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Golden State Warriors

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the team that broke the regular season wins record added Kevin Durant. I don’t know how you feel about them losing despite a 3-1 lead in this year’s Finals, but teaming KD with back-to-back MVP Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green sounds pretty darn good to me.

With that said, it’s not going to be a walk in the park. Durant will need to adjust to possibly more off-the-ball action, instead of having the rock in his hands for the majority of the time like with the Thunder. And the individual Warriors will have to rejigger how many shots they’re going to get on a given night, because Durant should get more touches than the guy he’s replacing, Harrison Barnes. One other big question mark is how their rejiggered bench will look like, especially when JaVale McGee is the only real shot-blocker. Yes there are concerns, but they’re not trying to break records again. By the time the postseason rolls around, Coach Steve Kerr ought to have this team in peak form.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant’s former team obviously isn’t going to be as successful as it was with him in the line-up, but they’re not going to fall off a cliff and into the lottery either. Russell Westbrook is still around, and the last time KD was out for an extended stretch, he was churning out triple-doubles like they were no one’s business.

And compared to that line-up, this Thunder team is much better. Steven Adams was a force on defense during the postseason, while Enes Kanter’s postgame destroys certain match-ups. Victor Oladipo also gives Westbrook a reliable second option on the wings, and someone like Alex Abrines, Domantas Sabonis, or Joffrey Lauvergne could still emerge. #LetWestbrookBeWestbrook, and enjoy the show.

Utah Jazz

For several seasons now, analysts have pegged the Utah Jazz as a sleeper team, ready to take the next step forward. So far, that hasn’t happened yet. Injuries, and a tendency to struggle in close games held them back from breaking through to the postseason. This year might be their time.

The core of Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, and Rodney Hood return, but the team spent some dough in the offseason to add some veteran pieces to steady the ship. In come George Hill, Joe Johnson, and Boris Diaw, players with considerable experience, that can push this team over the hump. Of course, this team could still struggle with injuries, Gobert and Hood in particular are hardly iron men, but they have enough guys that can hold down the fort until they return, hopefully for a Playoffs stint.

LA Lakers

The Kobe Bryant era has ended in Los Angeles, with the Black Mamba riding off into the sunset. That means it’s time for the young guns, and after several trying campaigns, the Lakers have a decent core in D’Angelo Russell, Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson, 2016 second overall pick Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance, and Julius Randle.

Hoping to mold this team into a contender is former Warriors assistant and ex-Laker himself, Luke Walton. Expect this team to play more up-tempo ball, and shoot more triples, which should be a refreshing change of pace from the Byron Scott era. Now, don’t start penciling the Lakers into the Playoffs quite yet, but you should see a lot more team ball, with an assist from veterans Luol Deng, Jose Calderon, and *gulp* Timofey Mozgov, instead of “Kobe save us!” ball. And that should make all the difference.

What team will you be rooting for in the upcoming NBA Season? Share it with us below!

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