The Athletic NBA Daily – Western Conference Preview: The Top 5 Contenders

Date: October 16, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Law Murray

Overview

In this comprehensive episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, hosts Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, and Law Murray break down the upcoming NBA Western Conference season, identifying not only the top teams but also spotlighting the players most likely to define 2025-26. The conversation moves from ranking the West’s top five stars, to breakout player candidates and hot take predictions, to a deep debate on which teams will rise (or fall) in the standings, concluding with each panelist’s pick to emerge from the West. The result is a sharp, insightful, and often spirited discussion — mandatory listening for NBA fans as the season opens.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Top 5 Players in the West

[04:39 – 09:40]

• Zena’s Top 5: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama
• Law’s Top 5: Four in common with Zena, switches out Wembanyama for Stephen Curry
• Debate over Wembanyama
  • Law hesitates to put Wemby in early, citing Steph Curry’s playoff impact:
    “What we saw from [Steph] last year, he still strikes the fear of God into a lot of these coaches’ hearts.” [05:22]
  • Dave views Wemby’s inclusion as reasonable projection:
    “By midseason… we’re all going to feel this way.” [06:25]
• Player Two-Way Impact
  • Zena emphasizes defense as a distinguishing criteria:
    “The top five players in the West in my list… really show up on both sides of the ball.” [08:08]
  • Older veterans like LeBron and KD are debated as less effective two-way presences now.

Notable Quote

“Jokic had arguably his best season, didn’t result in an MVP award. Luka has everything to get back after how last year went. And Anthony Edwards is the most likely guy to challenge for a spot on the MVP ballot.”
— Law Murray [05:10]

Debating the Top Tier: Jokic, Shai, Luka

[09:40 – 14:45]

• What separates the very best?
  • Law calls out each top player’s specific weakness—especially Jokic’s rim protection and Denver’s team defense, Shai’s pull-up three-point consistency, and Luka’s need to maintain defensive effort:
    “There’s a world in which Shai can be that more confident with the pull-up three… that’s when Shai can claim he is an even more unstoppable force.” [12:44]
  • Dave: Luka’s all-around offensive dynamism is terrifying for defenses, but “if Luka defends at all this year… there’s a world where we’re talking about Luka as the best player in the world, too.” [13:37]

Notable Quote

“You try to scheme to guard Luka Doncic, and I will just tell you guys, it is a nightmare experience.”
— Dave DuFour [13:18]

Most Likely to Ascend/Bre ak Out in 2025–26

[14:45 – 26:10]

Wemby Watch

• All agree Victor Wembanyama has the best chance to leap into “top 5 player in the West” status by midseason due to all-around skill and opportunity in San Antonio.
• Zena:
  “You’ve got to elevate your game. You’ve got to be able to push forward everyone around you. I absolutely think that [Wemby will] break into this conversation…” [15:16]

Other Breakouts

• Law highlights Amen Thompson (Rockets) and Deni Avdija (Blazers):
  “He put up crazy numbers… once they got Simons and Ayton out the paint.” [17:16]
• Zena agrees:
  “When I think about breakout star, I’m thinking about who’s putting up 30 points a night—and we’re like, whoa, who’s that?” [19:12]
• Both like Alperen Sengun (if space opens up on Rockets) and Dave shouts out Chet Holmgren (Thunder) as a likely leap candidate:
  “He’ll be in the mix for defensive player of the year and probably have a shot at being an All-Star.” [21:08]
• Zena adds Austin Reaves (Lakers):
  “That could now be a duo or at least, you know, a second unit leader for the Lakers that catapults him into… more production than we’ve ever seen out of Austin Reaves.” [25:13]

Notable Quote

“Chet Holmgren has a real chance… I think at the end of the season… he’ll be in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year.”
— Dave DuFour [21:08]

Who Misses the Play-In?

