1. Oklahoma City Thunder
In what is arguably the worst division in the NBA, the Thunder should have an easy road to a Northwest Division Title. With the Portland Trail Blazers losing four of five starters from their 2014-2015 roster, the Thunder could very well be the only team in the division to have a winning record by the end of the 2015-2016 season. The other three teams-the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz-were all among the bottom five teams in the Western Conference last season. 16 games against division foes are included in each NBA team's schedule and a team such as the Thunder is all but guaranteed to win a majority of those games. The second biggest indicator of schedule difficulty is every team plays each team in the opposing conference twice. Being in the Western Conference, the Thunder will have a number of difficult in-conference games, but also have a chance to counter those games when they play teams from the Eastern Conference.
2. Atlanta Hawks
After winning 60 games last season, the Hawks were able to maintain all but one of their core pieces and are poised for another successful season. The Southeast Division, comprised of the Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards, makes for a fairly easy schedule. The Heat may give the Hawks a run for the division title depending largely upon the health of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. However, the Hawks are likely to win the season series against each of the other three teams. What's more is the Eastern Conference has not improved drastically so many of the other 36 games against in-conference opponents are likely to turn out in the Hawks' favor. Only a select few teams in the East will contend with the Hawks atop the conference standings. Although DeMarre Carroll departed for the Toronto Raptors, the Hawks improved this offseason in trading for Tiago Splitter, giving them a unique ability to spread the floor with depth at forward.
3. Golden State Warriors
The defending champions are looking at the third easiest schedule of the 2015-2016 season. In a Pacific Division which includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors may once again be kings of the West Coast. Missing only a couple of pieces from last season, Steve Kerr and his squad should roll through division foes. After winning 67 games last season while posting a record of 39-2 at home, the 2015 NBA Champions are in great shape to defend their crown. While the Pacific Division improved slightly, the Clippers are likely the only team that will give the Warriors trouble. As a reminder, being in the Western Conference has the benefit of facing opponents in a weaker conference 30 times.
4. Toronto Raptors
Another team in a below-average division, the Raptors had no problem taking the Atlantic Division Title in 2014-2015. After a great start to last season, the Raptors slipped to the fourth seed in the playoffs, but were only four games back of the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Although they were swept by the Washington Wizards in the first round, several new additions should allow the Raptors to climb to the top of the Atlantic Division yet again. They remain a top team in the East and an easy schedule would allow it to stay that way.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
In one of the more intriguing divisions, the 2015 Eastern Conference Champions are in for another great year. David Blatt will be looking for a number of improvements from last season, including continued emergence from Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova and the health of key players. While the teams in the Central Division-the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons-all seem to have upgraded their rosters, the Cavaliers will be hard to dethrone. Winning the division games may be the toughest challenge as their biggest threat, the Bulls, come from within. As for the others, the Cavs play the Hawks three times and are home for two of the three. The other 30 in-conference games are not likely to be incredibly challenging for the 2015 Central Division Champions, who lost just two playoff games prior to the 2015 NBA Finals.