NBA: The Teams That Improved The Most This Offseason

5 of 7

Mar 24, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) shoots the ball in front of Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

3. New York Knicks

Whether or not you believe the New York Knicks are a legitimate contender, there’s no denying that vital improvements were made. The Knicks played Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic together for extended periods of time in 2015-16, and that’s all that needs to be said.

The injury concerns are glaring and obvious, but when a team goes from Arron Afflalo, Calderon and Vujacic as starters to Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings, they’ve improved.

The Knicks may not be a better team than the Boston Celtics, but they made bigger improvements. Calderon, Vujacic, Afflalo, and Jerian Grant were erratic on both ends, and while something similar can be said about Rose, Lee, and Jennings, there’s far more upside.

Lee won’t throw fits when he doesn’t get the ball, Jennings can get his own shot off, and Rose averaged 17.4 points on a slash line of .468/.375/.784 after the All-Star Break.

Furthermore, the Knicks signed 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah to replace Robin Lopez. Though Noah has his share of injury concerns, he’s a vastly superior rebounder and passer to Lopez.

The Knicks have more injury concerns than any team in the NBA, but there’s no denying how much this team improved from a talent perspective.

Next: From No. 8 to No. 2?