The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors barely avoided the play-in tournament last season and face an uphill battle in 2023-24
The aging Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have been put on notice by upstart Western Conference rivals during Summer League action. Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George’s 33-point double-double on Saturday signals the trouble the California teams could face in 2023-24.
George, the 16th selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, made 12 of 24 shots and dished 10 assists in Utah’s 105-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He offered fans hope he could be the piece that turns the Jazz into an unexpected playoff team.
Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to demonstrate their capacity to challenge the Lakers and Warriors, who barely avoided the play-in tournament last year. Thunder rookie Cason Wallace scored 20 points in 27 minutes during a Summer League victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
The Lakers treaded water this offseason, mostly just retaining players from 2022-23, and the Warriors took a gamble by trading for Chris Paul. At the same time, the Jazz and Thunder got significantly better. Here’s how unexpected results in the Western Conference could shake out…