NBA win totals for the Detroit Pistons and the rest of the league
By Duncan Smith
Pacific Division
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 16-66
I have the Los Angeles Lakers with the worst record in the NBA. Not just that, but a record worse than last season’s dreadful 17-65 campaign. Of all 30 teams, my Twitter win projections got the most hate from Laker Nation, so here is my rebuttal.
Byron Scott is finally and mercifully gone, replaced by rookie head coach and former Laker Luke Walton. Walton coached the Golden State Warriors on an interim basis to start last season and led the Dubs to an incredible 29-0 start. On paper this looks like a coaching upgrade. It probably is. It may be a while until we can be sure of that, though, because Stephen Curry ain’t walking through that door.
Walton benefited from a transcendent performance from one of the most explosive players in our generation. With the Lakers, he’ll have Jose Calderon and Jordan Clarkson in the backcourt. Timofey Mozgov is a rich man now thanks to the largesse of the Buss family and his new four-year $64 million contract.
The Lakers also added Luol Deng. Deng averaged 13.7 points per 36 minutes last season with the Miami Heat. Nick Young is the longest-serving returning Laker. Yi Jianlian is back in the NBA, which is cool. Jianlian has averaged 7.9 points per game in the 272 NBA games he’s played in his career, none of which have come since 2012.
Kobe Bryant is gone, as is Roy Hibbert. These are both good things, and the Lakers are younger as a result. That’s a good thing too, or at least it will be in a season or two as D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram mature together.
In the meantime, this is a team that plays in a division with the Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, and they’re not better than the Phoenix Suns or the Sacramento Kings. In fact, they’re not BETTER than anybody in the NBA. They won’t be favored in more than a handful of games this season, and youth will not work in their favor at this point in their development.
The Lakers are bad. It won’t be pretty. Come at me Laker Nation.
Sacramento Kings
Record: 33-49
The Sacramento Kings had yet another season to forget in 2015-16, going 33-49. Things weren’t easy for the Kings or head coach George Karl, and he was mercifully shown the door after the season ended.
The Kings upgraded at coach this offseason and brought in Dave Joerger, formerly of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings also brought in former Detroit Pistons Anthony Tolliver and Arron Afflalo. Never a franchise afraid of total disaster, they also signed Ty Lawson and Matt Barnes.
They still have DeMarcus Cousins, but as the NBA’s most team-friendly contract nears its end after the conclusion of next season, time is ticking to move him somewhere that would allow them to get some value for him. Barring some unforeseen event, he’s not coming back to Sacramento once his contract expires.
It might be a bit cynical to project no improvement whatsoever for the Kings this season, but the Kings are a franchise that make it easy to be cynical.
Phoenix Suns
Record: 33-49
Gone are the heady days of 2013-14 when the Phoenix Suns shocked the world and just missed the playoffs with 48 wins. They declined to a more reasonable 39 wins in 2014-15, and they experienced unmitigated disaster last season with a 23-59 campaign.
They split up the Morris twins, sending Marcus Morris to the Detroit Pistons for next to nothing, and the ensuing apocalypse led to both the firing of head coach Jeff Hornacek and the shipping of Markieff Morris east to the Washington Wizards.
Former Detroit Pistons’ point guard Brandon Knight played just 52 games due to injury, and Eric Bledsoe had a disastrous injury-riddled season in which he only played 31 games. If this backcourt duo can’t stay healthy, 33 wins may be generous.
Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 54-28
The Los Angeles Clippers are swiftly and surely blowing through Chris Paul‘s peak and are risking doing the same with Blake Griffin. The Clippers won 53 games last season in spite of getting just 35 games out of Griffin.
Paul is a year older and not likely to get healthier as he ages either. For that matter, Griffin hasn’t played more than 67 games since 2013-14. His health and contributions will be essential the Clippers prospects if they want to compete in the upper echelons of the tough Western Conference.
Also, J.J. Redick is awesome and so is his podcast.
Golden State Warriors
Record: 66-16
Ah yes, the only team that actually matters in the Western Conference. The Golden State Warriors won 73 games last season and then went out and got better. A whole lot better. The Warriors lost Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, but added David West and Zaza Pachulia.
Also Kevin Durant.
The Warriors will win as many games in the regular season as they want, injuries notwithstanding. If they stay healthy, they can beat their regular season win record. 75 wins is not out of the realm of possibility if they decide to go for it.
That said, I’m not going to be projecting 70 win seasons in September. There’s always the slight chance that it takes them time to get on the same page, but as a starting point they could plug Durant into Barnes’ role and decimate everything in sight.
Injuries and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only things that can stop the Warriors this season.
Also, I’m obligated to mention Stephen Curry any time I speak of the Warriors.
Next: Northwest Division