4. Memphis Grizzlies
I'm not sure if there's a team that has quietly had a better year than the Memphis Grizzlies. But what's interesting about the Grizzlies is that they've managed to have such a great year without even featuring the best of Ja Morant. He's had a "down" season this year for his standards and that's probably a big reason why there isn't more attention surrounding what the Grizzlies are doing in the Western Conference. I'm not sure it should take away from the fact that they're currently the No. 2 seed in the West, but it surely questions how reliable this team is going to be down the stretch.
Partly because of that, I believe there's a good chance the Grizzlies take a bit of a tumble down the West standings if Morant continues to "struggle" for his standards over the final few weeks of the regular season. But even if the Grizzlies finish as the No. 4 seed, which I predict, that wouldn't be the worst outcome for this team - especially considering how much of a disaster last season ended up being for several reasons.
3. Los Angeles Lakers
Of all my predictions, this could be the one that could be considered the boldest. There's just something about Luka Doncic and LeBron James that makes me believe there's a chance the Los Angeles Lakers go on a strong run to close out the season. I think there's an outside chance that the Lakers could climb all the way up to the third seed in the West before the postseason. Right now, the Lakers would only have to make up three games in the standings to make that type of move.
I believe that's going to happen with the combination of Los Angeles playing much better down the stretch, along with the Grizzlies struggling a bit. Talent generally wins out in the NBA and I believe Luka and LeBron will figure it out sooner rather than later. If this team can remain healthy, they may have just enough talent around their two superstars to emerge as a real threat down the stretch. I'm not sure how legit of a championship contender the Lakers will end up being in the playoffs but they're too talented to overlook as a potential threat.