By the time one of the wildest final nights of any regular season wrapped up Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors set an unthinkable record with 73 wins, Steph Curry finished the 2015-16 season with 102 more three pointers than anybody in history, and Kobe Bryant broke Twitter after dropping 60 points on 50(!!!) shots in a comeback win during his final NBA game. A fitting end to what was an incredible campaign. We can only hope the momentum carries into the playoffs, but until then Sportsnet’s NBA panel breaks down the winners and losers from a record-setting season.
Earlier, the panel handed out our 2015-16 NBA Awards.
Next up, we wrap up the (regular) season that was with some burning questions:
Which player took the biggest leap this season?
Michael Grange, columnist: Steph Curry. He became a legend.
Dave Zarum, NBA Editor: Kawhi Leonard. It’s stunning to think he went from not making an All-NBA team last season to establishing himself as a bona fide Top 5 player who can absolutely carry a team on his shoulders, and the single most coveted Under-25 player in the NBA. Bonus points for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s second half surge. I can’t wrap my head around the player he’ll become if he continues to get better.
Eric Smith, Raptors broadcaster: C.J> McCollum. It may have been simply a case of more minutes, but he took the playing time and exploded.
Blake Murphy, contributor: Kemba Walker. Despite giving McCollum the MIP award, Kemba Walker’s improvements may mean more in terms of his long-term career trajectory (although the presence of Nic Batum was huge for him, too).
Steven Loung, associate editor: C.J. McCollum. McCollum showed flashes at the end of last season and was able to put it all together this time around thanks to an increased role with LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure from Portland. He has future all-star written all over him and this season he showed that his scoring exploits at Lehigh wasn’t a fluke.
Donnovan Bennett, staff writer: Draymond Green. Green had one triple-double in his career before this year. The Warriors offence now runs exclusively through Green who doubled his assists from 3.7 to 7.5 per game. Green went from over paid role player to legit all-star and salary cap steal.
What was your favourite storyline this season?
Grange: Golden State Warriors’ pursuit of 73.
Jeff Simmons, staff writer: Warriors & 73. I never thought any team would surpass the 70-win mark for a long, long time and it just so happened to be the most exciting and fun team in the NBA that did it.
Craig Battle, senior editor: The steadily improving Minnesota Timberwolves. They lost a lot, particularly early, but the ceiling for that team is so high. The starting five is already rounding into form, and every contributor is still improving. What’s more, they seem like good dudes to a man. Hard not to cheer for them.
Murphy: Definitely not LeBron’s subtweets. It’s definitely the Warriors’ chase for 73 wins, and not just the chase itself, but how they managed to make every single outing a must-watch. They were nice to have in my life every two or three nights.
Loung: Kristaps-mania. It was hard not to get behind Kristaps Porzingis after the Knicks faithful booed him to hell after he was drafted. I had the chance to watch some Euroleague Sevilla games and saw him play before he arrived in the NBA and he seemed like a solid NBA prospect to me, thus, when he completely exceeded my (and everyone else’s expectations) I was absolutely delighted. Everything from the outrageous memes seen all over Twitter about himThe Knicks should be a relevant team, and while Porzingis did drop off at the end of the season, he made them relevant for most of the first half of the season.
Zarum: The Raptors make history. The Raps were a fun watch, an agreeable group that played hard and consistently played good basketball. And from the continued growth of DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas, to the emergence of players like Norm Powell and Bismack Biyombo, there was a lot to like about how this team performed. I know the average fan was scarred by the Wizards sweep last season, but this team just wrapped up the single most successful regular season in Toronto sports history. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Bennett: Warriors vs history. Not only were they on pace to make history but historical figures like Oscar Robertson, Scottie, Pippen and Isiah Thomas took shots at them along the way. On and off the court they were competing with ghosts of the NBA’s past.
Which team was the most pleasant surprise?
Simmons: Boston Celtics. The NBA is all about superstars but the Celtics went about their success using a different formula — with a well-balanced roster without star power led by an innovative young coach. They don’t have the roster on paper of a top five team in the East.
Battle: Portland. I thought they were bound for the basement and would’ve put money in it.
Zarum: Portland. The Trailblazers lost four starters from last year, replaced them with unheralded role players, and managed to defy expectations all season long.
Grange:: Toronto. The Raptors went from first-round busts to the cusp of the elite.
Bennett: Golden State. The 72 wins record is a number I thought would never be touched. It was up there with Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points for me. The fact the Warriors not only were honest about going after it but were healthy enough to do so is incredible. Remember many people felt the Warriors wouldn’t repeat as champions because the Cavs were healthy and the Spurs beefed up. The Warriors surprised everyone except themselves.
Which team was the most disappointing?
Zarum: Milwaukee. The Bucks had a ton of promise heading into this season, a young and athletic team developing their own style. Instead of taking the natural next step in their development, the team regressed, big time.
