Ahead of the regular season tipping off on Tuesday night, TSN.ca looks at a burning question facing every NBA team.

In the Pacific, there doesn't appear to be anything standing in the way of the Golden State Warriors juggernaut, the Los Angeles Clippers begin life after Lob City and the arrival of Lonzo Ball could herald the return of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers.

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What more can the Warriors do?

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Klay Thompson

 

Look, how do you even write a preview for the Golden State Warriors without delving into the preposterously hypothetical?

Yes, regression and injuries are concerns for every professional sports team, but in regards to the Golden State Warriors, they would need to be on a scale so epic that it is ridiculous to even verbalize for the Dubs to break a sweat. Will Klay Thompson fall down an elevator shaft? What are the chances Kevin Durant is turned into a werewolf? Can Steph Curry spontaneously combust? These are the kind of concerns facing Steve Kerr.

Really, though, if you wanted to be a stickler, you could worry about the 5. Zaza Pachulia (or JaVale McGee) is the weakest member of the starting five and can’t keep up with his teammates. There’s that. And let’s not forget that the Warriors were getting pasted by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals before Kawhi Leonard went down and changed the dynamic of that series entirely. The Dubs didn’t look invincible then. And, who knows, maybe the team will get complacent after winning two titles in three years and setting the single-season record for most wins? That’s something that could happen.

But it won’t. This is likely the most talented team in the history of the NBA, even better than last year’s edition. Nick Young might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the addition of Swaggy P means another deadly shooter off the bench. Omri Casspi knows he’s not going to get a ton of minutes with the Dubs team, yet is exactly the type of player who can work for Kerr. Perhaps, then, the challenge for Kerr will be incorporating some of his younger bench pieces – players like Kevon Looney and rookie Jordan Bell -  into bigger rotational roles as the likes of Andre Iguodala and David West become more limited with age.

Look for the Warriors to pace themselves in the regular season (it’s ridiculous that winning 67 games is considered pacing themselves, but here we are) like they did last year, a year after winning an absurd 73 games, and then turning it up through the playoffs. Of course, there is the chance – and it’s a miniscule one – that the Warriors will take things a little too easy when they’re not playing a heavyweight like the Spurs or Houston Rockets and get upset by a hungrier team, but history has taught us that this isn’t how Steve Kerr clubs operate.

Whatever team survives the Eastern Conference playoffs – probably the Cleveland Cavaliers yet again – will likely put up an admirable fight in the NBA Finals against this Warriors team, but it won’t be enough. The NBA Championship is heading back to the Bay Area.

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Who are the post-Lob City Clippers?

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DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin

Lob City is dead. Long live Lob City.

The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in a very similar situation as the Memphis Grizzlies, lamenting the end of a team’s golden era. But like the Grizz entering their post-Grit ‘N’ Grind phase, the Clippers must confront a hard truth about Lob City – they never won anything.

In the six seasons of Clippers basketball personified by CP3 passes to Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, followed by monstrous dunks, they won a total of three playoff series – just three – and were knocked out in the first round three times. Sure, they gave us a number of highlight-reel posterizations (Remember when DeAndre damn near murdered Brandon Knight in 2013) and those were fun as hell. In terms of tangible results, though, they were few and far between. That Game 7 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2015 playoffs really seemed like the turning point for the Clippers, like they’d finally turned that corner, but it was just another false start.

It might seem like this is a burial of these Clippers, but perhaps, it was high time for the team to go in a different direction. The trade of Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets dramatically alters the team’s offence. Paul, somehow, might be the most underrated point guard in basketball. It sounds ridiculous to say that about a nine-time All-Star, yet just how good Paul is still goes underappreciated. But with Griffin – fresh off of a five-year, $173-million extension – and Jordan still around, it’s not like the opportunity for the lob is gone, too. In Paul’s stead come the likes of Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams and Milos Teodosic. While none is as dynamic as CP3, the offence – with Griffin as its fulcrum – remains in capable hands. The question is, can anybody produce the open looks that Paul could? This remains unlikely.

