Despite the Lakers still having three roster spots yet to fill and a number of potential players rumored for those openings, the offseason has effectively wrapped up across the league. While the injuries that have carried over from last season into the offseason and next year are the unfortunate focal point of the summer, the Lakers have separated themselves from the pack in the Western Conference over the last month.
With that in mind, Christian and Jacob power rank the Western Conference in this week’s episode of “Can U Dig It,” a podcast on the Silver Screen & Roll network. Starting at the top, the two look at why they feel the Lakers are in a tier of their own exiting free agency and which teams may have taken a step back.
Each offers explanations for why the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets are among the teams just below the Lakers, how injury situations impact the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors and how the Dallas Mavericks are squandering an opportunity after a stagnant offseason. They also look at the middle of the conference in the Portland Trail Blazers, who proved Damian Lillard’s point with an uninspiring summer, the upward trajectory of the Memphis Grizzlies and whether the New Orleans Pelicans can overcome a poor offseason.
They wrap it up by debating the bottom of the conference, including Christian giving a remarkably hot take about a remarkably woeful team in the Houston Rockets.
You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude. You can follow Christian at @RadRivas.