The NBA world has belonged to the Warriors and Cavaliers for three years running and we’re just living in it. Guess what? Those two are the favorites once to meet once again, for an unprecedented fourth consecutive NBA Finals. The good thing for NBA fans is that, despite the suggestion that teams wait out this run of dominance, we saw more loading up of rosters than any summer in recent memory. Several teams are going for it and want to be in the mix. That makes the entire regular season worth it.
That said, a handful of teams are heading in the opposite direction. Very few are openly tanking to open the season, but a few are actively not trying very hard to win. That makes for a better product overall, but it leaves a question of why you should watch some of the lesser teams. Well, here is your guide.
Atlanta – The Hawks are one of those teams that isn’t trying too hard to win. Travis Schlenk is in full tear-down mode, but they still have some young players worth tracking. For better or worse, this is now Dennis Schroeder’s team. Taurean Prince is slated to start while DeAndre Bembry and John Collins should be part of the rotation. Collins was a highlight machine at Summer League.
Boston – The Celtics blew it up despite finishing with the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference and advancing to the conference finals. The addition of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward alone make this team worth watching, but the young guys might be the most fun. Jaylen Brown is a ferocious in-game dunker and highlight waiting to happen. Jayson Tatum has all the moves on offense and is starting right from the jump. And don’t forget about Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart.
Brooklyn – Despite the absence of their own draft picks, the Nets have some youth to build around. D’Angelo Russell is now essentially their draft pick and he’ll be given plenty of leeway to make plays on offense. Caris LeVert grew rapidly last year. Jeremy Lin is always an enjoyable watch, and the Nets play an eye-pleasing style. They play hard, push the ball and launch threes with abandon. After turning Brook Lopez into a threat from behind the arc, Kenny Atkinson has eyes on doing the same for Timofey Mozgov. If he can pull that one off, give him Coach of the Year. Finally, look for Allen Crabbe to make a run at Steph Curry’s three-pointers made records. He’ll fire at will and hit over 44 percent last year.
Charlotte – The Hornets become the latest to try and rehabilitate Dwight Howard’s career. If he can show more than he did in the preseason, Charlotte will have one of the best defenses in the NBA. Beyond that, watch Kemba Walker score over bigger players on a regular basis, and Malik Monk might have the sweetest shot to enter the NBA in a while.
Chicago – Things are bad for the Bulls. They rarely openly tank, and won’t this year, but they are going to be awful. Latch on to watching the development of Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. And Zach LaVine should be back in November.
Cleveland – Is this LeBron James last go-around in Cleveland? The Cavs re-tooled many of their role players and swapped Kyrie Irving out for Isaiah Thomas. How does it all come together? There might be one too many cooks in the kitchen, giving Tyronn Lue one of the toughest coaching jobs in the NBA. The depth alone makes them a must watch.
Dallas – The Mavericks are still figuring out how to handle Dirk Nowitzki’s NBA twilight years. They aren’t good enough to contend, but too good to bottom out. Harrison Barnes is quietly becoming one of the league’s best scorers. And Dennis Smith Jr. is on a mission to prove everyone wrong who passed on him at the draft. He’s going to look to make those detractors look bad while doing it too.
Denver – This might be the NBA’s most fun offense to watch. The big men can handle and pass. They run the floor. They can shoot at all five positions. They are legitimately 10 deep, so injuries shouldn’t wreck anything if a guy has to miss a week or two. Nikola Jokic is blossoming into a star before our eyes, and Gary Harris is quietly one of the most efficient guards in the entire NBA.
Detroit – Can Andre Drummond get back to where he was before his new contract? If he can, the Pistons are infinitely more enjoyable to watch. Avery Bradley is a joy to watch when he puts opposing guards in his own personal torture chamber. And Tobias Harris says he wants to step up this year. A motivated Harris could be one of the best scoring forwards in the league.
Golden State – There isn’t anything left to say. The Warriors play beautiful basketball. You can always watch them to root against them if you want. But if you need a reason to root for them, how about this one? Omri Casspi, new backup forward, enters the season as the NBA’s active leader in games played without a playoff appearance at 499. Root for him to get to the postseason for the first time!
Houston – Last year I thought James Harden might score 30 points per game and average 7 assists per game. He just missed the scoring side, but blew away the assists. His numbers will drop with Chris Paul around, but the Rockets will be better for it. Mike D’Antoni’s system is always fun to watch and he has all the right pieces to keep it humming.
Indiana – Paul George is gone and so are a lot of the other contributors to last year. This is Myles Turner’s team now and he should be given every opportunity to thrive. Victor Oladipo is back in Indiana and could finally become the 20 point per game scorer many thought he would when he was picked second overall in 2013.
LA Clippers – Chris Paul is gone, but the Clippers aren’t starting over. Blake Griffin seems healthy and Danilo Gallinari is the best small forward they’ve had in a decade. But the best reason to watch is Milos Teodosic. He makes passes that no other player would even dare attempt. He’s worth staying up late on the East Coast to watch.
LA Lakers – The Lonzo Ball era begins. He’ll be a great watch because his passing is infectious. And Brandon Ingram might win Most Improved Player, as he grows into a consistent high teens scorer. Lots of other young talent surrounded by quality vets. The Lakers won’t win much, but they’ll be a lot more fun to watch in the late night window.
