The official website has released the power rankings for the new season in the Western Conference: the Thunder rank first, the Rockets are third, the Lakers sixth, and the Warriors seventh.

On August 5, Beijing time, the NBA's official website announced the latest power rankings for the Western Conference for the new season. The defending champions, the Thunder, are at the top, while the Rockets, who brought in Durant during the offseason, rank third. The Clippers are fifth, the Lakers sixth, and the Warriors seventh. Here are the specific rankings and analyses of some popular teams—

Positions 1-5: 1. Thunder, 2. Nuggets, 3. Rockets, 4. Timberwolves, 5. Clippers;

Positions 6-10: 6. Lakers, 7. Warriors, 8. Mavericks, 9. Grizzlies, 10. Spurs;

Positions 11-15: 11. Trail Blazers, 12. Kings, 13. Suns, 14. Pelicans, 15. Jazz.

3. Rockets

Key additions: Durant, Finney-Smith, Capela

Key departures: Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green

Key statistics

The Rockets average 5.5 more shot opportunities per game than their opponents (including field goal attempts or free throw opportunities), a margin that leads the league by a wide margin. They rank first in offensive rebound percentage with a significant advantage, averaging 18.1 points on second-chance opportunities—this figure ranks second historically among the 29 seasons where second-chance scoring has been tracked.

According to tracking data from Second Spectrum, the Rockets' defense allows opponents an average of 51.4 drives per 100 possessions, the highest in the league. However, when those drives directly result in shots, turnovers, or free throws, they allow opponents to score only 0.97 points per possession, which ranks second lowest in the league.

Last season marked the 14th season in Kevin Durant's career where he averaged at least 25 points and had a true shooting percentage over 60%. This is five more seasons than any other player in NBA history, with LeBron James (9 seasons) and Stephen Curry (8 seasons) following behind.

Key question: Is their shooting firepower sufficient?

The Rockets clearly need a scorer like Durant. In non-clutch situations, their offensive efficiency ranks 10th (115.2 points per 100 possessions), but when the game enters clutch time (the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, with a margin of 5 points or less), their scoring drops by 8.6 points per 100 possessions—only four teams in the league have a greater drop. If opponents' defenses can limit the pick-and-roll between VanVleet and Sengun, the Rockets will struggle to obtain quality (initial) shot opportunities in the game's final moments.

Currently, the shooting options alongside Durant are still limited, with only Finney-Smith and Aaron Holiday achieving or exceeding the league average in three-point shooting percentage among players with at least 100 attempts last season. For VanVleet, whether his three-point shooting percentage in Houston can get closer to his first season's 38.7% (rather than last season's 34.5%) will be crucial.

5. Clippers

Key additions: Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez, Chris Paul

Key departures: Norman Powell

Key statistics

The Clippers allow 4.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average—last season was their best defensive performance in the 29 years for which detailed possession data has been kept. They rank first in defensive rebound percentage, whereas the previous season they were ranked 24th.

According to tracking data from Second Spectrum, the Clippers rank 29th in ball movement (299 passes per 24 minutes of possession) and 30th in player movement (10.5 miles moved per 24 minutes of possession). Additionally, their percentage of catch-and-shoot three-point attempts (60%) is the lowest in the league.

Their three-point shooting percentage (38.7%, which represents the proportion of three-point attempts to total attempts) ranks only 25th, but when their three-point shooting percentage reaches or exceeds the league average (36.0%), their record is 39 wins and 6 losses (winning percentage of 86.7%); when the percentage falls below the league average, their record is 11 wins and 26 losses (winning percentage of 29.7%)—this discrepancy is the largest in the league.

Key question: How valuable is the depth of the roster?

While the Clippers' roster is somewhat aging, they have 11 competitive veterans—this means that even with three players absent, they can still ensure an eight-man rotation. In the backcourt, Paul will share the playmaking load with Harden: last season, Harden's usage rate was as high as 28.6%, the highest since leaving Houston. According to Second Spectrum data, only 13% of Harden's three-point attempts were completely open looks, ranking last among 197 players with at least 200 attempts.

