Goals remaining for Thunder and West contenders: health, playoff positioning

Oklahoma City Thunder

Goal: Figure out the postseason rotation

The Thunder have far and away been the best team in the West this season, and with the No. 1 seed all but locked up, everything going forward is all about fine tuning things before the playoffs. One focus should be on figuring out what the postseason rotation is going to be for OKC. While this is an incredibly deep roster, not everyone is going to -- or should -- be playing when the playoffs start. That means using the next six weeks as a tryout of sorts to see who is going to fill out what is typically an eight-man rotation for the postseason. Guys like Kenrich Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams all hover around the 10-12 spots in the rotation, and could see their minutes shrink significantly in the playoffs, or perhaps they outperform someone else to see an increase in playing time. It's a good problem to have if you're Mark Daigneault, but that doesn't make it an easy decision to make.

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Denver Nuggets  

Goal: Secure the No. 2 seed

The Nuggets were one of the hottest teams entering the All-Star break. Though their nine-game winning streak was recently snapped by the Lakers, the Nuggets seem to be peaking at the right time. They entered Tuesday a half-game ahead of Memphis for the No. 2 seed in the West. Wrangling that spot away from the Grizzlies (and Lakers and Rockets) should be the goal for the Nuggets down the stretch. This isn't about just trying to stack up as many wins as possible, it's about avoiding the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs for as long as possible. Getting the No. 2 seed puts the Nuggets on the opposite side of the bracket from OKC. While the Nuggets match up well against the Thunder, ducking that buzzsaw for as long as possible should be the main goal for Denver.

Memphis Grizzlies

Goal: Help Ja Morant find some consistency

The Grizzlies have outperformed expectations this season, holding the No. 2 seed in the West behind a roster that has the fourth-best net rating in the league. All that despite sporadic injuries, most notably to Morant who has appeared in 35 games. When healthy, though, Morant hasn't been quite as dominant as years past. He's earned a reputation for being an explosive guard, one who could wreak havoc on opponents when he gets downhill. That's still the case, but Morant's production has been inconsistent. One night he'll put up 16 points, the next he'll drop 25 points, and then 12 points after that. Memphis needs the All-Star version of Morant, the guy who two seasons ago was putting up 25+ points one a regular basis if they want to avoid the negative "regular-season team" tag.

Los Angeles Lakers

Goal: Make Luka as comfortable as possible

The Lakers have an embarrassment of riches after the Mavericks handed them Luka Dončiċ on a silver platter. It's the kind of trade every general manager in the league fantasizes about but rarely occurs, and now L.A. has to shift course to cater to Dončiċ's needs as much as possible. We saw a bit of that already in L.A.'s recent win against the Nuggets, where Dončiċ had the ball in his hands the most since he was traded to the Lakers. It resulted in a 32-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist outing for the superstar, and the first sign that Dončiċ is starting to really get comfortable with LeBron James his new squad. Continuing that trend should be the top goal for the Lakers, because the more comfortable Dončiċ feels with the Lakers, the more dangerous they will be when the playoffs start.

Houston Rockets

Goal: Get their veteran floor general back

At the start of February the Rockets held the No. 2 spot in the West, and looked like they could be a serious threat in the playoffs behind what's been a pleasantly surprising season. But at the time of writing this, Houston has fallen to the No. 5 spot, which can be easily explained by the ankle injury to floor general Fred VanVleet, who has been sidelined since Feb. 3. VanVleet's presence was always important, but watching the Rockets without him for the last month has shown just how badly this team needs him. VanVleet calms everything down on offense and gets everyone in order. While Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are having strong seasons, VanVleet's veteran presence is sorely missed. Getting him back is of the utmost importance for this team to make noise in the playoffs, and having VanVleet return with enough time to get re-acclimated before the postseason is even more important to knock off any rust.

Los Angeles Clippers

Goal: Keep their top-six seed

Not many people are talking about how impressive the Clippers have been this season despite losing Paul George, and being without Kawhi Leonard for a good chunk of the season. But Norman Powell and James Harden have carried this team in a way no one could've ever expected, and there's a real possibility that L.A. will finish with a top-six seed. At least, that should be the goal for the rest of the season. The Clippers are tied with the Timberwolves and have a half-game lead over the Mavericks, who are looming right behind them, but L.A. has been the more consistent team. Staying out of the play-in secures more rest for the oft-injured Leonard, who L.A. will want as healthy as possible for a potential playoff run.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Goal: Avoid the play-in

It's been a rather disappointing season for the Timberwolves, who are coming off a Western Conference finals run. Julius Randle has been far from a seamless fit, and Anthony Edwards has had to alter the way he plays to account for the fact that there's less floor spacing with this roster. As a result, the Wolves sit seventh in the West, but that's not where they have to end up by season's end. Minnesota is tied with the Clippers for the sixth spot after an exhilarating comeback win over the Thunder, and with one of the softest remaining schedules in the league, the Wolves have a solid shot of avoiding the play-in, which should be the priority. It's going to take this team getting healthy as several key players are out, but it's certainly possible for the Timberwolves to go on a run and end the regular season on a high note with the playoffs around the corner.

Dallas Mavericks

Goal: Get healthy

The shock is still wearing off from the Mavericks executing the most stunning trade in NBA history, but as painful as saying goodbye to Luka Dončiċ may be for the fanbase, that's in the past and the current roster is now the focus. With two dozen games left, the goal for this team should be to get healthy. Dallas is without all four of its big men, including Anthony Davis. Despite having a stellar showing in three-quarters of his Mavericks debut, Davis picked up an adductor strain which is expected to keep him out for at least another week. Getting at least two of their four big men will be a massive boost to a team that has the pieces to make life difficult for some of the top teams in the West, but that won't happen if this roster can't get healthy as the regular season closes.