2022-23 Fantasy Basketball: West preview and predictions for every team

The NBA is back! And in anticipation of Tuesday's tip-off, I'm previewing the Eastern and Western Conferences. Yesterday was the East — today, I'm covering the West. I'll break down their projected win total (courtesy of BetMGM), projected record and finish within the division.

And, of course, some fantasy predictions ahead of Opening Night.

Northwest Division:

1. Denver Nuggets — 55-27 (Projected win total: 51.5)

2. Minnesota Timberwolves— 49-33 (Projected win total: 49.5)

3. Portland Trailblazers — 41-41 (Projected win total: 39.5)

4. Utah Jazz — 22-60 (Projected win total: 23.5)

5. Oklahoma City Thunder — 19-63 (Projected win total: 23.5)

Comments/fantasy predictions:

Nuggets: The reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic finally has some help — which means the Western Conference is in trouble. I'm betting the over on 51.5 because the return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. can get the Nuggets over the 50-win threshold. They did a great job replenishing their depth too. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a solid 3-and-D wing who fits perfectly into their offensive scheme. Bruce Brown is already getting praise from Michael Malone for his do-it-all skillset, and Monte Morris's departure should allow Bones Hyland to build off of a promising rookie campaign.

Jokic's wrist doesn't seem to be an issue anymore, and if this team can stay healthy, they're looking like a strong contender to finish with the best record in the Western Conference.

If Bruce Brown is on waivers in 12-team formats, he's worth picking up. He'll be a fixture of Denver's rotation and can rack up rebounds, steals and blocks in limited minutes. He's a poor man's Josh Hart in fantasy.

Timberwolves: Last year's 46-win season was not a fluke. In just one season at the helm, head coach Chris Finch morphed a young team from the gutter (only 23 wins in 2020-21) into a playoff-contending team. The difference? A commitment to defense and player development. The Timberwolves went from 28th in Defensive Rating in 2020-2021 to 13th in 2021-22. That team got even better this offseason by acquiring three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves should finish top 10 in Defensive Rating and could vie for top 10 in Offensive Rating with so much weaponry in their starting unit.

Anthony Edwards is on the cusp of becoming an All-Star and Karl-Anthony Towns will get to showcase his versatility moving into a stretch four next to Gobert. While I'm high on this team, I'm projecting 49 wins, a three-win improvement from last season — narrowly missing their projected win total of 49.5.

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Ant-Man is the odds-on favorite to win Most Improved Player (+900), and I have him pegged to finish in the top 25 in fantasy this year. He's in for a big season and will be a reliable source of points, threes, steals and blocks at his position — not to mention some ridiculous posters.

Trail Blazers: Their win total of 36.5 feels too low, considering that Damian Lillard is fully recovered from his core muscle injury and the team revamped their starting lineup with an emphasis on defense. Adding Jerami Grant, re-signing Nassir Little and elevating Josh Hart into the starting up should help the Blazers clear 37 wins. This team will not be a serious contender, but Lillard and Anfernee Simons should provide enough offense to keep them in the play-in tournament race.

Not much to see here from a fantasy perspective as Lillard, Simons, Grant, Hart and Nurkic are all likely rostered in 10-14 team formats. I have a few shares of Simons, so I'm interested to see how his chemistry builds alongside an alpha like Lillard.

Jazz: One tank, coming right up. The Jazz roster is made up of a ton of vets and youth, so it's only a matter of time before Danny Ainge has a fire sale for players like Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk and Malik Beasley. I'm not expecting the Jazz to be anywhere near competitive this year, but that doesn't mean they won't provide fantasy value.

I've avoided the Jazz backcourt this season, but Lauri Markkanen will thrive in his first year as the primary scorer in Utah. He's looked great in the preseason. Similarly, Jarred Vanderbilt and Walker Kessler are intriguing players who offer a ton of rebounding and defensive potential in fantasy. Vandy should earn a starting spot out of the gates, but Kessler is a player I'm expecting to emerge as the season progresses. He'll be someone I'm looking to stash in 12-14 team formats.

