The looming season of NBA action beginning on October 27 is already full of mystery. The iconic Kobe Bryant’s career seems to be coming to a close, while rising stars such as Andrew Wiggins hope to build on their strong opening year. Many unknowns are currently swirling around the NBA.
How will Kevin Durant fare after returning from injury? Will Bryant be able to bounce back after his Achilles tear? Where will the offensive rebounding powerhouse Tristan Thompson be playing this season?
To learn the answers to these questions, we must wait for the upcoming season. For now, here are my tentative predictions of the top four teams for each conference.
West
1: San Antonio Spurs
A team full of successful veterans coached by the mastermind Gregg Popovich, with the addition of all-star Lamarcus Aldridge the Spurs seem to be poised for a title run. A possible downfall for the Spurs could be injuries; to win they need to stay healthy.
2: Golden State Warriors
The defending champions seem like an easy choice to be number one—they return two sharp shooters in Klay Thompson and Steph Curry and a strong defensive anchor in Draymond Green. As seen in previous years, however, repeating a championship is often challenging, and I expect the Warriors to struggle and have a little “hangover” from their championship success last year.
3: Houston Rockets
Lead by the 2014–15 leading scorer James Harden, the Rockets are hoping to build off their tremendous season last year. Expect Harden to be highly motivated to win this year following statements made about how he believed he should have won the MVP award over Warriors player Curry. With their scrappy point guard Patrick Beverley returning from injuries, look for improved defense from the typically offensive Rockets.
4: Oklahoma City Thunder
With Kevin Durant returning from injuries to once again pair with the most athletic PG in the league, Russell Westbrook, the Thunder looks to be a dangerous team. There is no denying the ability the two aforementioned stars have, but to survive in the western conference you need a strong bench to support the starting group. The two stars will be able to carry this team to some wins, but to become title contenders the Thunder’s bench needs to improve.
East
1: Cleveland Cavaliers
In the comparatively weaker eastern conference, the Cavs are an outlier in that they will be able to easily challenge any of the teams in the west. With LeBron James leading the way alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the sky’s the limit for this team. The Cavaliers’ loss to the Warriors in last year’s NBA finals will act as motivation for LeBron, who will demand the best out of his teammates. Love will hope to play a larger role in the offense while Irving hopes to bounce back from injury. A big piece of the puzzle, Tristan Thompson, is yet to sign back with the team, but an actual departure from the team seems very unlikely.
2: Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks return to the 2015–16 season with all of the players who contributed to their tremendous success last season. Point Guard Jeff Teague seems to just get better and better, and aspires to build on his great performance last season. By re-signing Power Forward Paul Millsap, the Hawks keep their core group of Teague, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford together for another run at a championship. The departure of DeMarre Carroll was not great for the team, but I don’t believe this will affect them greatly due to a deep bench. The Hawks may do well in the east, but will struggle against the Cavs and western conference teams.
3: Toronto Raptors
The additions of Anthony Bennett and DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors’ roster looks to pay off. Bennett, the former number one overall pick, appears to have lost a ton of weight and has shown why he was picked number one. Carroll is a tremendous defender who will serve as a lockdown man on defense for the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan will continue his offensive prowess alongside high-flying dunker Terrence Ross. The Raptors also re-signed Jonas Valanciunas, who I believe is one of the most underrated centers in the league. The Raptors seem keen on improving once again this year.
4: Miami Heat
Miami has suffered a lot of challenges since the LeBron era ended. Dwyane Wade has struggled with injuries while Chris Bosh was fighting a life-threatening illness for the majority of last season. The mid-season addition of PG Goran Dragic seems to have been a great decision. The Heat drafted one of my favorite players, Justise Winslow, who is an NBA-ready player who will do great things on the defensive end. With Dragic, Bosh, and an aging Wade, the Heat will remain around mid-table in the eastern conference.