NBA: The Big Question Facing Every Team In 2015-16

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Oct 20, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball as Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) defends during the first quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Heading into a new NBA season, it’s fairly obvious where every team will end up. After a summer of drafting rookies, offseason trades and free agency signings, every team in the association fits into a certain category. There are the obvious title contenders, the undeniable bottom-feeders, the fringe playoff teams, the young teams on the rise…the list goes on and on.

And yet, after a summer of roster reconfiguring and front office maneuvering, every NBA team has the prerogative to feel optimistic at the start of a new season. The losses haven’t started piling on yet, the tempers haven’t flared up and everyone’s on equal footing. Why not believe you’re a playoff team until reality proves otherwise?

Heading into the 2015-16 NBA season, we’ve already seen headlines like that crop up from pretty much every team except the Philadelphia 76ers (for obvious reasons). But even if we know the basic lay of the land in each conference, we inevitably learn truths over the course of an 82-game season that could only be wondered about leading up to opening night.

The reason the NBA is so great is that even during a team’s lost season, there’s always progress to be had. Whether it’s developing young talent, tanking for higher draft picks, giving on-the-rise stars their first taste of the postseason, or competing for a championship, every fan base in the NBA has reason to watch their team play and move toward something tangible.

The best team in the NBA usually wins the championship, but on any given night, any player can go off and any team can beat anybody. It’s what makes the regular season so fun, and in an upcoming season that features nearly one-third of the league in the “legitimate contender” category, every team is worth an extended sneak preview.

Bearing that in mind, here’s a look at the central storyline that each team’s season revolves around. For the sake of variety, we’ll try to avoid obvious questions like “Will Team X make the playoffs?” or “Will Player Y stay healthy?”. Without further ado, here’s a look at the big question for each and every team in the association in 2015-16.

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