Thunder: It's no surprise that the Thunder are sporting the second-lowest win total at 23.5 games. If there were an alt-line to bet under 15 wins, I'd probably take it even though I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt they can muster 19 wins this season. They managed to win at least 22 games in the past two seasons with relatively the same roster, but this team is going to be bad. No Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has already gotten nicked up in the preseason and they have next to no depth in the frontcourt.

I'm excited to see Josh Giddey in his second season, and I've been stashing Jalen Williams after making a splash in the preseason. He looks like the real deal — a 6'6" point guard who can facilitate, score and lock up defensively. It's very early, but I think he's a player who will find his way into significant minutes down the stretch whenever the Thunder are ready to enter into the official tank mode.

He's my dark horse to make the All-Rookie team in 2022-2023.

Pacific Division:

1. Los Angeles Clippers — 53-29 (Projected win total: 52.5)

2. Golden State Warriors — 51-31 (Projected win total: 52.5)

3. Phoenix Suns — 47-35 (Projected win total: 52.5)

4. Los Angeles Lakers — 46-36 (Projected win total: 44.5)

5. Sacramento Kings — 39-43 (Projected win total: 34.5)

Clippers: I'm betting the over on the Clippers' 52.5 win total. The return of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is undoubtedly a factor. Still, I'm more convinced that their bench depth will carry them whenever Leonard or George inevitably miss games throughout the season. Their bench is made up of proven vets who've started in their respective primes — Robert Covington, John Wall and Nic Batum. But with that veteran presence comes valuable young players who have playoff experiences, like Luke Kennard and Terance Mann. They could probably use another traditional big in the frontcourt behind Ivica Zubac, but if good health prevails, this team will be tough to compete with in the regular season and postseason.

Reggie Jackson looks to be the starting point guard and will likely be in a timeshare that's worth avoiding for fantasy purposes. I've been scooping up Norman Powell late in 12-team drafts for the potential to get steals, threes and points. He has yet to be named a starter, but I think he'll, at worst, be their sixth man.

Warriors: The Warriors are unquestionably one of the best teams in basketball. But after a deep playoff run and capturing their fourth NBA title in the last seven years, I'm taking the under on their win total. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are aging, and I think they'll take it easy throughout the regular season. They're still a 50-win team, but I think there'll be some hiccups along the way.

Jordan Poole will look to build off his breakout season, but I'm more interested in how C James Wiseman comes along. He's the healthiest he's been in years, and should Wiseman supplant Looney by midseason, he'll be an asset in category leagues for rebounds, blocks and FG percentage. Jonathan Kuminga also proved valuable anytime he received over 25 minutes, so he'll be on my watch list in 10-team formats.

Suns: It's a hot mess from Robert Sarver's organizational fallout to Deandre Ayton's beef with his head coach. And then there's Jae Crowder demanding a trade. Despite all the noise, the Suns have a strong roster that struggled to finish in the 2022 layoffs due to illness and injuries. However, they still have two (possibly three) All-Star players and will likely be top-10 in Offensive and Defensive Rating like a year ago. Dario Saric's return should help fill the void of Jae Crowder's absence, and Cam Johnson has an opportunity to put up career highs across the board as the starting power forward.

But what can they get out of Ayton? That'll be up to head coach Monty Williams, but I'm taking the under on their win total of 52.5.

If Cam Johnson is somehow available on waivers in 10-team formats, pick him up before it's too late (he's 73% rostered in Yahoo leagues).

Lakers: The Lakers need Anthony Davis and LeBron James to play 60 games this year to have a chance at hitting their win total. The current roster is uninspiring, so it'll go as far as they can take them. LeBron is in the twilight of his career and coming off a 33-win season, so the wheels could fall off, or they finally get it together and position themselves as a mid-tier playoff-contending team. The market doesn't believe in them at 44.5 wins, but I'll remain somewhat optimistic and project them for 46 wins, eclipsing their win total.

