The new NBA season is set to start from the 22nd of October. All the teams have put in the work this offseason and are ready for another gruelling campaign. The difference makers among the lot will be the teams that have acquired the right talent this year.
Advertisement
However, the NBA’s talent pool is so vast this year, that many teams deemed underdogs can cause a lot of trouble to some of the favorites.
So, before we head into the new NBA season, let’s take a look at the five underdog teams that have the potential to make a lot of noise in their Conference.
The Orlando Magic
The Orlando franchise is looking prepared for next season with some new players who have been added and others who have re-signed. During the Magic’s Media Day, the team seemed confident about their plans for the next season.
One of the biggest additions they have made this year is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP averaged 10.1 points per game last season while shooting 46% from the field and 40.6% from the three-point line.
Other additions to the team include Tristan da Silva, the 18th overall pick in the draft. The Magic have also re-signed Gary Harris, a specialist defender and a three-point shooter, and Trevelin Queen to a two-way contract. They have offered a five-year extension to Franz Wagner and a veteran extension to Jonathan Isaac as well.
During the Media Day, Magic center Goga Bitadze said that he believes that the team can do so much more than what they did last year.
He said, “Everybody’s like, okay, we made it to the playoffs, we made it to a Game 7, [but] nobody is satisfied…we know that we can do a lot more.”
The Magic ended their last regular season with a 47-35 record and secured a spot in the playoffs. However, they couldn’t move past the first round as they lost to the Cavaliers in seven games.
In this new season, they stand a chance to cause a major upset in the league under Paolo Banchero’s leadership.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have offered a lot of extension contracts this offseason. Tristan Thompson will be making a comeback to the team after his 25-game suspension. They have also re-signed Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley.
The Cavs have re-signed Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell on veteran extensions as well. Last season, they made a good run in the league, finishing the regular season with a 48-34 record. In the playoffs, they cleared the first round against the Magic, but ended up losing the Conference Semifinals to the Celtics in five games.
Allen averaged a career-high 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game last season. He was also the best player on the team in the first round of the playoffs. But in Game 4 of the first-round series, he sustained a rib injury which forced him to miss the next eight games.
With him back in the squad completely healthy, the Cavs will feel better about their chances.
In the upcoming season, the Celtics will yet again be the biggest challenge for them. In addition to Boston, they will also need to be prepared for the Magic, the Knicks, the Bucks, and the 76ers. All of these teams have good rosters in the East.
New York Knicks
The Knicks were one of the biggest newsmakers of the offseason. Their roster was marred with injuries in the previous season. Despite that, they made a great playoff run headed by Jalen Brunson. The Knicks registered a 50-32 record in the regular season and then went on to win the first round of the playoffs against the 76ers in six games.
However, they ended up losing in the Conference Semifinals to the Indiana Pacers in seven games. Nevertheless, they were praised for the showcase of their talent. They have made two major additions to their squad this summer. They added Mikal Bridges earlier in July and last week, they executed a blockbuster trade of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
KAT has extensive experience playing as a center and is one of the most dependable scorers at 5. Last season, he averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and three assists in 62 games while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from beyond the arc. With the addition of someone as effective as him in stretching the floor, the Knicks will have a better chance this season.
The biggest challenge for the Knicks, apart from the usual suspects in the Conference, will be the team’s health. Tom Thibodeau will have to rotate his players well to ensure that his team reaches the playoffs in better shape as compared to last season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder
In the Western Conference, OKC is one of the two teams that can be considered an underdog on the rise. Their biggest strength will be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for this season as well. Shai was in MVP contention last season and averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 75 games in the regular season.
He shot an impressive 53.5% from the field. As for the additions to the team, OKC signed Isaiah Hartenstein in July on a three-year, $87 million contract.
They drafted point guard Nikola Topic and small forward Dillon Jones as their 12th and 26th overall picks respectively. Last season, the Thunder finished the regular season with a 57-25 record and swept the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. They ended up losing to the Mavericks in the Conference Semifinals in six games, but that was their most successful season since 2015-16.
Going into the next season, the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, and the Mavericks will be their biggest challenges. There’s one more team in the West that the OKC will have to keep an eye on, the Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans
Herb Jones, Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy, Jordan Hawkins, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Jose Alvarado, are all returning players from the Pelicans’ 2023-24 campaign. The Pels front office was busy throughout the offseason and they have added six new faces to the camp.
In this year’s draft, they picked center Yves Missi as their 21st overall pick and shooting guard Antonio Reeves in the second round. They have added Dejounte Murray, Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, and Karlo Matkovic to the side as well. The first three players are coming in with some experience on their resume. But the biggest advantage for the Pelicans this year will be Zion Williamson’s fitness and his refreshing offseason break.
Zion said on Media Day, “It [offseason] was a breath of fresh air to experience a summer like that. To be able to really lock in on basketball, really break down film, working on different things while in the gym. You know, working smarter was kind of the main goal for the season.”
The 24-year-old was free from any type of controversy and off-court drama which allowed him to work on his craft. In his Media Day appearance, Zion looked in much better shape compared to his last appearance. As for his form, in his last league game, Zion dropped 40 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in 36 minutes before going out with an injury.
With all the things working in their favor this time, the Pelicans are ready to better their last season’s playoff run where they lost to the Thunder in the first round.
(Stats Credit: Stat Muse)
