The NBA has done an excellent job making sure its schedule is as balanced as possible for each of its 30 teams. However, even if the slate is more efficient than in other major professional sports leagues there is bound to be some that are tougher than others. Everything from opponent to division, travel and rest can impact the strength of a team’s schedule. We took the time to break down which schedules we feel will be the most difficult for this coming year. Here is a look at the NBA’s toughest schedules for next season.
Brooklyn Nets
It only makes sense that the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference from last season would be at the top of this list since every other team on that side of the bracket finished with a better record a year ago. Brooklyn projects to be even worse in 2016-17 while the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers all project to be better on paper. The Nets understand things are going to get a lot worse before they get better and a difficult schedule won’t make it any easier on them next season. Their talent has also declined, so they should be among the contenders for the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia finished with 11 fewer wins than Brooklyn for the worst record in the Eastern Conference a year ago but the 76ers added a couple of first round picks to their lineup with the addition of 2016 first-overall pick Ben Simmons and 2014 third-overall pick Joel Embiid. Philadelphia also brought in Gerald Henderson and Carl Landry to provide somewhat of a veteran presence and they could bring in another veteran guard if they find the right fit. A combination of incoming talent and maturation of a young core could provide the 76ers with a tremendous boost. However, the Atlantic division will only be tougher in 2016-17 and the travel could limit Philadelphia’s improvement in the win column.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns will always travel a ton playing out of the Phoenix area and it doesn’t help that they play in one of the tougher divisions in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers at the top. Golden State and Los Angeles might both be better on paper than they were a year ago while Phoenix looks like a team that could take a step back.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Pacific Division is represented by three teams on this list including the Lakers, which are coming off a 17-65 season in which they were buried at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles has improved on paper and it will be interesting to see whether the additions of Brandon Ingram, Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov and Jose Calderon is enough to drastically improve their win total. Remember that they only won 21% of their games last year, so they have a lot of room for improvement. A tough travel schedule combined with a difficult list of opponents will likely cap the Lakers potential for improvement this season. Playing in a division with the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and a pair of other improving teams (Sacramento and Phoenix) won’t help their cause.
Golden State Warriors
The fact that the Warriors made this list is interesting for a number of reasons but particularly because they added Kevin Durant following a year in which they sent the NBA single-season record for wins. Golden State projects to be the obvious favorite to win a championship next season, but getting to 73 wins will be a difficult challenge after they barely hit that mark a year ago. Expectations are understandably extremely high for the Warriors heading in to 2016-17 and it will be very interesting to see how they handle one of the more difficult schedules in the NBA.
When taking a look at the specifics, the Warriors will have one of the most challenging schedules to get through. Their 4.28 losses added means that they’ll have the fifth-hardest schedule. Part of that is playing in the West – especially in a division that includes the Los Angeles Clippers. But this Warriors team won’t be scared by anyone next year.
