Rebuilding in the NBA usually takes a long time (see: Philadelphia) but there is such thing as reloading. For the playoff contenders that stumbled last season, it could be as simple as adding one or two key pieces or getting one or two players back healthy.
For the teams that were garbage, it has meant a complete overhaul. This list has teams from different part of the spectrum but it’s clear that their win totals should spike up quite a bit given where they were last season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder recorded only 45 wins and finished outside of the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference, which isn’t likely to happen again. Oklahoma City was without the reigning league MVP Kevin Durant and another top 10 player in Russell Westbrook for good portions of the year and that severely limited what they were able to do as a team.
Remember, they had won 59 games the previous season and were considered among the favorites in the West before the season started. Durant and Westbrook are both back healthy, Enes Kanter provides interior scoring that they haven’t had and their bench looks about as deep as it’s ever been. This team doesn’t have any glaring holes and it will be up to new head coach Billy Donovan to make sure this team finally plays to its potential.
New York Knicks
The Knicks bottomed out last season and the franchise is better off because of it. As a result, they were able to draft Kristaps Porzingis high in the 2015 NBA Draft and then trade to acquire rookie point guard Jerian Grant later in the first round as well. New York also had a ton of cap space and while it missed out on a couple of key free agents, Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams and Arron Afflalo were all added to the mix.
They’re not superstars but they are going to give Carmelo Anthony some help. Speaking of which, it will be good to have him back and healthy. Those factors alone should make the Knicks a much better team that won 17 games last season. Remember that they won 37 two years ago and finished a game out of the playoffs. It wouldn’t be a reach to think the Knicks can contend for a postseason berth in the Eastern Conference this season.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana lost its biggest star before last season began as Paul George fractured his leg at a summer showcase for team USA. He then missed nearly the entire year. George worked his way back in to the lineup by the end of the season and while the Pacers lost a couple of key players including David West this offseason, they also added a talented pure scorer in Monta Ellis and a decent veteran forward in Jordan Hill as well as talented first-round pick Myles Turner.
The duo of George and Ellis should have a tremendous impact on Indiana’s playoff hopes this season and it won’t be a surprise if they have one of the biggest turnarounds after being limited to 38 wins. In the East, this team should see at least a five or 10-win improvement.
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Miami Heat
Losing LeBron James was obviously devastating for a franchise that had reached the NBA Finals in four straight years – including winning two championships – but Miami could very well have made the postseason if it wasn’t for the injury problems they ran into. Chris Bosh was sidelined with a freak medical condition while Dwyane Wade was in and out of the lineup all year.
That really limited what the Heat were able to do. Bosh is back healthy, Wade signed on for one more year and Miami will get a full season from Goran Dragic.
They also added some nice depth pieces with Gerald Green and Amar’e Stoudemire. As long as they avoid the injury bug, they should be able to significantly improve on their win total after finishing with only 37 victories last season.