Gallinari – currently dealing with a foot injury – is a huge improvement at small forward, Williams is a terrific scorer off the bench and the Clippers have done a nice job in addressing a lack of bench depth that has hurt the team in recent seasons. Teodosic, though, could be special. Probably the best player outside of the NBA last year, the 30-year-old Serb is an elite passer and i­f he develops rapport with Griffin and Jordan, Clippers fans can be forgiven if they begin to forget about Paul.

Though CP3 is gone, some things never change. Doc Rivers’ team is still good. Barring injury (which is possible when you consider Griffin’s history), this team should be a lock for the playoffs. But like Clippers teams of the past, this one just isn’t good enough and not quite on the level of the West’s elite teams.

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 Is the return of Showtime on the way for the Lakers?

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Lonzo Ball

 

The Los Angeles Lakers last won the NBA title eight years ago. They were last in the playoffs five seasons ago. Since then, they’ve won no better than 27 games in a season. Lately, it’s been a good time if you really don’t like the Lakers.

That’s about to change, though. Like it or not, the Lakers are back on their ascendency. Now, it’s not going to happen overnight. They’re not going to be great this season and aren’t going to the postseason, but it’s coming. Sooner than later, Showtime is coming back. This season for the Lakers is the calm before the storm. Just how calm it will be, though, is debatable.

Lonzo Ball is a Laker now. Taken with the second overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft, the UCLA point guard is prodigiously gifted and starred in Summer League. An outstanding passer with court vision beyond his years, Luke Walton hopes that Ball can emerge as even half the player the last top-four pick out of UCLA did: Russell Westbrook in 2008.

It would be remiss to talk about Lonzo Ball without addressing the potential circus that comes with him. Calling his father, LaVarr Ball, a helicopter parent wouldn’t do justice to the level that the elder Ball manages the careers of his sons. Part-agent, part-carnival barker, LaVar Ball is all about the spectacle. In one way, the level of hype and swagger that the senior Ball brings could be an unwelcome distraction for the Lakers, but it could be just what Lonzo needs to get his sea legs. In making everything about himself, LaVar can shield his son from the ups and downs of the nascent days of an NBA career, letting Lonzo worry about what happens on the court while he deals with the media. Sure, that strategy could flame out colossally, but it just might work.

Outside of Ball is a good, young core for Walton to work with. Kyle Kuzma, taken with the 27th overall selection out of Utah, could be the steal of the draft. His volume scoring in the preseason has given Walton something to think about when it comes to the allotment of minutes. The likes of Larry Nance Jr., Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram are all capable and athletic, giving the Lakers a real chance to develop a vibrant offence. The addition of Brook Lopez in the middle provides some low-post scoring and a little bit of an edge in the frontcourt.

Of course, this is a young team and poor defensively. For every step forward, there could be two back. The inexperience will cost the Lakers on some nights, but that’s okay. Expectations aren’t high and both the team and its fans realize that this is still part of the rebuilding phase. If anything, players can treat this season as an audition for being part of what comes next.

The next phase comes in the summer when the Lakers, flush with cap room and money, have a shot at a free-agent class that includes LeBron James, Chris Paul, Paul George, Boogie Cousins and more. You would be naïve to think that the team isn’t ready to open up the vaults and usher in Showtime 3.0.

Be patient, Lakers fans. It’s almost here.

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How far away are the playoffs for the Suns?

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Devin Booker

 

They tried. They really did.

The Phoenix Suns did their damnedest to make a splash in the off-season through free agency and trade. They attempted to lure Blake Griffin to the desert, but he chose to stick with the devil he knew. They kicked tires on Paul George and Jimmy Butler. The Suns even almost landed Kyrie Irving in a three-way deal. Everything was this close.

