Utah is really an Eastern State if you think about it.
We for real are gonna have a repeat of the late 2000s aren’t we? Finally have a stacked roster but the West just all decides to birth dynasty level teams at the same time. I’m still hella salty the Jazz didn’t tank in 2023 for Wemby (not that lottery gods would’ve given him to us, but it would’ve been nice to at least try it) but him and the Spurs look phenomenal and Wemby is a baby goat. OKC ain’t going anywhere. Lakers have Luka and JJ running the show for the foreseeable future, Ant is somehow only 24. Jokic is still Jokic. I HATE THE WEST!!!
Not to mention all the oldheads (Bron, KD, Curry, Kawhi) and future wild cards (Dallas with Coop, Blazers and Suns have upside) I’d be perfectly fine with taking one for the team and heading east 😮💨.
Honestly though, seeing how those teams are constructed, we absolutely NEED PERIMETER DEFENSE!!! Rebuild after rebuild we’ve always had extremely strong offensive talent and potent interior defense. However, rebuild after rebuild we get sent packing by top tier perimeter talent (See Harden, Luka, MJ, and Kobe).
IMO game one of the wcf solidifies that Darryn Peterson’s gotta be the pick. Heavily hoping for the continuation of Cody Williams development to go smoothly.