There was a brief period in time wherein the East emerged as the stronger conference in the NBA. It seems like those days are now gone, and the fact that the Golden State Warriors are the defending champions is a clear testament to this fact. Even Los Angeles Clippers swingman Terance Mann appears to believe in this notion.

Mann was recently asked about his prediction for the Clippers in 2022-23. The 25-year-old got brutally honest in his assessment as he explained why he believes the balance of power has shifted back to the Western Conference:

“I think the West is a monster conference right now,” Mann said, via Scoop B of the Bally Sports. “I feel like it's back to where it kinda used to be. Every night it's a battle. Every night you're facing a superstar… Even when you play OKC you gotta play Shai. It's every night.

“Everybody is healthy. I can't name one star that's unhealthy right now going into next year, so it's gonna be a fight, and it's gonna be hard to get into that top-8 for anybody.”

To be fair, the Clippers are expected to be fully healthy again next season. This means that both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are going to be good to go for LA when the season starts — at least hopefully.

With these two superstars in the mix, the Clippers are going to be title contenders. It's as simple as that. Terance Mann is right about the West being a real monster, and the Clippers are going to be a big reason behind this.