Best/Worst Team Prediction: Northwest

Th Northwest Division is an interesting one to look at when considering that just about every team is pretty young.  There has also been a lot of change in the rosters of the teams that make up this division.  So lets take a look at who could end up at the top and bottom of this division. 

BEST TEAM: Portland Trail Blazers

Portland is coming off a season that probably surprised a lot of people.  After losing 4 of their 5 starters from the 2014-15 season they came in last year and finished second in the Northwest and ended up being the 5th seed in a very talented Western Conference.  Expect this team to be very competitive this year just like they were in 2015-16. The Trail Blazers have one of the most dangerous offenses on the league and that starts with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.  As a team they were 6th in the NBA in points per game with Lillard and McCollum both averaging 20+ points per game themselves.  They have one of the youngest rosters in the league as well with their most experienced players, Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis, each entering their 7th seasons.  The dynamic offense of this team only got better this off season when they added Evan Turner in free agency.  I talked about Turner a little in my post about the best/worst teams in the Atlantic.  Turner has become a reliable ball handler off the bench who can get his own shot in the midrange or in the paint almost whenever he wants.  Having a player like him allows teams to play their other guards and shooters off the ball more, which is perfect for Portland's roster.  With Turner handling the ball Terry Stotts will be able to play guys like Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Allen Crabbe off the ball to get good/wide open shots.  Portland also added Festus Ezili in free agency so he should be able to provide some defense and rebounding for this team.  Whether Festus or Plumlee ends up starting at the 5 it helps Portland's big man depth either way.  What Terry Stots was able to do with the roster they had last year was unbelievable.  After using players like LaMarcus Aldridge and Wes Matthews it looked like they might be a lottery team.  Instead, CJ McCollum stepped up in a big way, Lillard was great as usual, and Terry Stotts got the team ready to play no matter what team it was against.  The fact Stotts did not win Coach of the Year last season, or at least had more votes, is astonishing.  The one true concern for this Trail Blazers team is their defense.  Finishing 20th in the league in opponent points per game and defensive rating is not a great look. New addition Evan Turner is a very reliable offensive player, but his defense is nothing to be excited about.  His defensive rating for his career is higher than his offensive rating so that is definitely a hole in his game.  Players like Ed Davis, Mason Plume, and Mo Harkless have all proved to be pretty good defenders but that doesn't change how all of the team defends.  Millard and McCollum have never really been known by their defense and can actually get torched by other talented guards at times.  With those two though the Trail Blazers can take the good with the bad considering how great the play on the offensive side of the ball.  With that being said about heir defense though I still think this team will be the best in th Northwest.  OKC has clearly gone through a major change in losing KD and I don't think Westbrook has enough help on that roster to be better than Portland.  

WORST TEAM: Denver Nuggets

It looks like Denver is heading towards another bad season this year.  Like a lot of the teams in this division there is a lot of young talent on this team.  That young talent had their struggles on both sides of the ball last year.  Denver finished 20th in team points per game and 22nd in opponent points per game.  Not only that, but this team could not shoot last year, finishing 26th in team three-point percentage.  That poor shooting made it tough for their young and talented bigs, Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic, to work down in the paint and that will continue to happen if shooting doesn't improve.  Without shooting that makes it so easy for teams to double in the post.  Danilo Gallinari struggled from behind the 3pt line so hopefully he gets bak to his usual self and Wilson Chandler actually playing this year should help a little.  Jamaal Murray was their first round draft pick this year and shooting is a huge part of his game.  With Murray in the lineup the shooting might improve a little but the defense isn't going to be any better at all.  What happened to Kenneth Faried? Is he going to be one of those players that gets paid and just totally checks out? Or is he struggling because he has zero jumper and can't do anything in the paint because of the lack of shooting around him? The jury is still out on him from that aspect so you never know what you're going to get out of him.  I'm really excited to see if Emmanuel Mudiay has improved his game since last year.  His jumper is pretty broken right now seeing how he shot 36%/32%/67% last season which is complete garbage.  He did, however, show flashes that he can be a good point guard in this league.  He has good size for a guard and is a great athlete so theres always serious potential for guys who have that going for them.  Nurkic was 2nd Team All-Rookie in 2015, Mudiay was 2nd Team All-Rookie last season, Nikola Jokic was 1st Team All-Rookie last season, and Will Barton has made serious improvements in his game.  This Nuggets team has potential, but next season Denver fans might be looking at another lottery pick.