It’s weird to label the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder new contenders but OKC was obliterated by injuries last season and the Clippers were never a serious contender. There was no one on that team capable of defending The Splash Brothers or Lebron James. But after both of the teams made several changes things will be different next season. Yes, the Western Conference will be a bloodbath yet again while the Eastern Conference still hasn’t added a new contender. It’s almost not fair but it will make for some great matches next season. The San Antonio Spurs are somehow always contenders and Golden State isn’t going anywhere and now OKC and LA will enter looking to get their hands on that championship.

The Thunder would have been contenders last season if they didn’t lose two of their big three. Kevin Durant dealt with foot injuries a large part of the season and people are wondering if he will fully recover as a big man with foot injuries doesn’t have the best track record. Serge Ibaka also missed some time again. Russell Westbrook played his heart out with a terrible supporting cast of the year and nearly dragged the Thunder into the playoffs anyways. Even with these injuries and a weak roster before the trade deadline, the Thunder finished just outside of the top 10 in offensive efficiency and 16th in defensive efficiency. Now the Thunder start the season with a healthy roster and a full season of new additions DJ Augustin, Kyle Singler, and Enes Kanter. The Thunder now only have one weak spot in their starting lineup at shooting guard with Andre Roberson. But while Roberson may not bring much on offense, he brings his tough perimeter defense. Enes Kanter may be an abomination on defense but he’s a monster in the post. Oklahoma City finally has another offense threat beyond just Russ and KD. Now they can throw the ball to Kanter and have him bail them out if the offense isn’t working. Speaking of the offense, the Thunder picked up a new coach and perhaps can finally run a competent game plan. Former coach Scott Brooks usually just had Durant or Westbrook make a play on offense rather than drawing something up for the extra guys.

The Thunder’s starting unit has a nice mix of offense and defense but the Thunder finally have depth. This was always a large problem for the team. The Thunder relied on Durant and Westbrook scoring a combined 60-70 points out of 100 on a lot of nights and this will no longer be the case. The Thunder’s bench is filled with scorers and floor spacers. The Thunder went from Caron Butler, Derek Fisher, and Hasheem Thabeet to Kyle Singler, Anthony Morrow, DJ Augustin, Dion Waiters, Mitch McGary, and Cameron Payne. This is a dangerous team. OKC usually had a great defense but this could be a very well oiled offense. The Thunder were one of the best teams with Westbrook and Durant scoring most of the points. What happens when there’s other guys who can make plays and ease the burden? All the Thunder has to do is stay healthy and develop good team chemistry and it will be very hard to stop them.

The Clippers

The Clippers have had the same problem as Thunder the last few seasons. Their lack of depth cost them big several times now. In the playoffs Blake Griffin finally seemed to break down along with the rest of the team and Houston went on to win three games in a row and steal the series.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Clippers. Chris Paul was just a hair away from finally playing in that elusive Western Conference Finals. Deandre Jordan nearly signed with the Mavericks and the Clippers nearly became one of the league’s biggest what if stories. But Doc Rivers brought the team back together and finally made some smart moves. Austin Rivers was retained on a 1+1 contract. While Rivers is not a hugely talented player he showed in the playoffs that he can bring some scoring in big moments. The Clippers traded for Lance Stephenson. While Stephenson had a horrible season last year, he is just a couple years removed from a great season. Stephenson can defend, score, and rebound. A perimeter defender like Stephenson is exactly what this team needs. Even though Los Angeles brought in Paul Pierce to likely start at small forward, Pierce is no longer a great defender. At this point he’s not even really a good defender. He’s too slow to keep up with athletic small forwards. Stephenson allows the Clippers to throw another competent defender at hard to guard players. Los Angeles also signed Wesley Johnson as a backup small forward. But the Clippers weren’t done yet. They also signed Josh Smith for the vet minimum. Smith is no longer the player he once was but Los Angeles never played with a competent backup big man. Josh Smith will allow the Clippers to spread their pick and roll game and while Smith is a very inconsistent shooter it will at least clear some space for Jordan to operate at the basket.

The Clippers still lack a good small forward and this weakness will only be exposed against the likes of Lebron James and Kawhi Leonard. But the Clippers filled that bench with competent players for once. Also, considering many of the bench players the Clippers now have require the ball to be successful look for the Clippers to sniff out trades for Jamal Crawford. The Clippers have a legitimate bench for a change and while they still have a weakness, look for the NBA’s new most hated team to be in battle for the top three seeds in the west.