Improving the depth on the wing may be the most valuable aspect. Last season, when Zubac was on the court, the Clippers outscored opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions; when he was off the court, they were outscored by 3.4 points per 100 possessions, resulting in a net difference of 12.8 points—this difference ranks fourth among 253 players who played at least 1,000 minutes in a single season. Despite the Clippers being at an advantage in scoring while Zubac was on the court, they still lost 9 regular-season games (plus the fourth game of the series against Denver).

Brook Lopez is now 37 years old, but he has played over 78 games in each of the past three seasons. He can bring a different offensive style to the Clippers' center position while still providing rim protection.

6. Lakers

Key additions: Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart

Key departures: Finney-Smith

Key statistics

The Lakers have the largest disparity between their home record (31 wins, 10 losses, third in the league) and their away record (19 wins, 22 losses, 16th in the league).

Their record when leading at halftime (43 wins, 7 losses, fourth in the league) compared to when trailing at halftime (6 wins, 24 losses, 19th in the league) also has the largest gap in the league. Additionally, the team's net efficiency in the first half (+6.9, fourth in the league) is 11.6 points/100 possessions higher than in the second half (-4.7, 25th in the league), making this halftime efficiency difference the largest in the league.

The Lakers have led the league in free throw scoring differential for the third consecutive season, averaging 2.3 more points from free throws than their opponents, but this figure is only half of last season's (+4.6).

Key question: Can LeBron integrate into the lineup?

During the regular season and playoffs, in the 742 minutes when Doncic and LeBron were on the court together, the Lakers were outscored by their opponents; however, in the 450 minutes when Doncic was on the court alone, the team outscored opponents by 17.2 points per 100 possessions (scoring 124.6 points per 100 possessions). Over the past two seasons, LeBron's catch-and-shoot three-point shooting percentage has been 44%, so his offensive compatibility with Doncic is not an issue—after all, Doncic has averaged 3.7 three-point assists to teammates over the past five years, ranking first in the league.

A bigger question may lie on the defensive end: after bringing in Doncic, the Lakers' defensive efficiency dropped to 17th; in the first round of the playoffs, their defensive efficiency ranked 12th, and they allowed the Timberwolves' offensive efficiency to exceed that of the regular season. Ayton's rim protection is superior to the team's interior configuration at the end of last season; last season, he allowed opponents to shoot only 53.5% when matched up at the rim, marking his best career performance, although this data is based on only 40 games.

7. Warriors

Key additions: None for the moment

Key departures: Kevon Looney

Important unsigned free agent: Jonathan Kuminga

Key statistics

In the regular season, when Curry and Butler were on the court together, the Warriors achieved a record of 22 wins and 5 losses; however, when both were on the court, the team scored only 5.0 points more than their opponents per 100 possessions. Among the 60 two-player combinations that have played at least 250 minutes together, this figure ranks 27th.

They are the only team in the past two seasons to rank in the top ten for both offensive and defensive rebound rates. During these two seasons, the team's performance on rebounds has been best when Looney is on the court.

When Curry is on the court, the Warriors score 13.4 points more per 100 possessions than when he is not on the court (118.4 points when on the court, 105.0 points when off the court). This is the third highest offensive plus-minus among 253 players who have played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team, and it represents Curry's largest plus-minus difference over the past seven seasons. In the playoffs, when he is on the court, the team scores 16.0 points more per 100 possessions than when he is not on the court (less than 1 point per possession).

Key question: How will they strengthen their roster?

The Warriors have the heaviest task among all teams in terms of roster construction, as Kuminga's restricted free agent status hinders progress in this regard. It seems that the best solution for both sides is a sign-and-trade deal, but this certainly requires a third party's involvement. Kuminga is likely dissatisfied with his unstable playing time last season... and during the 187 minutes he played in the playoffs, the Warriors were outscored by 15.8 points per 100 possessions, which is concerning.

Even if Kuminga stays (through a qualifying offer or new contract), there are still four to five roster spots that need to be filled. Reports indicate that Al Horford and Gary Payton II will fill two of those spots, giving the Warriors a good chance to maintain a top-ten defensive ranking. However, lightening Curry's offensive load may prove to be a more daunting task. Butler has had numerous free throw opportunities, but in the 42 games he played for the Warriors (regular season, play-in, and playoffs), his effective field goal percentage was only 50.4%.