Most sportsbooks have the Warriors among the title favorites for next year, after last season ended with their fourth title of the Steph Curry era.
The experts like the Los Angeles Clippers’ title chances best (five votes) and more panelists chose the Milwaukee Bucks (four) and Boston Celtics (four) than the Warriors (two).
Only three panelists even think the Warriors will win the Western Conference, behind the Clippers (8 votes) and tied with the Phoenix Suns, who crashed out of last year’s playoffs in the second round.
It’s easy to understand the optimism around the Clippers, who are getting Kawhi Leonard back after he missed all of last year. (Paul George also played less than half the season.)
The fact that the Suns received as many votes as the Dubs for the West crown is puzzling considering Phoenix’s unceremonious exit from last year’s playoffs. Phoenix blew a 2-0 lead to the Dallas Mavericks before getting blown out in Games 6 and 7 to lose last year’s conference semifinals.
The Warriors easily defeated Dallas in five games in the following round.
It should be noted that the Warriors did not receive a single vote to win the NBA Finals from the panel last year. The team picked last year to represent the East, the Brooklyn Nets, didn’t make it out of the first round of the postseason, while last year’s West favorites, the Los Angeles Lakers, didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament .
The panel was not entirely devoid of respect for the reigning champions. One of the panelists pointed to the Dubs’ combination of experience and youth as a reason for optimism.
“[Klay] Thompson is going to be better, they’re coming off the championship, [James] Wiseman is back [Moses] Moody, [Jordan] Poole will both be a year older,” an East scout told ESPN. “You’ve got to pick them, because of experience.”
And three panelists voted for Steph Curry for “best player in the NBA right now,” behind only the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (11 votes).
“They just won the title. It’s a results-driven league, and he’s provided the results,” a West executive said of Curry. “Not only is he an elite generational talent, but he’s the kind of guy you want in your locker room. He is the culture.”