Ranking the 5 Best NBA Teams in the 2016-17 Season: Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs on Top
The NBA trade, free agency and off-season moves have introduced so many changes to the league. So many key players have transferred to other teams. It would be interesting to see how much teams have actually improved over other teams. Here's a look at the 5 best teams in the NBA; the teams that are expected to top the season rankings before the next playoffs begin.
1. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors got the best free agent in the off-season, Kevin Durant. The former MVP and league leading scorer will add more offense and defense to what is already a superior offensive and defensive team.
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There may be a period of adjustment, however, as the team tries to share the ball among so many shooters. Durant's addition should also not undermine the defense of the team. After all, defense and offense must go hand-in-hand to win championships.
The Warriors' major loss is Harrison Barnes, who averaged 13.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season.
2. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs biggest asset is their head coach, Gregg Popovich. Recently, Popovich even received high praise from LeBron James, calling him "greatest NBA coach of all time."
Popovich has proven time and time again that he knows how to augment the skills of the players in his roster. Despite losing Tim Duncan who retired without fanfare, the team will probably continue to be the best defensive team in the NBA.
Pau Gasol's addition is no little feat as well, although some critics suggest that while Pau is incredible offensively, he won't be of much help on the defensive end.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James finally brought home the championship he promised his hometown last season. The big three, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, each had their major contributions to the NBA Finals, which saw them beat the highly favored Golden State Warriors.
But it was LeBron James who stepped up; being down 3-1, they managed to overcome a previously insurmountable deficit with back-to-back 40 point performances from James; not to mention the chase-down block in game 7 which helped seal their victory.
The Cavaliers lost Timofey Mozgov, who will now play for the Lakers. They also lost another big in Sasha Kaun. That means the team is now smaller and will have to learn to rely on small ball to win games. Their biggest gain in the off-season is retaining LeBron James.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
Will the Clippers finally be an NBA champion this season? Probably not, but they are still one of the strongest teams in the NBA today.
They basically have a top 5 center in DeAndre Jordan, top 5 power forward in Blake Griffin, and top 5 point guard in Chris Paul in their starting lineup. They even have one of the best catch and shoot players in the shooting guard position in J.J. Redick.
If that's not enough, the team has former sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford in the bench, waiting to score a bunch of points with the team's second unit.
The team may have lost Jeff Green, but they got another skilled forward in Brandon Bass. The Clippers need to stay healthy to have a real shot at winning the NBA Championship.
5. Toronto Raptors
The biggest strength of the Raptors team is their defense. They lost key players Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola, but they got Jared Sullinger who might replace Patrick Patterson in the starting forward position.
The team also added Jakob Poetl, who will act as a reserve center. But perhaps, the biggest thing the Raptors did in the off-season is to maintain most of its key players, especially their primary offensive weapon, DeMar Derozan.
DeMar Derozan averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game last season, arguably his best performance in his entire 7-year NBA career.
DeRozan also participated in the Olympic Basketball competition in Rio; the team won the gold medal against Serbia. DeRozan displayed his athleticism in the form of acrobatic dunks throughout the Olympic tournament.
The Raptors had a strong 56-26 record last season, and they rightfully didn't shake up their roster too much, as the team is primed to have another playoff run in the 2016-17 NBA season.
