For some teams, last season was awful. Some teams struggled with form and injuries, while some were just so bad that they had to tank. Luckily for all professional sports teams, there is always next season.
For the NBA, now that most of the major offseason moves have already been completed, it's time to put last season behind them and focus on improving in any way that they can. But which NBA teams will be improving the most? Which NBA teams are ready to make the biggest leap? These are the questions that need to be answered. By the time the new season is in full fruition, the NBA world will know. But where's the fun in that, when you can attempt to predict them? With that being said, here are three teams that could improve tremendously.
Miami Heat (Last season's record: 37-45)
The Miami Heat most certainly did not improve last season. Following a devastating Finals loss at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs during the 2013-14 season, the Heat lost the best player in the world, LeBron James. It's not often that this will happen to a team, but when it does, it doesn't exactly help.
The Heat were actually still a decent team last season, especially during the early stages. But then the injuries started to pile up. Chris Bosh missed every game after the All-Star break due to blood clots in his lung. Josh McRoberts missed a majority of the season and Dwyane Wade, in what is almost an annual occurrence, missed 20 games.
But now that Miami has had an entire offseason of rest and are presumably healthy and ready to go, this team looks scary.
The starting lineup of Goran Dragic, Wade, Luol Deng, Bosh and hidden gem Hassan Whiteside is truly intimidating. The starters have the look of true contenders, with a good blend of defense, athleticism, shooting and experience. But it's their depth that could be the strongest part of Erik Spoelstra's team.
The new additions of high flyer Gerald Green and serviceable big man Amar'e Stoudemire give their bench a nice new look. The Heat also have a new, young stud in town by drafting Duke's Justise Winslow, who may even have a shot at the starting job with his defense, athleticism and decent shooting stroke. The rest of the bench is also very good, right down to the reserves. With Mario Chalmers, Shabazz Napier, Josh McRoberts, James Ennis, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem rounding out the team.
This Heat team could very well challenge for the Eastern Conference crown that King James proudly wears, and as long as they can stay relatively healthy, they are sure to improve on their 37-45 record from last season.
New York Knicks (17-65)
While many Knicks fans wanted superstars out of their offseason, Phil Jackson instead went out and started to build a team. They didn't land Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol or any of the big names, but their offseason was quietly good.
The Knicks are clearly building their team around superstar Carmelo Anthony and they started to do that. For starters, the sneaky signing of Arron Afflalo alongside Anthony on the wing works almost perfectly. Anthony will obviously continue to take a majority of the shots and the offense will run through him, but Afflalo can be a nice secondary option for the offense and plays good defense on the perimeter, something that Melo doesn't do all too well.
They also signed former Blazers' big man, Robin Lopez. Lopez will be the backbone of a Knicks defense that was ranked 22nd in the league last season in terms of opponent points per game. Lopez showed that he was a fantastic defensive player in Portland. He protects the rim and plays great post defense. Getting a defensive big man like Lopez was probably the biggest need for the Knicks entering the offseason, something that they have now addressed.
The Knicks added depth in free agency too. Their additions of former second overall pick, Derrick Williams and Orlando big man Kyle O'Quinn will give them frontcourt insurance.
Their draft, while it was criticized by many, was solid and can help them get wins immediately. Kristaps Porzingis got booed, but his athleticism and potential to be a rim protector, as well as his shooting touch as a big man are all things that the Knicks need. Porzingis can play off Carmelo Anthony in his first season and get lots of open looks. On the defensive side of things, he will be playing with a great defender in Lopez behind him, covering up any weaknesses he may have on that side of the floor.
Trading Tim Hardaway Jr. for Jerian Grant was a good move as well. Trading a shooter for a point guard that could come in and compete for a starting job immediately is a trade you would make every day of the week.
It should always be easy to improve on 17 wins, but with their new and improved roster, as well as Carmelo Anthony being healthy, this Knicks team should be able to improve significantly.
Oklahoma City Thunder (45-37)
This one's easy.
The Thunder are coming off a season where they were plagued with injuries. Kevin Durant only played 27 games, Russell Westbrook missed some of the early season and Serge Ibaka missed much of the run home. It should be easy enough to improve on their record with those three coming back. But their chances are even better when you take into consideration that they added some more firepower.
Firstly, Enes Kanter is back in the fold. Kanter was one of the better centers in the entire league after the All-Star break. He averaged 18.7 points and 11 rebounds with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka out. His post presence adds something that the Thunder has never had in the Durant/Westbrook era. That presence means that the Thunder will be able have another weapon on offense that will be able to get Durant and Westbrook easier looks.
Drafting Cameron Payne will give the Thunder another option off the bench and a possible D.J. Augustin or Dion Waiters replacement. Steven Adams and Mitch McGary make for great frontcourt depth and will be able to fill in with ease if either Kanter or Ibaka get injured.
Probably the biggest addition will be coach Billy Donovan. Donovan will be replacing Scott Brooks, who struggled to get the offense going, even with superstars Durant and Westbrook in place. If Donovan can keep the defensive identity that Brooks installed, but add some more offensive movement and productivity, the Thunder could be the best team in the league,
But again, the biggest thing for OKC is getting Durant back healthy, having Westbrook for a full season and Ibaka too. If Oklahoma City can stay healthy, they will be one of the best teams in the league and will easily improve on their 45-37 record from the 2014-15 season.
While many teams will improve on their records heading into next season, it is these three teams that probably have the best chance. Keep a lookout for them to have big 2015-16 seasons.