In the Western Conference, there is a clear hierarchy among the Western Conference contenders. For now, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs are firmly in the first and second spots (they can be interchanged), and they will stay there until one of the teams below them comes in and takes their spot.
I think the Minnesota Timberwolves are best positioned to do that. Other teams worth mentioning are the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets. However, over the past couple of years, I think the Wolves have cemented themselves in a tier of their own in the West, below the Spurs and Thunder but above the aforementioned teams.
How do the Wolves stack up against the three other Western Conference playoff squads
The easiest and most non-arguable comparison to me is the Wolves against the Nuggets.
After this past playoff run, I don't know how anyone can look at the Nuggets and say that they're better than Minnesota. Their flaws get exposed in the playoffs, and they get exposed loudly. They lost their best wing defender this offseason, and their only addition was an aging DeMar DeRozan, who, while still effective on the ball offensively, doesn't help their lackluster defense at all.
The Rockets also just don't move me that much. Kevin Durant is still elite, but outside of him, I don't know who on their team I trust to generate elite offense in playoff moments. Amen Thompson has major shooting concerns, and I'm just not huge on Alperen Sengun as a focal point on offense. Fred VanVleet coming back should help their offensive structure, but they don't have nearly the offensive juice Minnesota does.
The Lakers are the team out of the three that is probably closest to Minnesota, but there are just too many unknowns for me. Walker Kessler is a good player, but he's never been a mainstay on a team that's trying to win anything, not to mention the injury history. They'll be relying on mid-level free agents to have a huge impact, and quite frankly, I don't believe in their perimeter defense at all.
When it comes to Minnesota, they have a perfect balance of offensive and defensive infrastructure. LaMelo Ball is one of the best offensive systems in basketball, and they have combined that with Rudy Gobert, who anchors a top-10 defense every year. Oh, and they have maybe the best three-level scorer, Anthony Edwards, on their team as well.
That star power, combined with a bunch of quality role players in Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, Ayo Dosunmu, Donte DiVincenzo (when he returns), and more, will give them an elite roster from top to bottom. They also have a proven head coach and a front office that's all in on hunting a championship.
Right now they're third-best in the West, and they have the potential to grow.
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