A new year marks a time to cast away old habits and focus on strengthening your weaknesses.
In this week's edition of the NBA Power Rankings, we look at what each team will look to improve on as the calendar flips to 2016.
Rank
Team
1
Keep taking it one game at a time: It would be easy for the Warriors to mail it in on some nights, but with a playoff showdown against the Spurs seeming inevitable, home-court advantage is key as both teams are perfect at home.
Previous: 1
2
Get to the line: It's remarkably hard to find anything the Spurs need to improve on, but they do average a league-low 18.6 free-throw attempts.
Previous: 2
3
Lock up Kevin Durant: Durant is about to cash in, but the question is where will he do it? An in-season extension probably isn't likely, but the Thunder need to do whatever it takes to keep the superstar in Oklahoma City.
Previous: 4
4
Stay cautious with Kyrie Irving: The superstar point guard is back, but is being eased into action, and rightfully so. This team will be judged by what it does in the playoffs, not the regular season.
Previous: 3
5
Stick with the formula: Without a true superstar player, the Hawks rely on team basketball. It works wonders for them as they were the first Eastern Conference team to reach 20 wins. There aren't any 20-point scorers on the roster, but Atlanta has six guys averaging at least 10 points per game.
Previous: 5
6
Avoid a prolonged losing streak: Indiana is enjoying a bounce-back season, but has been very streaky to this point. The Pacers already have four win streaks of at least three games, but also have three three-game losing skids.
Previous: 7
7
Find consistent bench productivity: Chicago's starting unit is strong, but despite Monday's 51-point outburst, the bench leaves a lot to be desired, especially with Joakim Noah out of commission.
Previous: 9
8
No lulls to start games: Largely speaking, the Raptors have been awful beginning games this season. They've been better of late, but still sit amongst the worst in the league in first-quarter scoring. Now that the lineup is fully healthy, Toronto will aim to get off to faster starts in 2016.
Previous: 8
9
Make better use of Goran Dragic: Dragic is having his worst season since becoming a full-time starter. That might be attributed to having Dwyane Wade, who likes the ball in his hands as much as possible, alongside him in the backcourt. Look for the Heat to figure out a way to get Dragic going in the new year.
Previous: 6
10
Attend anger management classes: The Clippers currently lead the league in technical fouls. It hasn't come back to bite them yet, but complaining to the refs is never a good look.
Previous: 11
11
Keep turnovers down: The Celtics are challenging for the Atlantic Division title and should stay in the hunt if they can keep their turnovers under control. The 15 per game isn't totally back-breaking, but Boston is playing with fire here.
Previous: 15
12
Make the playoffs: Orlando is not a contending team quite yet, but a playoff appearance could do wonders for its growth. The Magic have not made the post-season in the post-Dwight Howard era.
Previous: 13
13
Improve in the paint: The Mavericks are stronger on the perimeter with the arrival of Wes Matthews, but could benefit from attacking the basket more frequently, as evidenced by their 38 points in the paint per game.
Previous: 14
14
Improve on the road: The Hornets are proving to be tough to defeat at home, but have been brought down by their 4-8 road record. Playing the majority of their remaining contests as the visitor, Charlotte needs to figure out how to grind out games away from North Carolina.
Previous: 12
15
Work out a role for Brandon Jennings: The Pistons have fared fine without Jennings this year, but he remains an intriguing piece because of his dynamic scoring ability. It will be interesting to keep an eye on how Stan Van Gundy deploys him in 2016.
Previous: 10
16
Shoot the three with some semblance of respectability: The Grizzlies make only five three-pointers a game while shooting 31 per cent from deep. Yikes.
Previous: 18
17
Stop underachieving: Remember the team that swept the Raptors out of the playoffs back in the spring? They're not back to that level yet, but the Wizards are finally starting to show signs of getting back to their winning ways, taking four of their past five games.
Previous: 20
18
Make a decision on Ty Lawson: After losing his starting job, Lawson's playing time has been sporadic. It appears Houston is giving him another look as he logged over 30 minutes of action on Sunday. Either way, the Rockets need to commit to the point guard, or package him in a deal to address other needs.
Previous: 17
19
Get it done in the fourth: The Knicks struggle in the final frame, ranking near the bottom of the league in both fourth-quarter points scored and fourth-quarter point differential.
Previous: 19
20
Share the rock: The Jazz sit last in the NBA in assists per game. With Alec Burks, one of the team's top scoring options, now out for a significant amount of time, Utah may have to rely more on team-oriented play to stay alive out West.
Previous: 16
21
Clean up the perimeter D: The Kings give up the most three-point field goals in the league at over 10 per game. The perimeter defence has to improve.
Previous: 25
22
Improve on the glass: For a team with so much length, it's puzzling that the Bucks rank 30th in the NBA in rebounds per game.
Previous: 24
23
Get out on the break: Portland could make its life easier if it could improve in the transition game. Entering Tuesday, the Blazers are one of only three teams averaging under 10 fastbreak points per night.
Previous: 28
24
Go up stronger: Denver has been the victim of a number of block parties this season. The Nuggets need to start taking the ball to the hoop with more authority.
Previous: 21
25
Stay the course: No matter how tempting it might be to make a trade and take a run at the post-season, the Timberwolves have something brewing with their group of talented youngsters. Play this season out, grab another lottery pick and see where next year takes you.
Previous: 22
26
Get younger: The Nets are long in the tooth and don't have much in the way of draft picks coming. They should try to sell off whatever they can before the trade deadline to inject some youth into the roster.
Previous: 27
27
Unleash Jrue Holiday: Up until now, Holiday has been on a minutes restriction, but that's about to change. The Pelicans are one of the worst teams in the league at the moment, but are remarkably very much alive in the Western Conference playoff race.
Previous: 26
28
Get rid of Markieff Morris: The Suns are in a total tailspin and have now lost Eric Bledsoe for an extended amount of time. Fresh off a suspension, Morris does not have much trade value right now but he's doing much more harm than good and needs to be rid of. Things aren't pretty in the desert.
Previous: 23
29
Phase Kobe out: This is Kobe's last year, so as tempting as it is to let him take the reins on his way out, LA has to begin the transition to post-Bryant life.
Previous: 29
30
Win the lottery: Despite a string of terrible seasons, the 76ers have not actually won the draft lottery since 1996. They're due, right?
Previous: 30
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