Western Conference Standings Predictions For 2025-26 Season

With a large number of injuries to star players as well as organizations shifting between rebuilding and contending, this next NBA season may be significantly different from the last.

The Western Conference has been the superior of the NBA’s two conferences for decades now, and it seems like that will continue to be the case. With how stacked it is with talent, there will be some good teams that won’t make the playoff cut.

Here’s our list of the Western Conference teams we expect to make or miss the playoffs next season, as well as an exact record prediction for each team.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Record Prediction: 63-19

It may seem questionable to predict the defending champions to decline a bit in the regular season, but history shows that most championship teams play with less of an edge in the season after their title.

Improvement from the Spurs, Nuggets, and Rockets, as well as the Clippers, Lakers, and Timberwolves all still hanging around, should make the West an even more difficult conference than last season.

Nonetheless, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be bringing back a near-identical roster to last year’s team, so it’s very likely they’ll find themselves at the top of the conference again come playoff time.

2. Denver Nuggets

Record Prediction: 56-26

The Denver Nuggets are led by one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history, Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets have had a top 8 offense in the league each season since 2017, the season that Jokic first entered their starting lineup.

After an underwhelming 2024-2025 season, the Nuggets made a few great offseason moves to create a perfect supporting cast around Jokic. Some of their most notable additions are Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. All three players provide plenty of outside shooting for Denver, who needs shooting after finishing 28th in the league in threes made last season.

Having teammates who are reliable shooters is key for Jokic to thrive since he’s terrific at finding his open shooters. This current Nuggets squad is very similar to the 2023 Nuggets team that won the finals, and it’s very probable that they’ll be around the top of the West next season.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

Record Prediction: 51-31

The last several Los Angeles Lakers seasons have been disappointing, but the problems they’ve had should be fixed now. The Lakers have a more talented, well-rounded squad that should be able to eclipse the 50-win mark next season.

With a full season of Luka Doncic and signing a true center in DeAndre Ayton, the Lakers should improve by a good amount on the offensive end. 

The Lakers have dealt with the issue of needing a center for a while now, as they experienced with putting Anthony Davis at center, as well as trying out some unreliable centers that didn’t pan out. DeAndre Ayton is a very positive addition for Los Angeles.

The only remaining issue is the Lakers’ depth. In Game 4 of their 2025 playoffs matchup versus the Timberwolves, Lakers coach J.J. Redick played the starting lineup the entire second half of the game due to a lack of depth.

This problem wasn’t resolved this offseason, so the Lakers’ bench will need to step up to be a more reliable supporting cast this year. Staggering LeBron and Luka’s minutes will also help provide good offensive options for the majority of the game.

Ultimately, the Lakers will finish with at least the same record as last season. 50 wins in the difficult Western Conference isn’t easy, but the Lakers have the ability to reach that mark again in 2026.

4. Houston Rockets

Record Prediction: 51-31

The Houston Rockets‘ offense was mediocre last season, but that should change with the major addition of Kevin Durant. At 36 years old, Durant remains one of the best scorers in the NBA and is a great addition to help push the Rockets to be one of the best offenses in the league.

Furthermore, Alperen Sengun is emerging as a potential offensive star. Last season, Sengun averaged 19.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 4.9 APG. As Sengun continues to develop, those numbers will only increase.

These are all great things for Houston, but the Rockets got blasted by some bad news a few days ago. Fred VanVleet, their starting point guard for the last two seasons, tore his ACL. This leaves a gap in the Rockets’ chemistry, as not only do they lose a veteran, but also a critical ball-handler for the team.

With these major improvements and concerns, the Houston Rockets will likely finish around 4th in the Western Conference next season, with a similar record to their last season.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Record Prediction: 50-32

After their second straight Western Conference Finals appearance, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be bringing back the same core as last season.

Without any major moves or adjustments, the Wolves will likely solidify themselves as a quality playoff team once again. As Anthony Edwards continues to improve his skills, he could possibly help raise their record slightly higher than last season.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

Record Prediction: 47-35

The Clippers are one of the NBA’s most intriguing teams headed into next season. Their roster consists of old, injury-prone stars, combined with a couple of young players with offensive potential.

On the positive side, they signed a veteran Chris Paul, a good offensive player in Bradley Beal, and traded for a reliable power forward, John Collins. The negative is that they’re the oldest team in the NBA and are only getting older.

James Harden will likely remain the leader of LA’s offensive system. With the ball in his hands, Harden can score efficiently as well as set up his teammates. John Collins and Ivica Zubac will be good passing options for Harden off of pick-and-rolls, and for alley-oop opportunities as well.

The Clippers will also rely heavily on isolation scoring. Harden, Beal, and Kawhi Leonard are all elite isolation scorers capable of creating their own shots. Harden averaged 6.3 isolation points per game last season, and Leonard averaged 3.6 isolation points, which were both among the best in the league.

With this next season being their best shot to win together, this team will be very motivated to win.

