The 2015-16 NBA season starts Tuesday! And if it snuck up on you, you're not the only one.
This season has many exciting elements — the Warriors' quest to repeat, the renewal of Kevin Durant, some truly hideous jerseys, LeBron James' return in Year Two, all the talented second-year players returning from injuries and so much more. And if you haven't been keeping up, that's fine: Sporting News has you covered, and we've collected the best of our preview material here.
2015-16 NBA season and playoff predictions
When it came to awards voting, Sporting News' Sean Deveney and Adi Joseph were divided on most counts, including who would take Stephen Curry's MVP. Here's our full list of awards predictions. We also ranked the top 15 players at every position: Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center
The postseason was a different story, as both Deveney and Joseph predicted the Cavaliers to win their first-ever NBA championship. But surrounding that Cleveland optimism were wildly different picks for who would come out of the Western Conference and even who would win certain divisions. Check out all of our team-based predictions here.
But surrounding those choices are a whole series of questions, so we presented nine burning questions for both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
And of course, the NBA can get weird sometimes. So here's to predicting eight very dumb things that will happen this season, from Kobe in the MVP race to Jeremy Lin's hair.
What is new for the 2015-16 NBA season?
The NBA had such a busy offseason, on and off the court. To review, start with these NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams, reviewing teams' moves and vision for the future.
The changes weren't just in personnel, though. There's new socks, new uniforms, new rules and more, all reviewed here in the eight new things to look for this NBA season.
Meanwhile, around the league, the talk is all on the Warriors' title and the emerging "pace-and-space" era. Here are five teams that expect to make major changes in playing style, and to go along with Draymond Green's emergence, a look at true stretch-power forwards capable of dominating games with shooting.
What are some good NBA reads entering this season?
New Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg decided to bench Joakim Noah, and Adi Joseph wonders if that could make him the next Andre Iguodala.
James Harden now has another ball-dominant teammate in Ty Lawson. Let Ian Levy explain (with graphs!) how that should actually help Harden's game.
Pelicans guard Eric Gordon is working on an NBA rebirth, and Sean Deveney went in-depth with him on the seven dates that made it possible.
The NBA center position has shifted out of the low post, but Al Jefferson explains to Adi Joseph how he can keep himself and his game relevant.
How will the Bulls handle their ballhandling duties? Tyler Davis examines the Derrick Rose-Jimmy Butler relationship.
Sometimes the ego is the last thing to go. Mitch Lawrence wonders if Kobe Bryant be willing to admit that he needs to pull back.
Being coach of the Knicks is never easy, but Sean Deveney says Derek Fisher has a particularly difficult situation this season.
The Hawks had a breakout season in 2014-15, winning 60 games. Jeff Teague may very well be the key to them improving on that, writes Adi Joseph.
Beware the Thunder because, as Tim Faklis writes, this could be their best team yet. And nothing is more dangerous than a Russell Westbrook post-up, which Scott Rafferty explores in a detailed film session.
What does Las Vegas say about NBA gambling this year?
The NBA season win totals action has shown some love for the Rockets, Hawks and Bulls.
But the MVP race has an intriguing lurker with the second-best odds in Anthony avis.
OK, but what about my fantasy basketball team?
Our fantasy team has all you need, particularly if you want sleepers. For one, we've got one sleeper per team for all 30. Also be sure to check out our position-by-position sleepers: Point Guards | Shooting Guards | Small Forwards | Big Men
And if you're trying to figure out a good name for your team, go with our list of the best clever options out there.
Who should I be following on Twitter to keep up with Sporting News' NBA coverage?
Start with our main NBA account, @sn_nba. Then continue on with our full writing staff for the season:
- Sean Deveney, lead NBA reporter and columnist, based in Boston
- Adi Joseph, NBA editor and reporter, based in Charlotte
- Tim Faklis, contributing writer based in Minneapolis
- Mitch Lawrence, contributing columnist based in New York
- Danny Leroux, salary cap expert based in Northern California
- Ian Levy, advanced statistics expert based in Vermont
- Brett Pollakoff, sneaker expert based in New Jersey
- Scott Rafferty, NBA Draft and player development expert based in Charlotte
And let us not forget ...
This week, the first week of the regular season, began on a somber note with the death of Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders. Let us remember him as well as Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins and the others in the NBA who have died this season. Let us dedicate this season to them and make it as memorable as they were.
