I guess I just choose to be more optimistic than you. I saw our defense go from bottom 5 to top 8. This flies directly in the face of all the Dame and C.J. can't coexist naysayers, yet it happened. To me, that was a significant improvement that took the team from 41 wins to 49, even though the Western Conference and specifically the NW Division got MUCH tougher.
I also do not believe this group has reached it's ceiling. Our best player just made 1st team All NBA for the first time. He hasn't started to decline, he's still improving. Nurk is 23 and Collins is 20. Those are two key pieces moving forward, and neither has come close to reaching their peak.
We also have a first round pick, two significant trade exceptions and the tax payer MLE to work with. We need a veteran 3 and D wing, either as a 3rd guard or a starting SF. I believe that will be addressed within the next month.
Will we be challenging GSW for a title this coming season? Short of another super team built around LeBron, no one will, but with Dame and C.J. just starting to enter their prime, and Nurk and Collins not even close yet, I still believe we will peak as GSW is beginning to decline.
Personally, even without knowing our final roster, I believe we will win 50+ games, make it to at least the second round and be competitive there, perhaps even make the WCF if the matchups are favorable (i.e. not GSW). That's based on Dame having another 1st team All NBA season, Nurk and Collins improving and using the exceptions and draft to address our biggest weaknesses.
BNM