7. Dallas Mavericks

Record Prediction: 45-37

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison stated, “defense wins championships,” after he traded for Anthony Davis, and this Mavericks team is indeed a terrific defensive team.

Anchored by Anthony Davis and Derek Lively II’s rim protection and vertical presence, Dallas now has a true defensive backbone that can erase mistakes on the interior.

Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg give them two rugged wing stoppers who can take on tough assignments, while P.J. Washington provides size and physicality at the four, allowing Dallas to toggle between small-ball looks and bigger frontcourts without losing much on the defensive end.

With Kyrie Irving out for at least the first few months of the campaign, though, offense could be awfully difficult to come by. D’Angelo Russell will help, and Cooper Flagg could also be one of the main options if he lives up to his lofty expectations.

8. San Antonio Spurs

Record Prediction: 44-38

The San Antonio Spurs are desperately hoping that they will get a full, healthy season with Victor Wembanyama, and if they do, they should have a great shot at reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

In addition to Wemby, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Jeremy Sochan will be the three most important young players in determining the Spurs’ amount of success next season.

The Spurs were 21-25 with Victor Wembanyama in 2024-25. With those better developing pieces around him, you’ll likely see the Spurs finish with an above .500 record.

9. Golden State Warriors

Record Prediction: 43-39

The Golden State Warriors proved they were one of the best teams in the Western Conference after trading for Jimmy Butler midseason. They went 20-7 after the All-Star break, and beat the second-seeded Rockets before collapsing due to the injuries to Curry and Butler.

After an offseason of making basically no moves, the Warriors will hope to find the same success that they did when they were healthy with Butler. 

The issue is that this team is only getting older. Their core players (Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green) are all at least 35 years old. 

With an older team, it’s unlikely the Warriors will be able to sustain consistent success for the entire season, and so we predict they’ll fall into the play-in range in the Western Conference.

10. Memphis Grizzlies

Record Prediction: 41-41

The Grizzlies had the 7th-best offense in the NBA last season, but they lost a valuable offensive piece in June, as they traded away their shooting guard Desmond Bane to the Magic for multiple first-round picks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

This trade was clearly a move that was more for long-term success than short-term. Losing Bane will likely hurt Memphis, as Bane’s 19.2 PPG last season was third on the team, only behind Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is still a quality ‘3 and D’ player who will likely start at shooting guard for the Grizzlies. If they stay healthy for the majority of the season, the Grizzlies should be able to scratch their way into the play-in tournament.

11. Portland Trail Blazers

Record Prediction: 39-43

The Portland Trail Blazers have an abundance of talented defenders, many of whom are underrated. Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III are good rim protectors, while Toumani Camara and Matisse Thybulle are both elite wing defenders.

They also have a new, important defensive addition in Jrue Holiday. Holiday has made six All-Defensive teams throughout his career, and still remains a good perimeter defender at 35 years old.

Their flaw is that this team doesn’t have a lot of offensive firepower, especially with Damian Lillard out due to his Achilles injury. If they want to reach the playoffs, the Blazers will have to obtain a top-10 defense in the league, as well as decent enough offensive production to win.

12. Sacramento Kings

Record Prediction: 34-48

There’s no reason to be excited for the Sacramento Kings in the 2025-26 season.

With positive momentum growing over the past few seasons, the Kings made a few trades, and their improvement quickly ceased as they finished 40-42 in the 2024-25 season.

The Kings have good players – Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis have been selected to all-star teams multiple times throughout their careers – but none of them are elite, and they don’t have any depth that stands out either.

Best-case scenario, they snag a play-in spot, but in such a talented conference, expect the Kings to finish in the lower half of the standings.

13. Phoenix Suns

Record Prediction: 29-53

After three disappointing seasons, the Phoenix Suns blew up their trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.

Their only star remaining is Devin Booker, who is still one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, but there isn’t a single other star or near-star on the roster. 

The Suns may be stuck between their past and their future this next season, and this team will likely fall into the depths of the West if they can’t majorly exceed expectations.

14. New Orleans Pelicans

Record Prediction: 25-57

The photos of Zion Williamson looking much slimmer than in the past few seasons have been swirling around social media lately.

A team with Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III should be loaded with firepower on one end and switch ability on the other. The return of Dejounte Murray and arrival of Jordan Poole should help, too.

The Pelicans will want to win since they won’t have their 2026 first-round pick. They might have a healthy Zion, as well as other good young players, but ultimately, they don’t have enough talent to have a fair shot at reaching the postseason.

15. Utah Jazz

Record Prediction: 17-65

The Utah Jazz were an easy pick to place last in the Western Conference next season.

Their few quality players are Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Walker Kessler, all of whom are well below the average best players on other teams in the West.

Ace Bailey has potential, but it’s unlikely he’ll have a large impact on the Jazz winning games in his rookie season.

With how the season is shaping up, the Jazz will clearly be tanking, likely in hopes of landing the top prospect, A.J. Dybantsa, from a Utah college (BYU).

Anything over 20 wins would be an accomplishment for this team.