1. Golden State Warriors
“Strength in numbers” wasn’t just a theme for the Warriors during their championship run. It’s something that was front and center when head coach Steve Kerr benched Andrew Bogut in lieu of Andre Iguodala for Game 4 of the Finals. Three consecutive wins later, and the Warriors were champs with Iggy winning the MVP of the Finals. Going 9-10 deep is something this squad took pride in.
Now coming off a 2014-15 campaign that saw the team win a total of 83 games, postseason included, Golden State is primed for another championship run.
Unsung hero Draymond Green is a restricted free agent, but both him and the team have made it clear that he’s going to return next season. Outside of that, there isn’t going to be much turnover here. MVP Stephen Curry and fellow All-Star Klay Thompson will be the faces of the franchise for the foreseeable future. In addition to Green, who is still just 25-years-old, there is a ton of young talent here. Harrison Barnes upped his game big time this year, and is just 23. Meanwhile, young center Festus Ezeli, 25, showed a ton of promise during the championship run. We can even go deep into the bench to look at the likes of James Michael McAdoo, Ognjen Kuzmic and Justin Holiday to find other youngsters with bright futures.
Outside of Green, the only other real decision this team needs to make here is who to trade David Lee to and whether to seek cap relief in said trade. Iguodala will join Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston as top bench options. Green and Barnes will likely continue to improve. Meanwhile, the core of the team will lead this squad into contention for the foreseeable future. The only real thing holding Golden State back from being odds-on-favorites to win the title is just how difficult the rest of the Western Conference is right now—something you will see below.