Western Conference: Six Preseason Studs

The 2015-16 NBA regular season is almost upon us. Rejoice, basketball is back! We can’t take much from the preseason games that are played before the real season gets started at the end of October, but there is some value in these exhibition contests.

The preseason is typically a period when coaches to tinker with lineups, evaluate which players work best on the court together and work out overall kinks. Sometimes, they also need time to instill their offensive and defensive systems and get everyone on the same page.

Players are often back in shape by the time the preseason rolls around, but they still need to kick off the rust and get ready for the 82-game grind that is the regular season. In the preseason, players will work on their cohesiveness as a team, perfect the timing of plays and try out some new things they worked on over the summer. It’s also an opportunity to test the endurance and effectiveness of previously injured players.

Though the statistics are meaningless, preseason numbers can give us an indication of potential breakout players or which stars are on track to pick up right where they left off last year.

On Monday, we broke down six of the top preseason performers from the Eastern Conference. Today, we’ll focus on the Western Conference.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Lillard, the lone remaining starter from last year’s Blazers squad, is averaging 22.8 points through four preseason games. He is also dishing out 4.5 assists and pulling down 3.2 rebounds, as well as averaging nearly two steals. He is averaging 2.8 turnovers per but, but that’s somewhat expected given how often the ball has been in his hands. Still, he will have to cut down on those if he is going to be effective as Portland’s number one offensive option this year.

With LaMarcus Aldridge gone, Lillard should be the absolute focal point of the team’s offense and will touch the ball on nearly every possession. The early numbers have been encouraging, as it certainly seems Lillard is ready for the heightened role. The Trail Blazers likely won’t be very good this season, but Lillard will likely get his numbers and play up to his new contract extension.

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

It won’t be long until Anthony Davis is the best player in the world. Despite averaging less than 25 minutes per game, Davis is putting up 20.8 points and 7.2 rebounds through four preseason games. It also must be noted that Davis’ shooting percentages have been ridiculous. He’s hitting 52.4 percent of his shots from the field and has extended his range to the three-point line, where he’s hitting 62.5 percent of his attempts. This is obviously based on a small sample size and that kind of three-point percentage isn’t sustainable, but it does show the hard work Davis put in over the summer and how his game may evolve this season.

He will need to increase his rebounding closer to double digits during the season (which will likely come with more minutes) and improve from the free-throw line, where he is currently shooting 60 percent), But overall, Davis has been terrific, showing improvement and proving he’s close to becoming the best player in the NBA.

John Jenkins, Dallas Mavericks

The fourth-year shooting guard is certainly making a name for himself during the preseason. After starting his career with the Atlanta Hawks, the 24-year-old signed a three-year deal worth the league minimum with the Dallas Mavericks over the summer. Now that he’s healthy and receiving significant playing time in Dallas, he’s taking full advantage. Through five preseason games, Jenkins is averaging 20.6 points while his field goal percentage is hovering around a very efficient 50 percent.

Jenkins has been one of the biggest surprises of the exhibition season thus far. He will need to cut down on his turnovers a bit. Grabbing more than 3.6 rebounds and dishing out more than 1.4 assists would help make him a more well-rounded contributor during the regular season too. Still, that’s nit-picking considering not much was expected from Jenkins and he has exceeded all expectations. For Dallas, they have to be happy with his play. He could provide spacing and explosive scoring bursts off the bench for them going forward.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

The reigning MVP and NBA champion Stephen Curry is at it again. He’s cooking on the offensive end and averaging a mind-boggling 19.2 points in only 22.2 minutes per game over his five preseason contests. Curry’s shooting percentages are off the charts as well. He’s shooting 53.7 percent from the field and a ridiculous 45.7 percent from behind the arc.

As a sharpshooter, Curry needs to get his free throw percentage higher than his current 78.6 percent. It should be closer to 90 percent, but that will almost certainly come with time. He also needs to grab a few more rebounds and dish out more than 5.2 assists (he averaged 7.7 per game last year), but those things will come with increased minutes. Curry is well on his way to defending his MVP title.

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

Cousins has been a beast on the court. He’s averaging 17.8 points in only 23.8 minutes per game through five preseason contests. He can score at will in the paint with his brute force or with his array of finesse post moves. In addition to scoring the ball, Cousins is pulling down 7.4 boards a game and that will probably hit double-digits once the games mean something and he gets a full workload.

One area where Cousins needs to improve is his turnovers. He has turned the ball over 3.4 times a game in the preseason, and he’ll need to fix that. He’ll also need to get his overall field goal percentage up, as he’s currently just hitting 39.1 percent of his attempts. With that said, barring injury, Cousins will probably make those adjustments and be the consensus best center in the league by year’s end.

C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

Running the second unit for the Trail Blazers, McCollum seems on the verge of a breakout year. To be successful, a player needs two things: talent and opportunity. With so many players leaving Portland over the offseason, the opportunity for McCollum to thrive is certainly there and, so far, he’s taking advantage of it. The third-year guard is averaging 17.7 points per game in the preseason and shooting well from deep (37.9 percent).

McCollum put in a ton of work over the offseason to prepare for an increased role, as he recently discussed with our own Alex Kennedy, and it seems like that time spent living in the gym and watching film is paying off. McCollum could be more efficient, as his field goal percentage sits at just 42 percent, but this is again a small sample size. Portland needs a second offensive option to emerge this season and McCollum may be the player to step up.

Which player has impressed you the most? Leave your thoughts in a comment.