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NBA win totals for the Detroit Pistons and the rest of the league

By Duncan Smith

Apr 24, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) gets a rebound over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the fourth quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Cavs win 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) gets a rebound over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the fourth quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Cavs win 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets

Record: 35-47

I am admittedly low on the Denver Nuggets at this point. I think they’re going to be better than their 33-49 record of a year ago, but it’s hard to improve in the NBA, and especially the Western Conference.

The development of Emmanuel Mudiay will be crucial to this team improving measurably. A season after shooting 36.4 percent from the floor and 31.9 percent from three-point range, he’s going to have to take a step forward for the Nuggets.

The return of Wilson Chandler will also be significant. He did miss the entire 2015-16 season, coming off a 2014-15 campaign in which he averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The Nuggets may be poised for a step up, but they aren’t likely to lean into that step for another season or so.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Record: 35-47

A lot of people have the Minnesota Timberwolves making the playoffs this season. I don’t. You might think that means I’m not high on this team, but you would be wrong.

I think this will be one of the most interesting and exciting teams this coming season, but I don’t think they’re ready to do a lot of winning. They’re going to be fun though. Another season of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine together is going to be awesome.

Throw in rookie Kris Dunn, and you have everything you want in an entertaining young team that is going to grow by leaps and bounds over the next season or two.

They may not be ready for prime time yet, but that you should still be watching every game you can on NBA League Pass.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Record: 44-38

The Oklahoma City Thunder are sure to take a step back after losing one of the best players in the NBA in Kevin Durant this offseason.

Following up a 55-27 campaign in which they came minutes from unseating the mighty Golden State Warriors (and thereby surely locking up Durant for at least another season, if not five), the Thunder are going to have to figure out how to make things work in his absence.

The main plan will be to give the ball to Russell Westbrook and clear out. He’s always been a one-man wrecking ball, and he’s going to get a whole season to show it now that he’s the clear-cut alpha in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder remain a playoff team even with the absence of the transcendent Durant. They’ve taken steps to add Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova in a trade with the Orlando Magic for Serge Ibaka, and they also added 11th overall pick Domantas Sabonis in that same trade. OKC isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, so there may be more moves in the Thunder’s future going forward this season.

Portland Trail Blazers

Record: 45-37

The Portland Trail Blazers pulled off quite a feat in 2015-16. After a terrible (but not unexpected) 16-29 start to the season, the Blazers caught fire. They went on a torrid 29-8 stretch to finish the season and took the five seed in the Western Conference with a 44-38 record.

They capitalized on an injury to Chris Paul in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers and took that series down in six games, and then moved on to push the Warriors in five hard-fought games in the conference semifinals.

After being a team that found success in a cost-effective fashion, the Blazers broke the bank. They matched an offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets for Allen Crabbe, and are now paying him $75 million over the next four season. They also extended C.J. McCollum and will be paying him $106 million between 2017-18 and 2020-21.

The Blazers paid dearly to keep the band together, and that may hamstring them down the road.

Utah Jazz

Record: 51-31

Other than the Golden State Warriors, the Utah Jazz might be the most improved team in the NBA this season. They have virtually unmatched depth and they’ve perfectly tended to their biggest weakness from a season ago and added a point guard. George Hill will be the floor general this team needs and he should complement this balanced offense and stout defense perfectly.

In addition to Hill, the Jazz have brought Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson into the fold, and they expect to have Dante Exum back to start the season.

The Jazz battled injuries last season and struggled to a 40-42 record, but this season should be different. They can handle injury concerns with their added depth, and they have talent from top to bottom that is going to be hard for most teams to match.

It’s hard not to be excited about this Jazz team.

Next: Southeast Division

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