#nba #nbahighlights #nbahighlightstoday #nbadraftprospects #nbadraft #shortsvideo #shortsfeed 6 Teams That Can Really Shock the NBA In 2023-24
Every season, at least one team bucks conventional wisdom and transcends expectations by contending for the title or in other instances finishing in higher than anticipated standing. Franchises that have a chance to do either or even both in the upcoming season include:
Orlando Magic
After a dismal start the initial season, magic concluded with a 29-28 over their last 57 games with a rotation stocked with budding talent of 29-year-old Paolo Banchero, 21-year-old Franz Wagner, 24-year-old Wendell Carter Junior, 25-year-old Markelle Fultz, and 22 year old jalen Suggs. Even if only two or three of them are healthy the upcoming season, they should be better than the above negative point 500 team they were over the last two-thirds of 2022-23. The latter means that 40 plus wins are in play, and that would put Orlando in contention for a play in spot; however, ascending much higher than that requires star leaps from Wagner and Banchero, but that’s certainly not out of question for either. Only 13 NBA players in history matched or exceeded all of Wagner’s career totals for rebounds, points, assists, and steals through their initial two seasons, and Wagner trails the leader in effective field-goal percentage.
Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC are stuffed with playmaking and size at multiple positions as they have 6’6” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who made first team All-NBA in 2022-23 and averaged 5.7 assists over the last three years. They also have 20 years old, 6’8” Josh Giddey and 22 year old Jalen Williams who average 6 point three and 4 point one assists respectively from February through the end of the season, which when augmented with a hint of playmaking potential from Chet Holmgren, it’s easy to see the Thunder as one of the most probably dynamic and unpredictable offenses in the NBA. That can actualize if Holmgren lives up to his pre-draft hype as a rim protector. Last season, Thunder featured in the Western Conference play-in-game, and like Orlando, their core could improve ahead of the upcoming season.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Bruce Brown intimated in a recent episode of the Run your Race podcast that Minnesota Timberwolves were their biggest challenge on the way to the title and there may be something to that as only Lakers had a better playoff net rating against Denver. However, from statistics, the Wolves Jumbo frontcourt bounded Nikola Jokic to his lowest average game score, which derives from a rough determiner of a player’s productivity for a single game from any 2023 playoff series. Currently, majority of the roster that posed significant challenge to the reigning champs is coming back for its second season together and presumably, Karl-Anthony Towns will be available for more than the 29 games he featured the last season,
With a fit Towns, the budding Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley on the team from the start of the season means the Wolves could be on the hunt for home-court advantage in the initial round of the playoffs.
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans led in the Western Conference during the early part of the 2022-23 season with their net rating with Zion Williamson on the floor exhibiting a title contender as the team had a plus seven point eight points per 100 possessions, contrasted to minus 0 point one when he was off, plus the latter figure increases to plus 17 point three when Zion shared the floor with Brandon Ingram. Zion and Ingram combination played just under 500 possessions together, which means a small sample alert may be in order, although the Pelicans could score at will with Williamson’s propensity to get to the rim and Ingram’s jump shooting both in display. This means that if both are healthy in the coming season, the Pelicans could undeniably be a contender. However, that is a massive if considering Zion has played in less than 40 per cent of the Pelican’s regular season games since he was drafted while Ingram averaged fewer than 60 appearances per season for his career.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks represent one of the 2022-23 biggest disappointments with their late-season tank job and a flagrant that cost them a $750,000 fine. However, they re-signed Kyrie Irving and added one of the best shooters of all time in Seth Curry. Signed one of Europe’s dybamic guards in Dante Exum and essentially replaced Reggie Bullock with Grant Williams.
All that powerhouse with Luka Doncic forestalls the Mavericks being among the league leaders in the difference of wins between 2022-23 and 2023-24. The Mavericks managed a plus 4 point six points per 100 possessions with a 94th percentile offense when Irving and Doncic were both on the floor, and they currently comprise a deeper and more adaptable supporting cast around them. In as much as it’s insufficient to catapult them from out of the playoffs to title contention,
@New Orleans Pelicans
