This past year, Miami made the biggest jump in terms of its conference standing, going from 1oth in 2014-15 to third in 2015-16. Which squad is set to make the most sizable leap within its conference during 2016-17? Our writers weighed in.
Gabriel Allen: Utah. Having just missed the playoffs last year, the Jazz look primed to make an extraordinary leap from the lottery to the upper echelon of the Western Conference. Utah finished ninth during 2015-16, and I’m projecting them to steal home-court advantage in the first round by grabbing a spot in the two-four range behind the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors. The Jazz added lineup versatility and injury insurance, and also bolstered its weakest position by trading for George Hill. This no-superstar squad should be much better than the sum of its parts, and soon enough fans from across the league might find themselves rooting for these underdogs to supplant the super-villain Bay Bombers.
Ilia Shatashvili: Philadelphia: This is too easy. When you win 10 games in the prior season and bring in Ben Simmons, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid, the “leap” may not affect the balance of power in the East, but on simple +/- of W’s gained even a very reasonable prediction of only 30 wins this season equates to a 20-game improvement. There will be plenty of questions in regards to youthful inexperience and team chemistry pertaining to a glut of bigs and lack of perimeter shooting, but on talent and adolescent exuberance alone this group of players will stumble into more wins this season. If Sauce Castillo makes a few open threes, 35-40 wins may not be out of the question, and 76ers fans can always dream. Progress is relative, and after only winning 10 games a year ago expect plenty of victories in 2016-17. Those wins will bump the Sixers up four to five spots in the conference standings, from 15th to somewhere around 10th. Playoff appearances will have to wait for future seasons.
Josh Cornelissen: Minnesota Timberwolves – They may be the trendy pick to make a leap forward, but there are a lot of reasons why. At the top, Tom Thibodeau is one of the best coaches in the business and oversaw a series of very successful Chicago teams. The talent on this team is matched by few other rosters around the league, and other than Rubio their core players are all 22 or younger – Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kris Dunn, and Tyus Jones all have room to grow. After finishing 13th in the conference, a finish in the 8-10 range is not unreasonable. There will be growing pains, and the sheer number of centers on the roster will push Towns to play the 4 more than his best spot at the 5. But overall this team is ready to make a leap forward, and they will do so next season.
Matt Sexton: Knickerbockers – I’m not buying into the Derrick Rose fantasies. This is not a superteam. But, they do have firepower. If you’re counting Melo, I’d put my money on their being two superstars in the Big Apple next year. And the second one has 11 different letters in his name. I put the Knicks in the six-to-eight range next year, based on the blossoming talent of Mr. Kristaps Porzingis. I think his second half slump (if you can call it that) can be attributed to opposing coaches defensively scheming against him, which is kind of amazing for a rookie, more-so considering the short tear he went on at the end of the year after making adjustments. I can see this kid completely bypassing the sophomore slump and taking a big step towards the upper echelon of NBA big men. Thinking about highest upside in youngins today, I could easily place Porzingis on the same level of Davis and Towns. He very well could be shooting like Dirk and protecting (and attacking) the rim like DeAndre by year three. And if he keeps making progress, he should be on the All-Star team next year. With the second best frontcourt in the NBA, it won’t matter if Rose is injured or not, the Knicks are headed back to the playoffs.
Nick Denning: Minnesota seems primed for a big jump in wins given all the young talent and the hiring of Tom Thibodeau. This won’t necessarily mean they are a playoff team, but they shouldn’t be one of the bottom teams in the West.
Daniel Coughlin: Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks were better than they were supposed to be in 2014-15 despite losing Jabari Parker to injury early in his rookie campaign. In 2015-16, they came crashing back down despite the addition of Greg Monroe and the emergence of Khris Middleton. Heading into 2016-17, the Bucks are poised to make a swing again in the upcoming season. Parker should be ready to take a big step forward this season and Giannis Antetokounmpo probably, incredibly, still has another level to reach. The Bucks have a solid lineup and they’re in the Eastern Conference, so it seems like they might be a candidate to pick up enough wins to get back in the playoff picture. Oh, and Matthew Dellavedova. Because Matthew Dellavedova. If Jabari, Giannis and Khris can’t make this work, then we can all lean on the strong Australian shoulders of Dellavedova.
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