[29:22 – 39:31]

• All panelists agree Utah Jazz are at the bottom (Law: “I do have Utah 15th.” [29:51])
• Law’s Play-in Misses: Phoenix, New Orleans, Portland, Dallas
  • Law predicts rough year for Dallas:
    “I just don’t… I’m not confident [about their guard play]. You’re going to be asking Cooper Flagg to do a lot…” [32:12]
    “They need to get off of Anthony Davis sooner rather than later…” [32:32]
• Zena’s Play-in Misses: Swaps Sacramento for Dallas
  • “The Kings… they haven’t moved anyone onto this team or off this team that is going to make a difference… there’s been nothing that has changed about the rotational depth.” [34:55, 35:04]
• Both raised doubts about Memphis Grizzlies in wake of Desmond Bane’s exit, as replacement Ty Jerome is not a proven star:
  “I just, he’s going to go play with worse players…” — Dave [39:31]
• Law: “I am pretty confident about who I feel like will miss the playoffs… Memphis is out, Sacramento’s out.” [37:18]

Ranking the Top 5 Western Conference Teams

[41:04 – 51:22]

Broad Consensus

• Thunder (OKC): Unanimous top two; defending champs, young depth
• Nuggets (Denver): Also consensus top five (though Law is slightly lower)
• Clippers, Rockets, Warriors, Timberwolves, Lakers: Positioning varies, but all in discussion

Surprising Calls

• Law puts Clippers at #2: “They have 11 grown ass men on their team… they have built-in protection for every injury scenario.” [43:14]
• Law is most bullish on the Warriors for regular season: “Golden State is my three… when they got Jimmy [Butler] together with Draymond and Steph, they were significantly more powerful.” [47:04]
• Dave and Zena put Timberwolves solidly top 5 due to depth and Anthony Edwards’ projected improvement.

Notable Quotes

“You have to build your team to say these are our top five guys we want in our starting lineup and these are the next five who… are the protection, the floor of your team… The Clippers have that.”
— Law Murray [44:16]

“The Lakers… it’s going to be tough, but Timberwolves, Warriors, Lakers—toss up… Jerry Vanderbilt healthy, I love the athleticism they’re putting out there.”
— Zena Keita [50:50]

Finals Picks: Who Comes Out of the West?

[51:22 – 57:28]

• Law: Picks Oklahoma City Thunder
  “They’re young, they care about each other… I think they get out the West. I just think that they were the rare team that won being really good and have the opportunity to have so much improvement from some of their best players.” [51:36]
• Zena: Picks Denver Nuggets
  “Denver does have the tools. They’ve got the know-how, they’ve got the veteranship and they’ve got Jokic. And I just feel as if he’s not going to allow them to not make it out of the West again.” [54:23]
• Dave: Also picks Denver
  “I think that Jokic… they just improved their team so much and they already pushed OKC to seven. It’s almost impossible now to repeat… but this just feels like it’s going to be a Jokic year.” [54:23]

Notable Quote

“Denver lost in the Western Conference Finals two years in a row in seven games. Like that is disrespectful—to do it to you and then OKC to do it to you right after you won the finals… the chip is just getting bigger and bigger on their shoulder.”
— Zena Keita [55:30]

Hot Takes & Final Nuggets

[57:28 – 58:13]

• Law sees Lakers as 5th in the West: “I just feel like they are going to be closer to where they probably should have been last year… they’re headed for an interesting season no matter what happens with LeBron.” [57:28]
• Spurs and Wemby are “a little too low” in some power rankings—potential for a surprising rise. [58:18]

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• On Youth and Development:
  “Something that we underestimate a lot with OKC is their player development. Their stars are going to get developed and gain more capability.” — Zena Keita [53:21]
• On the “Disease of More” and OKC’s Chemistry:
  “Cara is so much a factor… when teams get along, you don’t want to talk about that as much. It’s not as interesting.” — Law Murray [51:36]
• Law on the West’s Depth:
  “Five, six seeds, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s separated by like five games. Two through seven might be a five-game separator.” [49:19]
• Dave on Chet Holmgren’s Potential:
  “If the shot starts to drop and those defenders have to come out… he’s an All-Star. That’s the difference.” [24:04]

Selected Timestamps

• Top 5 Player Discussion: [04:39 – 09:40]
• Jokic, Shai, Luka Debate: [09:40 – 14:45]
• Wemby & Breakout Candidates: [14:45 – 26:10]
• Bottom Five/Play-In Misses: [29:22 – 39:31]
• Top Five Team Debate: [41:04 – 51:22]
• Conference Finals Picks: [51:22 – 57:28]

Conclusion

This Western Conference preview exemplifies the best of The Athletic’s NBA coverage: analytical, candid, and forward-thinking. The hosts can’t agree on everything—but listeners finish with a nuanced understanding of the league’s most competitive conference, the stars who will shape it, its trade and injury subplots, and why this year’s battle for the West promises to be the wildest yet.