentage.

With talks of Jamal Crawford potentially taking over the starting point guard spot, there may be a shakeup in the Trail Blazers' roster after the All-Star Game.

If Felton is benched, it's possible his play could see improvement as a reserve with the second unit.

If no moves are made, however, the backup point guard spot is just as much a concern, as Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams have had trouble finding minutes so far this season.

2. Road Play

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the strongest teams at home this season, but on the road the team holds a record of just 4-10.

A team that has picked up the pace this season, the Blazers appear to lack energy on the road. Without the energy of the crowd in their favor, the team is going to have to look for better guard play and more consistent performances from Gerald Wallace to pump up the team when away from the Rose Garden.

3. Finish Close Games

The Blazers are 0-6 in games decided by three points or fewer this season and 0-3 in games that have gone to overtime.

For the past few seasons, Brandon Roy had been the team’s most clutch player. But the team lost its closer this offseason to an unexpected retirement and have had difficulty finding his replacement.

Crawford has been known to work some late-game miracles himself and has been one player the Blazers have looked to in clutch situations.

Such a poor record in close games, however, makes you wonder why the team hasn’t looked to its All-Star and leading scorer, LaMarcus Aldridge, in these critical times.

If the Trail Blazers want to win these close games they need to find a reliable player to fill the void that Roy left behind.

Utah Jazz

1. Point Guard Play

Similarly to the Trailblazers, the Utah Jazz have seen their point guard struggle this season.

While Earl Watson has provided good leadership off the bench so far this season, Devin Harris has averaged his lowest amount of points since his rookie year and produced his lowest assist average since the 2006-07 season.

Unlike the Trailblazers, the Jazz have a deep frontcourt which, if necessary, could be used as trade pieces to bring in another player for the backcourt.

It’s been rumored that Harris is back on the trade block, but the team might want to consider a trade asset such as Al Jefferson or Derrick Favors if the team wants to proactively approach guard improvement before the trade deadline.    

2. Condensed Big Man Play

If the Jazz do opt to sacrifice some of their frontcourt depth for an improved backcourt, it would allow their young big men to gain experience in a potential playoff push.

If a starter is moved, both Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors will have the opportunity to further develop their games and lose the inconsistencies that have appeared throughout the early part of the season.

If one of them is dealt, however, it becomes time for the other to flourish.

If no move is made, remember that there is nothing wrong with having a solid role player at both the power forward and center positions—just make sure they both get the time they need to progress.

3. Three-Point Shooting

The Jazz are currently 27th in the NBA in three-point percentage.

The good news is that the team recognizes that this is not their best area, and they average less than 13 attempts per game. 

The bad news, is that the team is giving up 97.0 points per game, and the deep threat would be a great weapon to have. 

Gordon Hayward, Devin Harris and C.J. Miles are each taking nearly three per game, while making less than one a piece.

If these guys can improve their shots over the next couple of months, keep firing away.

If they can't, the team needs to stay smart and simply stay away from the shots behind the arc. 

Minnesota Timberwolves

1. Play Faster

This might sound crazy to those who watch the Timberwolves play, as the team already plays at the league’s second fastest pace. But with the three-guard lineup showing promise, there’s no need to slow down now.

Nobody is giving the Minnesota Timberwolves much of a chance to make the playoffs this year, but at 13-16, the team is only 3.5 games back from the eighth spot in the West.

The team played at an even faster pace the past two seasons, and now that Ricky Rubio has arrived and proven he can play, Rick Adelman should allow this team to try and crack the top 10 in offense and run their opponents out of the gym.

2. Limit the Rotation

The Timberwolves currently have 13 players on their roster who are averaging double-digit minutes per game.

Part of that is due to players missing time, and that’s fair. But it's tough to get consistent play when so many role players are shifting around the rotation.

3. Perimeter Play

While the three-guard lineup has been fun to watch, if the team does decide to begin limiting the rotation, it could look to send away some of its depth for a more reliable option at shooting guard.

Shooting just 32 percent from three-point line, the Timberwolves could use a player who can not only knock down the long-distance shot, but can attack the rim and create his own shot when Rubio and the team gets stuck in a half-court set.