But the Suns of 2017-18 look very much like the Suns of last season and that doesn’t bode well for their chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2010. This is a team that doesn’t move the ball (29th in assists) and doesn’t defend well (third-worst defensive efficiency). Another lottery pick is in the offing.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Devin Booker is emerging as one of the best young shooting guards in the NBA. Posting just over an eight-point scoring improvement in his sophomore season (22.1 PPG from 13.8), Booker has become a volume scorer with style and panache. But for Booker to firmly ensconce himself among the NBA’s young elite, he’ll need to hone his outside shot and refine his shot selection.

His backcourt partner and fellow Kentucky alumnus, Eric Bledsoe, was heading towards a career year (a career-best 21.1 PPG and 6.3 APG) before a knee issue torpedoed it, causing the Suns to shut Bledsoe down for the final 14 games of the season. Now 27, injuries have been a hallmark of Bledsoe’s career, having missed an average of 23 games a season over seven years.

When healthy, the Suns’ backcourt tandem is among the better duos in the West, but scoring from outside Booker and Bledsoe is hard to come by, especially with Brandon Knight out for the season with a torn ACL. The Suns are filled with promising young players in a bulkier Marquese Chriss, Alex Len, Dragan Bender and the fourth overall pick, Josh Jackson.

Jackson’s strong preseason (15.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG in 28.5 minutes a night) has thrust the Kansas product into consideration for a starting role. Like the Lakers, low expectations and a surplus of young players will let Earl Watson to tinker with his lineup and allow his kids to earn more playing time as they take their lumps over the course of a full season.

Better days are coming for the Suns, but they’re not going to happen overnight. Suns fans have had little to cheer about in recent years and that trend will continue for at least another. Stick with this team, though. Admittedly, it’s going to be tough in the short term.

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Can an odd mix of kids and veterans work for the Kings?

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Skal Labissiere, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter

The makeup of this Sacramento Kings roster is kind of fascinating.

The average age of the 20 players who broke camp with Dave Joerger’s team was just over 25. But if you remove Zach Randolph (36) and Vince Carter (40) from the equation, it goes down to just under 24.

The Kings are a mix of high-end potential and savvy vets and could cause problems in the Western Conference for those who take them too lightly on any given night, but will likely struggle with the rigors of a full season with a predominantly green roster not yet ready to compete. For a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 11 years, one more year can’t hurt.

First and foremost, though, this is the first full season for the Kings in the post-Boogie era. DeMarcus Cousins is as mercurial as he is talented and the trade of the big man to the New Orleans Pelicans last February was an acknowledgment that the relationship between the two parties became untenable. Whether the discord was created by ownership, management or Cousins himself (or, more likely, a combination of all three), the absence of that rancor for the Kings is a welcome step forward.

Of course, there’s nobody as remotely talented as Cousins on this Kings roster right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s bereft of quality.

Buddy Hield, who came over from the Pelicans in the trade, acquitted himself nicely during his limited time in Sacto, averaging 15.1 PPG on .481 shooting in 25 games. Still, Hield needs to better his shot selection if he intends to sustain those numbers over the course of a full season. Bogdan Bogdanovic, formerly a member of the Fenerbahce team that won the EuroLeague last season, makes his North American bow. The Serb is a good ball handler, who can slash and score, and is more than capable defensively.

George Hill isn’t the flashiest point guard in the world, but he’s the perfect veteran point presence for this team. Proficient on both sides of the ball, Hill will be looked to lead the offensive charge on many nights. With the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Georgios Papagiannis and first-round pick, De’Aaron Fox, the Kings’ young talent is as ample as it is raw, which is why Joerger is hopeful that Z-Bo and VC can impart both leadership and accountability into his charges.

Like the rest of the Pacific Division that doesn’t play in Oakland and the red part of Los Angeles, the time isn’t yet right for the Kings as they will experience the same kind of growing pains that the Lakers and Suns will be apt to and lose a lot more than they win.

But if this team remains patient and sticks to Joerger’s game plan, the success that’s been so elusive for this franchise now for over a decade might be at hand in the not-so distant future.