These three teams are the Warriors’ biggest threats in 2023

Welcome to the 2022 NBA offseason, women and gentlemen.

The Warriors are the oddsmakers’ favorites to repeat as champions, but, as with this year, there will be practically a dozen groups that can lay assert to staying a contender.

I don’t know if they all have a claim, but I do see 3 teams in the Western Convention – allow the East consider treatment of itself – that the Warriors should hold a near eye on this offseason, simply because they signify the strongest threats to the crown:

Memphis Grizzlies

1 could make the argument that the Grizzlies — not the Mavericks or Jap Convention winner Celtics — provided the Warriors their most important scare this postseason.

There is certainly an alternate universe where Ja Morant hardly ever injures his appropriate knee and Memphis upsets the Dubs in the next spherical in May possibly.

But Morant did injure his knee, and the Warriors defeat the Grizzlies in six games mainly because of it.

What stood out in that 2nd-round sequence was how precious Gary Payton II was, or, I suppose, would have been. Payton was hurt in the early times of Match 2 by a low-cost-shot flagrant foul from Dillon Brooks that broke the Warrior’s elbow.

I know it feels like a decade in the past, but recall: Without having Payton, the Warriors had no just one who could stay in entrance of Morant on the perimeter, and that supplied Memphis with the upper hand in the series right until Morant’s injuries.

Memphis is young, Morant’s injuries appears to be small in the grand scheme, and with a couple of very simple moves, the Grizzlies could be significantly more than enough beneath the NBA’s wage cap to include a clear No. 2 to the mix.

Following the Warriors received the title, a number of them expended some time chirping at the Grizzlies in push conferences and on Twitter. There’s some electrical power for a genuine rivalry here both on and off the court.

Memphis is likely to appear strong once more following time. If the Warriors want to situation themselves to beat them all over again, they want to bring back Payton, no matter what the cost.

Dallas Mavericks

The Warriors were being in a position to beat the Mavericks in five video games simply because Dallas was a just one-trick pony.

Their performs contain Give The Ball to Luka and Get Out of Luka’s Way. There is not significantly else in their playbook.

From the large majority of NBA groups, Luka Dončić is singlehandedly plenty of to gain video games. But the Warriors,who harkened again to their battles with James Harden in the Western Convention finals are not the “vast the greater part.”

The Mavericks know there’s a big hole among them and the champions and they’ve by now started functioning on cutting that down by buying and selling for center Christian Wooden. Wooden will offer some sorely-necessary rim protection and has a opportunity to be a good roll-gentleman with Dončić.

Dallas’ challenge is that it requirements a much better No. 2 scorer. Steph had Klay Thompson and, at one particular level, Kevin Durant. Jalen Brunson is a awesome backup issue guard, but he’s nowhere close to that caliber of participant.

But Brunson is due to acquire a new deal this offseason. If the Mavericks lock him in long-phrase, they will fairly considerably also lock in their standing as contenders in theory only. Dallas does have some payroll overall flexibility and can enjoy around with indication-and-trade opportunities because its roster can conveniently match under the luxury tax line.

If the Mavericks make a massive, daring shift (or two), they could be proper back in the Western Convention finals once more in 2023 with an even superior opportunity of profitable.

Los Angeles Clippers

There are only a handful of groups that can boast, like the Clippers, that they can stand pat and be legitimate title contenders, if not the favorites.

Indeed, the Clippers had been a participate in-in group this past year. They didn’t even make it to the authentic playoff match. But they have one particular of the most useful players in basketball returning next yr in Kawhi Leonard. Along with Paul George, Leonard presents the Clippers the best 1-2 punch in the league at the most essential position in the sport.

Wings earn titles. Just question the Warriors, who observed Andrew Wiggins have an out-of-human body expertise in the postseason to be, inarguably, the team’s next most essential player.