Smith: Washington. The Wizards were a letdown. Even with Bradley Beal in and out of the lineup, I expected more.
Battle: Chicago They were hampered by injuries, but clearly they played below their ability against teams not based in Toronto. And their almost sure to lose Pau Gasol this summer, making a quick turnaround seem unlikely.
Murphy: Chicago. The writing maybe should have been on the wall with the management-Tom Thibodeau drama and an ill-advised
coaching change, but then injuries struck, too, and the whole season became a mess.
Loung: Milwaukee. What happened here? The Bucks were a playoff team last season and looked to be a team on the rise coming into the beginning of the year with big free agent signing of Greg Monroe and the acquisition of Greivis Vasquez. Jason Kidd’s absence from the sidelines likely played a big factor, but the talent on this team should’ve at least made them more competitive than they were this season. So disappointing.
Which player put themselves in the best position to get a hefty raise this summer?
Grange: Hassan Whiteside.
Loung: Bismack Biyombo. Bismack Biyombo. The Raptors took a flyer on Biyombo after the Hornets didn’t give him a qualifying offer and came up gold. As a result, Biyombo will definitely opt out of his current deal and look to cash in big. And why not? He’s earned
Murphy: Kent Bazemore. Kent Bazemore. The list of young players who showed marked improvement ahead of free agency and the cap boom is endless, but Bazemore is unrestricted, will get some votes for All-Defense teams as a key part of the league’s No. 2 defense, and is set to cash in.
Battle: Hassan Whiteside. Hassan Whiteside. He’s getting paid less than $1,000,000 this season. Even with the maturity questions that follow him around, he’s an unrestricted free agent and his raise could be in the 2,000-percent range if someone offers him the max.
Bennett: Biyombo. Timing is everything. Last year summer Biyombo was looking for suitors as the Hornets had no interest in retaining his rights. Meanwhile Tristan Thompson signed a 5 year $82 million dollar deal off of the strength of a playoff run full of energy, rebounding and defense. If Biyombo helps Toronto out of the first round cleaning up the glass and swatting shots he’ll be in line for a TT level raise this summer.
Smith: DeMar DeRozan. If it was in question before, it isn’t anymore: DeRozan will get the max now.
Who is the most intriguing free agent heading into this summer?
Bennett: Kevin Durant. The Durant sweepstakes will be the hottest topic all summer. Washington, LA, Golden State, Miami, Toronto and his current franchise Oklahoma City all will have to make contingency plans based on KD’s decision. Plus, the option that KD opts to take a one year deal and do this all again a year from now alongside Russell Westbrook makes it even more compelling. This is all assuming LeBron James doesn’t opt out and flee Cleveland again.
Battle: Kevin Durant. For obvious reasons.
Simmons: Kevin Durant. Not going to overthink this one. It’s Kevin Durant. Whenever an legitimate star hits the free-agent market, in any sport, it is super exciting. Especially now when Durant’s earning potential will be crazy as the NBA salary cap number Is expected to skyrocket.
Loung: Chandler Parsons. Everyone’s taking KD, so I’ll try something a little more interesting and that’s Chandler Parsons. The 27-year-old has a player option for next season so chances are very good that he’s going to opt out. Will he receive a maximum contract from somebody? His numbers say he shouldn’t, but a long wing who shoots 41 per cent from three and can guard three positions is very, very intriguing for teams.
Zarum: Boban Marjanovic. He might be really good! Or he might be unable to play more than 15 minutes a night and is perfectly disguised in limited action on a loaded Spurs team. But if Boban has a breakout game or two in the playoffs, there’ll be a long lineup of teams willing to roll the dice on the 7’3” 27 year-old Serbian rookie.
Which team has the most at stake this off-season?
Smith: Oklahoma City. If they lose KD…
Battle: (tie) Oklahoma City and Cleveland. They face losing Durant and LeBron, respectively, which would be disastrous in either case. OKC could roll with the punch reasonably well at least until Russell Westbrook’s looming free-agency decision, but the Cavs would be immediately decimated.
Loung: Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles Lakers. With Kobe farewell tour officially in the rearview the Lakers will need to get it right this summer. That means nailing their first-round pick in the draft and, more importantly, attracting a big-time free agent to help with the rebuild. Despite the apparent dysfunction in Hollywood, Los Angeles does have some good young pieces, but they need a lot of support and that all starts with the summer of 2016.
Zarum: Chicago. The players clash with the coach, the star player clashes with his teammates, the former star player is a shadow of his old self and reluctant to pass the baton, everybody is miserable, and there doesn’t seem to be a plan in place to fix any of it. Unless the Bulls make some bold moves, it could be a long few years in Chicago.
Murphy: Chicago.Chicago. After “winning” the battle with Thibodeau only to have it blow up in their faces some, I’m not sure how long a leash Gar Forman and company have at this point, and they’ll be navigating some tricky timeline waters.
