NBA Power Rankings: 7 teams enter season as legitimate title threats

Last season: 49-33; projected 2019-20: 48-34

The Boston Celtics will be OK in the wake of the departures of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford over the summer. Kemba Walker comes in to replace Irving and while he might not be quite as dynamic a force on the court, he will create much less turbulence off it.

Daniel Theis will get the first crack at the center spot, with a small-ball look in Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum at the forward spots. Jaylen Brown will start with Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter anchoring the second unit.

Boston has performed well under Brad Stevens when the expectations weren’t sky-high and this should be another of those seasons. If Tatum matures into a star, the Celtics could rise up this list quickly.

The Celtics were 4-0 in the preseason and enter the season with a couple of players banged up. Romeo Langford is day-to-day with a sprained knee, while Robert Williams is in the concussion protocol.

Last season: 57-25; projected 2019-20: 49-33

The Golden State Warriors will not simply fade away, but no longer are they in dynasty mode after an offseason that saw Kevin Durant leave and their bench depth gutted.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are two big reasons why the Warriors will stay competitive, even as they rely on Glenn Robinson III to play starter’s minutes for the first time in his journeyman career. They did add D’Angelo Russell to fill in for injured Klay Thompson.

Rebounding was the big issue during the preseason and Golden State will need to ensure it can finish out possessions, because the team’s margin of error will be much smaller than it has been over the last five seasons.

The Warriors were 2-3 in the preseason. Thompson is out until at least the All-Star break recovering from a torn ACL and newcomer Willie Cauley-Stein will miss the first three weeks at least with a sprained foot. Kevon Looney (hamstring), Alec Burks (ankle) and Alen Smailagic (ankle) are day-to-day.

Last season: 37-45; projected 2019-20: 50-32

The Los Angeles Lakers appear poised to snap their franchise-record six-year playoff drought this season, with the addition of a second superstar to pair with LeBron James. Anthony Davis is the new star in town, coming at a high cost in picks and players from the New Orleans Pelicans.

But with James entering his 17th season, the Lakers’ window with him is not a large one, so getting better sooner rather than later was essential. Danny Green gives Los Angeles some of the shooting it lacked last season, while Dwight Howard is back for a second, much-less-pressure-packed stint with the Lakers.

The second unit will have Kyle Kuzma — when he’s healthy — and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It will be interesting to see if Frank Vogel elects to stagger minutes to try and keep either James or Davis on the floor.

The Lakers were 3-3 in the preseason and have some injury issues already. Kuzma is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his left foot, Talen Horton-Tucker has the same issue in his right foot and Troy Daniels has a knee injury and no timetable. Kostas Antetokounmpo (ankle), Davis (thumb) and Alex Caruso (pelvic bone contusion) are day-to-day.