These 3 NBA Teams Are Dark Horse Title Contenders
Every year we see many teams in the NBA take major leaps from lottery to playoffs, and from fringe playoff teams to finals contenders. This is a normal instance and the NBA and I don't see this changing for the 23-24 NBA season. Last year we saw the Denver Nuggets take a major leap to win the finals, and the 8-seeded Miami Heat make a finals run. The NBA can sometimes be very predictable but there are unforeseen outcomes on a year-to-year basis. I believe there will be three under-the-radar teams this year that will flirt with being a legitimate contender to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season.
When looking at teams who can make a lengthy playoff run there is one major necessity when assessing former title contenders and winners. That necessity is high end superstar talent, the NBA is extremely centered around their stars, and this is for multiple reasons. Not only the marketability but the impact a superstar talent has on your chances of winning an NBA title is massive. The teams we discuss here all have players who have an extremely high ceiling and are poised to reach that ceiling in the coming years.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards. The majority of my belief in the Timberwolves this season revolves around the continued improvement of rising 2-way star Anthony Edwards. Edwards took another leap in his junior season last year, raising his PPG average to 25 a game while also showing glimpses of all-team potential. Edwards continued to show his progression during the FIBA World Cup, where he stole the show as the leader and best player on Team USA’s talented roster.
Another reason for belief in this team is its overall defensive ceiling. With Jaden Mcdaniels and Ant as big strong wing defenders, and Rudy Gobert as one of the elite rim protectors of this century, defense should be the main identity of this team. With Kyle Anderson also being an extremely versatile defender there is no lack of defensive talent in Minnesota. This Minnesota team also added Shake Milton which will aid their bench scoring, as well as Troy Brown Jr. who is a serviceable rotation player.
The major question I have regarding this team is what is the role of Karl Anthony Towns in this organization. With Gobert clogging up the paint and Edwards already being their elite perimeter threat, KAT is the piece that doesn’t particularly fit. KAT and Rudy Gobert don’t make sense as a starting frontcourt in the NBA in 2023, and I think a change will be needed for this team to reach its full potential. I assume that KAT will be moved at some point for more players that fit smoothly with Gobert and Edwards. With that move in mind that is what inclines me to say this team could be a legitimate threat to contend for a title.
Oklahoma City Thunder
After a 40-42 season and sneaking into the play-in tournament, the Thunder are poised to make a gigantic leap this season. The cornerstone of this franchise is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to improve drastically from year to year and is only 25 years old. Shai is coming off a season where he was an MVP-caliber player, averaging 31/5/5 on an extremely youthful Thunder roster. If the FIBA World Cup is a sign of what’s to come from Shai, he will only continue to improve and be capable of leading this team into a deep playoff run. Almost every NBA champion this century has had a full-fledged Superstar, and OKC already has that piece in Gilgeous-Alexander.
The rest of the Thunder roster has a ton of upside with multiple skilled ball handlers and athletic freaks. Between the return of Chet Holmgren (who missed the entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury to his right foot), Jalen Williams, and Josh Giddey they have a ton of players who are already good and have yet to reach their full potential.
Lu Dort is already a shutdown wing defender and Holmgren is expected to have a major impact on their rim protection issues from past seasons. The Thunder might have the best young core in the league and already were competitive last year. If even one, maybe 2 of these players take major jumps in production, this would quicken the upward trajectory of this young team immediately. Not only will this be a fun team to watch all year, but if everything breaks right for them a deep playoff run can be a reality as well.
The big concern, which isn’t really a concern but just a reality, is the youth of this team. The majority of the core rotation players in Oklahoma City will be under the age of 25 when the season starts. Youth is great but can also be a detriment to a team’s immediate plans for success.
Again, this team is loaded with young talent and a bounty of draft picks. It does make me question if the team looks close enough to be a legitimate contender, do they make a major trade midseason? With a ton of pieces that teams would value, is a superstar trade possibility or maybe even likely in Oklahoma City. Trade or not, I really like what Oklahoma City has put together and believe they will be legitimate threats in the Western Conference this year.
New Orleans Pelicans
Another play-in team from the 2022 NBA season rounds out this list of dark horse contenders. The New Orleans Pelicans had an underwhelming season when considering expectations, and that was mainly due to injuries. One major injury in general changed how their season went and that would be the hamstring injury to Zion Williamson.
When Williamson was sidelined for the rest of the year the Pels were 23-14 and looked like a legitimate contender. Zion is making legitimate efforts throughout the offseason to improve his fitness and body, and if he’s healthy this team is capable of a lot more than accomplished last season. Zion is one of the most unique offensive forces in the league and is more than capable of being the best player on a title team. If and it’s a big if, Zion is able to stay healthy this will bode extremely well in this team trending towards being a real threat.
The Pels like the Thunder have a lot of talent throughout their roster. They have an all-star in Brandon Ingram, who seems to keep improving year to year and is still only 26. CJ McCollum has been in New Orleans since the middle of the 21-22 season and he’s a 20 ppg scorer with a veteran presence. That’s 2 legitimate fringe all-star-level players who will hopefully be able to pair up with Williamson more for a dynamic trio. Herb Jones, Trey Murphy |||, and Dyson Daniels are some of their younger assets who have a ton of defensive versatility and switch-ability. This team checked a lot of boxes and added more shooting in the form of Jordan Hawkins, the 21-year-old sharpshooter from UCONN.
The issue for this team will be the continuity and ability of their top-tier talents to stay on the floor. Both Williamson and to a lesser extent Ingram have not shown they are the most durable players yet. For this team to reach its ceiling (which we still haven't seen yet) their 2 young stars are going to need more time to mesh consistently throughout a regular season. Williamson and Ingram control this team's destiny and if they are able to realize their potential together on the court throughout this season, we could see an extremely frightening force in NOLA.
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