Memphis – The Grizzlies lost the heart and soul of the “grit ‘n’ grind” group. But they should be better offensively. That alone will make them a little easier to watch. Marc Gasol is now a three-point threat and that helps round out his already incredible versatile offensive game.
Miami – The Heat play really hard. They get after teams on defense and are among the best conditioned groups in the NBA. They needed more shooting up front and got it with Kelly Olynyk. If last year’s 31-10 finish is more of an indicator than the 10-31 start, Miami will be a playoff team for sure. Oh, and Goran Dragic might be the best star player who isn’t generally regarded as a star player in the entire NBA.
Milwaukee – Giannis Antetokounmpo is firmly in superstar territory now. He’s arguably the NBA’s best all-around player, able to do it all at 7’0’’ tall. Jabari Parker is out again, which is a bummer, but Khris Middleton is healthy, and Thon Maker became one of the NBA’s youngest starters last year. The Bucks made a big leap forward last year and should be ready for another step this season.
Minnesota – We all might have been a year too early on the Timberwolves in 16-17. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are one of the better young duos in the NBA, and this year Jimmy Butler and a host of vets join the fray. The Wolves finally appear ready to end a playoff-less streak that reached a baker’s dozen last year.
New Orleans – Can Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins succeed as the Pelicans go big when everyone else goes small? If anyone can, they have the talent to pull it off. And the offense might be really old school, as Alvin Gentry recently said Cousins might be the team’s best shooter. The NBA is best when its teams are different and the Pels will be playing some serious bully ball.
New York – Kristaps Porzingis is unequivocally the man now. Carmelo Anthony is gone and Porzingis has the Big Apple all to himself. The Knicks also have an eclectic mix of guards, headed by Frank Ntilikina, who might not be ready to do much offensively, but could be a terror on defense from day one.
Oklahoma City – Russell Westbrook’s one man show was fun for a year. Now he has help with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Watching all three learn to play together should be fascinating and they all have the skills to pull it off. George and Anthony will love playing with Steven Adams and his bone crushing screens, and Andre Roberson’s deference on offense.
Orlando – The Magic are starting over again, but this time the team makes sense. After trying, and failing, to load up last year, this roster is more balanced. Aaron Gordon is at power forward where he belongs, Jonathan Isaac brings a ton of potential and length off the bench, and Jonathon Simmons promised to “unleash the animal” now that he is freed from the rigid Spurs system. No idea what that means, but it sounds like a lot of fun!
Philadelphia – Last year we said: “We trusted the process and now it is time to deliver.” So, let’s just run that back! Joel Embiid is healthy to start the year. Ben Simmons is back to play as a 6’10’’ primary ball handler and Markelle Fultz is in the mix now. J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson lend a veteran presence. The Sixers are really ready to win this time. We promise!
Phoenix – Just watch the young guys, while hoping for trades for the vets. Devin Booker is a scoring machine and Marquese Chriss was a fun player as a rookie. Dragan Bender is healthy and should be among the top reserves. Who knows where Josh Jackson will play, but he’ll show up when he does.
Portland – The Trail Blazers took a step back last year after the previous year’s surprise run. With a full season of Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers have a solid inside-outside combination. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum don’t care if you don’t think they work together, they just get it done. Caleb Swanigan might play right off the bat too and he’s happy to throw guys around inside the paint.
Sacramento – DeMarcus Cousins and the perpetual storm cloud that followed him around is gone. The Kings have more guys on rookie scale contracts than any other team in the NBA. That alone makes them fun. The vets they added are solid locker room guys and should help shepherd along the youngsters. When De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield team up, they’ll balance each other and make things happen. Hopefully they happen in a good way more often than in a bad way.
San Antonio – Kawhi Leonard would be the favorite to win MVP if he was healthy to start the year. And he still might win it anyway. The Spurs have a much more offense-focused feel this year, which is a departure from the norm. As always, basketball purists will enjoy their “death by a thousand cuts” approach. And someone we aren’t expecting will emerge as the next big thing the Spurs have produced. My money is on Brandon Paul.
Toronto – Toronto is running it back. The offense is an efficient machine that kills you in different ways than many others, using jumpers and post-ups. DeMar DeRozan is the current kind of the midrange game in the NBA. The real reason to watch the Raps this year? Norman Powell is finally going to have a consistent role. He always makes things happen when he gets to play and this year he should take off.
Utah – We waited for this group to produce a playoff appearance, and just like that it might be over. Gordon Hayward is gone, but just about everyone else of importance is back. Ricky Rubio brings a little flash to an efficient, yet sometimes blah offense. And guys keep challenging Rudy Gobert despite repeated failures to produce any sort of good result. It’s always fun to watch him deter their drives with a growing disdain that matches prime Dikembe Mutombo.
Washington – John Wall and Bradley Beal are both healthy and are probably the best non-Curry/Thompson backcourt in the NBA. Otto Porter has become the third scorer the team needed. And they have enough edge and attitude for about 10 teams. This group feels disrespected and that makes them dangerous and fun.
