The wait is almost over folks! The 2015-16 NBA season is less than a week away and the excitement is indeed running rampant across the globe. Many teams have gone through major changes in strengthening their respective bids for a better and successful campaign.
Now to help you prepare even more before the league’s 70th season officially commences this coming Tuesday (October 27), let’s take a close look below at the top favorites who are primed to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the Most Valuable Player Award and the Rookie of the Year Award this year.
Meanwhile, if you’re still unsure on which players to draft for your basketball fantasy team, just click here and find out who are the best picks out there. Enjoy.
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2015-16 NBA Futures Preview and Predictions
NBA Championship Favorites
San Antonio Spurs (+175)
That heart-breaking first round exit to the Los Angeles Clippers in last year’s playoffs is definitely still haunting the San Antonio Spurs to this day. They made sure that that won’t happen again by making the biggest acquisition in the offseason and he goes by the name of LaMarcus Aldrige.
Aldridge, who spent his first nine years in the league with the Portland Trailblazers, is coming off a phenomenal season, during which he averaged a career-best 23.4 points and 10. 2 rebounds through 71 games played. Those numbers alone are more than enough to explain why the Spurs are going to be even scarier.
Though will take some time to build some chemistry with his new teammates in Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and company, playing under a head coach like Gregg Popovich should make the transition much easier.
Cleveland Cavaliers (+280)
Two consecutive years of losing in the Finals has LeBron James hungrier than ever for revenge and the chances of another Finals appearance is not going to be surprising.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Cleveland Cavaliers relatively look the same as last season except with a few additions highlighted by Richard Jefferson and Austin Daye. Other than that, all eyes are on The King, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving to take the team back to the promised land and finally come home with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Health seems to be the problem again for the reigning Eastern Conference champions, as two of their projected starting five will be out for the early part of their 2015-16 campaign. Irving (knee) is expected to return to action on January, while Iman Shumpert (wrist) will be out until late December.
Golden State Warriors (+550)
It’s harder to defend than to win. Nevertheless, the Golden State Warriors will have to do so. They definitely have a very good chance to win it all again with arguably the best backcourt duo in the league today: the reigning MVP Stephen Curry and All-Star Klay Thompson.
Plus of course, their main workhorses in Draymond Green and Finals MVP Andre Iguodala cannot be forgotten. The two played significant roles for their tremendous success last season and have likely improved further during offseason.
The main key, though, for the Warriors is to stay hungry or even hungrier despite winning the title last season. As long as they keep that consistently have that kind of attitude, it’s going to be extremely hard in dethroning them this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder (+800)
The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t make the postseason last year. But that was mainly because Kevin Durant (foot) and Serge Ibaka (knee) for the majority of their games. This year, the Thunder will have the two back and are going to strive for relevance again and of course a championship. Russell Westbrook, who almost single-handedly carried the team to the playoffs, won’t be the only player that opposing teams’ will have to worry about this time around.
Writer’s Prediction
San Antonio makes it back to the Finals and wins their sixth NBA championship.
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
LeBron James (+210)
Losing two-consecutive times in the Finals is hard to swallow. Just ask LeBron James. But knowing the kind of competitor that he is, it’s going to be his main fuel to get even better. Last season, he was a triple-double machine, posting averages of 25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per contest. It’s hard to imagine him tallying better stats than this; however, he’s not at four-time MVP for nothing.
Anthony Davis (+400)
Anthony Davis is only 22 years old. I repeat: 22 years old. He finished fifth in the MVP race voting last year and finished with career numbers of 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 dimes, 1.5 steals and 2.9 blocks. No wonder the Pelicans offered him a contract extension worth $145 million. Davis is definitely going to be worth all that money this approaching season after going through an intense offseason, during which he’s bulked himself up and added a new weapon to his repertoire—three-pointers.
Stephen Curry (+450)
Of course the reigning MVP is here. Stephen Curry will be carrying a lot on his shoulders especially after leading the Warriors to their fourth NBA championship. He averaged 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game last season while also breaking his own league record of made three-pointers in a season. Curry’s accuracy from down town (or from almost everywhere on the floor) and insane dribbling skills remain to be his most lethal and entertaining assets. But his ability to deliver at the clutch is going to be the deciding factor on whether or not he defends his title.
Kevin Durant (+550)
Kevin Durant finally makes his return this season after fully recovering from a surgery on his right foot. That long period of absence has lefty many wondering whether or not the former MVP and former scoring champion can still dominate the league. He’s going to prove that this year. No doubt about it.
Writer’s Prediction
The King wins his fifth MVP award.
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
Jahlil Okafor (+400)
Many people and even Jahlil Okafor himself expected to wear a purple and gold jersey for his rookie season. But the reality is that he’ll be wearing a Sixers uniform this season. This could be a blessing in disguise for Okafor, though, as his current team is still on its rebuilding process. That being the case, Philadelphia has all of its hopes on the 19-year-old center, who’s low-post game has been compared to the likes of Tim Duncan, to finally become franchise player they’ve been looking for. In one season with Duke, Okafor posted 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Emmanuel Mudiay (+500)
The departure of Ty Lawson ignited a new era in Denver. That era is going to be led by Emmanuel Mudiay, the No. 7 overall pick of this year’s draft. He’s already expected to take the starting point guard position and facilitate the offense for the Nuggets. This is a lot of pressure for a rookie but this is also the perfect opportunity for Mudiay to immediately establish himself and prove to fans that he’s not a bust.
Karl-Anthony Towns (+550)
Speaking of pressure, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is going to be handling much of it as well. The No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in his lone year with the Kentucky Wildcats. But, the most intriguing thing about the 19-year-old center is his ability to spread the floor with his long-range shooting and his defensive prowess.
With Andrew Wiggins garnering enough attention of defenders, there’s going to be some room for Towns to shine on offense. And as for the defense, Towns is likely to get a respectable amount of minutes or eventually get the starting job over an injury-prone Nikola Pekovic.
Stanley Johnson (+550)
Stanley Johnson is proving that he’s the real deal thus far. The No. 8 overall pick showcased put on an offensive display in the Orlando Summer League, during which he averaged 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 57 percent through five games.
Then he continued to impress in the preseason, scoring in double-figures fourt imes in the Pistons last seven games. That stretch includes a 26-point offensive outburst against the Pacers on October 6.
This is only the summer league and preseason, though. The real test begins in the opening tipoff of the NBA’s 70th season. But with the way he’s been currently performing, it’s hard not to be optimistic about Johnson’s chances of becoming ROY.
Writer’s Prediction
Emmanuel Mudiay edges Jahlil Okafor for the Rookie of the Year Award.