I'm not interested in any Lakers in fantasy outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Russell Westbrook will likely be a value pick since he went late in fantasy drafts. He'll be better than last season — because it can't get much worse, right? Right?

Kings: I planted my flag that De'Aaron Fox will earn his first trip to the All-Star game, and to do so, the Kings will have to be somewhat in contention for that to happen. The Kings are a different team than last year and having a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Brown will help steer them in the right direction. This offense will run through Domantas Sabonis and Fox, but rookie Keegan Murray will show out in no time. Bringing in Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk gives them some versatility and scoring punch that they've sorely lacked, so I like the over on their win total of 34.5.

I don't think they're a playoff team, but these aren't the sad Kings we've grown accustomed to.

Southwest Division:

1. Memphis Grizzlies — 49-32 (Projected win total: 49.5)

2. New Orleans Pelicans — 48-34 (Projected win total: 45.5)

3. Dallas Mavericks — 47-35 (Projected win total: 48.5)

4. Houston Rockets — 24-58 (Projected win total: 23.5)

5. San Antonio Spurs — 14-68 (Projected win total: 22.5)

Grizzlies: Ja Morant already looks like he's in midseason form, and I'm here for Desmond Bane (similar to Tyrese Maxey) making the next leap into becoming an All-Star this year. Memphis grinded out a 20-5 record without Ja Morant in the lineup last season, so it's clear there's a lot of continuity and trust within this team. Jaren Jackson Jr. is reportedly going to be out until at least January, so we'll see a combination of Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke covering the power forward position to start the year. The Grizzlies are an exciting team that never seems to take a night off, but I have them falling short of their win total because I think their defense will look rough for a period of time. De'Anthony Melton went to Philly, JJJ is out and Kyle Anderson went to Minnesota.

They could still be atop this division by season's end, but the Mavs and Pelicans will be nipping at their heels.

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Fantasy-wise, Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke should be rostered in 12-team formats. For Aldama to fend off Clarke, he'll need to continue knocking down shots on the perimeter. I think Aldama will be a helpful asset early on but be prepared to sell high if there's an opportunity, because he's playing on borrowed time.

Pelicans: Finally, the basketball gods are gifting us a healthy Zion Williamson. And he's surrounded by one of the best-supporting casts in the NBA in CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas. Willie Green is a player's coach, and I predict the Pelicans will compete to win this division. There's better value in picking the Pelicans to win the division at +350 than going over their win total (-120).

Mavericks: The Mavs lost Jalen Brunson to free agency but gained C Christian Wood. Luka Doncic's usage will be in the top three in the league, but I'm not sure I trust that this current roster is good enough to win 49 games. 2022 Playoff Luka would beg to differ, but if you think the Mavs are going to be a great team, you're better off betting Luka for MVP at +400, even though he's the odds-on favorite.

Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. just got the bag, and the youth movement is almost underway. I say almost because Eric Gordon is still around — which is maddening considering how well Tari Eason's looked in the Summer League and in the preseason. It's only a matter of time for Eason, so make sure he's not sitting on waivers in 12-14 team formats.

The Rockets have a lot of fantasy appeal despite being one of the worst teams in the league. Watching Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and rookie Jabari Smith II go off will be fun this season. Along with Jalen Williams, expect Tari Eason to creep up the rookie later and achieve All-Rookie honors. He's that good.

Spurs: Regarding win total, Spurs head coach Greg Popovich already told you what you needed to hear. The only thing this team will be competing for is the worst team in the league. That doesn't mean there won't be fantasy appeal. Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones and Jakob Poeltl will all get a ton of minutes and opportunities. I'd be most concerned about Poeltl possibly getting traded but otherwise, sit back and enjoy this epic tank job.

Keep an eye out for Jeremy Sochan and Josh Primo in deeper leagues if any starters get injured.