Sep 22, 2026 · 1h 45m
Western contenders face questions beyond Oklahoma City and San Antonio
One Big Question for Every Western Conference Team!
The episode tests whether the West’s leading teams can solve their playoff weaknesses while identifying which rebuilding teams have a credible path forward.
- 1Oklahoma City’s next challenge is making its playoff offense less difficult without disrupting an already elite roster.
- 2Denver, Minnesota, Houston, and Dallas each face major questions about lineup fit, defensive identity, or offensive creation.
- 3The conference’s crowded middle must choose between development and short-term competition as injuries, aging cores, and roster logjams reshape the race.
Don't miss
The hosts step back from the team-by-team format to ask which contenders can create a matchup advantage against Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
The brief
Zach Lowe and Rob Mahoney set a simple test for the Western Conference: give every team one defining question, then see which rosters have convincing answers.
Denver must repair a fragile defense around Nikola Jokić while finding room for DeMar DeRozan, Jamal Murray, and lineups that do not surrender too many threes.
Minnesota, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio reveal different versions of contention: roster fit, playoff offense, and late-game stability could decide whether regular-season strength survives.
Across the middle of the conference, injuries, crowded rotations, and uncertain timelines force teams such as Memphis, Phoenix, and the Clippers to define what competing means.
The closing title-race discussion asks which team can manufacture a matchup advantage against Oklahoma City or San Antonio without mistaking midseason upheaval for a championship plan.
Books & mentions
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