Predicted opening night starting lineups for every Western Conference NBA team

The NBA season is just around the corner, with many teams about to undergo training camp and complete preseason games, and we get our first glimpse at potential starting lineups for everyone. This list will go through every Western Conference team's potential starting lineups for their season openers, with the potential of other guys who could start. Dallas Mavericks The Mavericks have had quite the roster turnaround in recent times due to the stunning Luka Doncic trade. Unfortunately, star point guard Kyrie Irving will start the season injured, which sees his spot open up for grabs. As the first overall pick, Cooper Flagg is expected to be put right into the starting lineup. PG - D'Angelo Russell SG - Klay Thompson SF - Cooper Flagg PF - Anthony Davis C - Derrick Lively Potential starters - P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford. Denver Nuggets The 2023 NBA Champions are going to go into the upcoming season with only one change to their starting lineup. Due to the Michael Porter Jr trade for Cam Johnson, it seems that will be the straight swap in the starting lineup for the Denver Nuggets. PG - Jamal Murray SG - Christian Braun SF - Cam Johnson PF - Aaron Gordon C - Nikola Jokic Potential starters - Bruce Brown Golden State Warriors The veteran squad of the Golden State Warriors has some questions over their starting lineup. Will they continue to play small ball across the season? What players suit around the big three in the starting lineup? PG - Stephen Curry SG - Brandin Podziemski SF - Jimmy Butler PF - Moses Moody C - Draymond Green Potential starters - Al Horford, Jonathon Kuminga, Buddy Hield. Houston Rockets The Rockets are also bound to have some changes in their starting lineup from last year. Kevin Durant coming into town is an automatic spot, while the injured Fred VanVleet will be injured. PG - Amen Thompson SG - Dorian Finney-Smith SF - Kevin Durant PF - Jabari Smith Jr. C - Alperen Sengun Potential starters - Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard. LA Clippers The LA Clippers will be going into the season with the oldest roster in the NBA, but it is still star-studded with talent. There are a few new faces to complement the big names, and I feel that Tyronn Lue could change the lineup depending on the opponent. PG - James Harden SG - Bradley Beal SF - Kawhi Leonard PF - John Collins C - Ivica Zubca Potential starters - Derrick Jones Jr, Kris Dunn. LA Lakers The Lakers will go into next season with a very similar lineup to the end of last season. We will only see one change, which is at the big position. People may believe Austin Reaves could come off the bench at points, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. PG - Luka Doncic SG - Austin Reaves SF - LeBron James PF - Rui Hachimura C - Deandre Ayton Potential starters - Marcus Smart. Memphis Grizzlies The Grizzlies have a lot of questions surrounding their starting lineup by opening night. Desmond Bane is now gone, while Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke won't be available by the season opener. Jaren Jackson Jr could also be unavailable. PG - Ja Morant SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SF - Jaylen Wells PF - Santi Aldama C - Jaren Jackson Jr. Potential starters - Jock Landale, Vince Williams. Minnesota Timberwolves There will be no changes for the Timberwolves to start the season, expect the same lineup as previously. The only potential change could be the point guard position with Mike Conley getting older, but I believe he will still start and just play fewer minutes across the game. PG - Mike Conley SG - Anthony Edwards SF - Jaden McDaniels PF - Julius Randle C - Rudy Gobert Potential starters - Donte DiVincenzo. New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans have some movement across their lineup, with some injuries and trades across the offseason. The starting five for opening night seems pretty solidified; the only position I would question is the centre spot. PG - Jordan Poole SG - Herbert Jones SF - Trey Murphy PF - Zion Williamson C - Yves Missi Potential starters - Kevon Looney. Oklahoma City Thunder You wouldn't expect any changes to the 2025 NBA Champions starting lineup with everyone coming back healthy. The only possibility is if the Thunder want to experiment with going smaller and having Chet as the stand-alone big man. PG - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander SG - Lu Dort SF - Jalen Williams PF - Chet Holmgren C - Isaiah Hartenstein Potential starters - Cason Wallace. Phoenix Suns The Suns will have a few changes among their starting lineup compared to last year, with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal being gone; this is expected. Devin Booker continues to lead this lineup, and he will be joined by a few solid role players. PG - Devin Booker SG - Jalen Green SF - Ryan Dunn PF - Dillon Brooks C - Mark Williams Potential starters - Royce O'Neale, Grayson Allen. Portland Trailblazers After some offseason movement, the Blazers will see changes at the centre and point guard spots. Scott Henderson is also now injured, so he will miss the beginning of the season. Blazers will be led by Deni Avdija just like post all-star break last year. PG - Jrue Holiday SG - Shaedon Sharpe SF - Deni Avdija PF - Toumani Camara C - Donovan Clingan Potential starters - Jerami Grant. Sacremento Kings The Kings will just about go into next season with the same starting lineup as they did post the De'Aaron Fox trade. Only one change seems imminent at which will be at the starting point guard position. PG - Dennis Schroder SG - Zach LaVine SF - Demar Derozan PF - Keagan Murray C - Domantis Sabonis Potential starters - Malik Monk. San Antonio Spurs The Spurs will also go into the next season with a similar starting lineup that they had when healthy, with De'Aaron Fox. There could be one more change across the wing positions, but expect it to be the same. PG - De'Aaron Fox SG - Stephon Castle SF - Devin Vassell PF - Harrison Barnes C - Victor Wembanyama Potential starters - Jeremy Sochan. Utah Jazz The last team in the west is the Jazz, with them being young and seeming to be tanking. It is expected that their starting lineup will focus more on development than winning. Expect a few of the normal names to be there, but this lineup may very well change by week two. PG - Isaiah Collier SG - Brice Sensabough SF - Ace Bailey PF - Lauri Markkanen C - Walker Kesslar Potential starters - Cody Williams, Keyonte George, Kyle Fillipowksi.

Predicted opening night starting lineups for every Western Conference NBA team

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