The 2015-16 NBA preview is in preparation for the 2015-16 season, which is just a few days away. With the season starting soon it also brings some excitement and anticipation for fans all over the country.
This season, we’ll be taking a look at the different NBA teams and ranking them in tiers. There will be five tiers in total, coupled with the teams projected starting lineup, record and finish in the conference.
Tier four features teams that have new pieces but aren’t expected to do much of anything this upcoming season. Some teams will be adding new players but they won’t be ready to start the season, others are bringing in some ‘glue guy’ veterans to help build up some youth and other teams have new looks concerning their gameplans or coaching system but it’s just not enough to make noise this season.
24. Dallas Mavericks
Projected Starting lineup: Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, Zaza Pachulia
Key bench players: Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, Justin Anderson, Samuel Dalembert
Record last year: 50-32 Western conference finish last year: 7th
Projected Record: 30-52 Projected Western conference finish: 12th
Unfortunately for Mavs fans, the entire projected lineup listed above might not be the opening day lineup. It might not be the lineup until Christmas Day. That’s the main issue with Dallas going into the 2015-16 NBA season, we don’t know what they will look like. Imagine a room full of balloons inflated with helium and but there’s one balloon just bouncing around, inflated by a person but still full of hope. That’s the Mavs season in a nutshell. Will they start the season completely deflated and then get refilled with the hopes of returning injured players like Chandler Parsons, Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews? We can only hope for Dallas’ sake but just looking at it going into the season, it feels like this season is just a big panic mode attempt at piecing together a team that was supposed to be focused around DeAndre Jordan. Now it’s focused around injured stars and a german big man who’s on his last run as an NBA star.
23. Sacramento Kings
Projected Starting lineup: Rajon Rondo, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein
Key bench players: Darren Collison, Kosta Koufos, Omri Casspi, Marco Belinelli
Record last year: 29-53 Western conference finish last year: 13th
Projected Record: 33-49 Projected Western conference finish: 11th
Rajon Rondo left the Dallas Mavericks to join the Sacramento Kings on a one year deal which is being viewed as image rehabilitation deal. He doesn’t have any issues with George Karl, yet, DeMarcus Cousins, yet, or anyone else, yet, but the Kings season is very dependant on everything breaking right. I don’t see it breaking right, one bit. In fact, I see them struggling with a young big man in Willie Cauley-Stein who is limited on offense and another season with no real threats to speak of outside of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Then again, the Kings can be healthy all year, Ben McLemore can have a breakout season similar to what Khris Middleton had last season and the Kings can make the playoffs but I wouldn’t bank on it.
22. Orlando Magic
Projected Starting lineup: Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic
Key bench players: C.J. Watson, Mario Hezonja, Channing Frye, Evan Fournier
Record last year: 25-57 Eastern conference finish last year: 13th
Projected Record: 30-52 Projected Eastern conference finish: 12th
The Orlando Magic are a popluar pick to be a surprise in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. But why? They basically kept the same team from last year and drafted the European J.R. Smith. Is Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris or Elfrid Payton really going to make a dramatic leap into All-Star status to elevate the Magic as playoff contenders? I don’t see it happening. The brightside is, they are young and all the players have the ability to become the next great Magic team as long as they stay healthy and don’t go anywhere. They almost lost Tobias but the young forward sees something in this team. Besides, year two under Scott Skiles is usually better than year one.
21. Los Angeles Lakers
Projected Starting lineup: D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, Roy Hibbert
Key bench players: Louis Williams, Brandon Bass, Marcelo Huertas, Ryan Kelly
Record last year: 21-61 Western conference finish last year: 14th
Projected Record: 35-47 Projected Western conference finish: 10th
If you really believe the Los Angeles Lakers, lead by an aging Kobe Bryant, an often disappointing big man in Roy Hibbert, two players who are both essentially rookies in D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, will make the playoffs, you must be a Lakers fans. Los Angles definitely has some good youth with Russell, Randle and Clarkson and they also have great veterans to help these players grow like Metta World Peace, Brandon Bass and Lou Williams but it’s just not enough in the Western Conference. Hibbert is a defensive presence on the inside and Kobe Bryant may still have one or two magical moments left but that’s just not enough. LA’s bench has two of the most notorious chuckers in the NBA in Lou Williams and Nick Young plus, Kobe Bryant is still on the roster so don’t expect the Lakers shooting percentages to be in the top half of the league.
20. Indiana Pacers
Projected Starting lineup: George Hill, Monta Ellis, C.J. Miles, Paul George, Ian Mahinmi
Key bench players: Rodney Stuckey, Jordan Hill, Myles Turner, Solomon Hill
Record last year: 38-44 Eastern Conference finish last year: 9th
Projected Record: 35-47 Projected Eastern conference finish: 11th
Paul George is BACK. But, it’s not the same Paul George we all fell in love with. Chances are, PG-13 may not do well playing as a power forward considering his skills have been honed on playing as a wing. His wing defense and perimeter play are all assets for the Pacers in the past but now that bruising big men in David West and Roy Hibbert are gone, PG will be looked at as the main guy to score in the paint. Let that sink in for a minute. The skinny and often post-hesitant Paul George will be the main option to score in the paint. You might get some alley-oops from Ian Mahinmi but he’s no DeAndre Jordan. With Monta Ellis joining the squad, their wing shooting got a lot better but it could also hurt them on a night when Ellis decides to chuck up 15 shots and there’s no one inside to collect the rebound. The Pacers are trying a new system and while it may work towards the end of the season, early on, Indiana will struggle with this new small ball lineup being forced down their throats.
19. Phoenix Suns
Projected Starting lineup: Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, Tyson Chandler
Key bench players: Alex Len, Archie Goodwin, Devin Booker, T.J. Warren
Record last year: 39-43 Conference finish last year: 10th
Projected Record: 38-44 Projected conference finish: 9th
Sometimes, you have to shoot your shot. That’s what the Phoenix Suns did in the summer when they decided to bet against all odds and chase LaMarcus Aldridge despite the fact that they were far from the favorites to land him. They signed Tyson Chandler as a sign the Aldridge that they wanted him to play power forward (despite having a more than capable power forward already on the roster), they traded away Marcus Morris and some young pieces and they went for it. Now, they are stuck without Aldridge, an upset and then not upset Markieff Morris and an aging big man in Tyson Chandler who is clogging the development of Alex Len, a player the Suns used a top 5 draft pick on in 2013. Their backcourt is underrated and it could be the one bright spot of the team this season. It could be one of the best in the league with Brandon Knight’s scoring ability, Eric Bledsoe’s ability to get to the rim coupled with his top-notch defense. Just prepare for another year of Phoenix fighting and scratching to the end for the eight seed in the Western Conference.
