A Look At Some Teams Who Could Absolutely Take That Surprise Leap This Upcoming NBA Season
One of the cooler parts of the 2021-22 NBA season was all the surprise teams we saw take a leap. The Grizzlies went from an 8 seed in 2020-21 to the 2 seed last year where they won the 2nd most games of any team in the league. The Cavs before their entire roster got hurt went from a 22-50 lottery team to a top 4 seed for the majority of the season. The Wolves went from a 23-49 team to a 7 seed who finished the year 10 games over .500. The Pelicans went from being 10 games under .500 and an 11 seed, to a .500 team and an 8 seed. The point is, I don't think many outside of those specific fanbases thought those teams would be as good as they were last year, and that's what makes each season so intriguing to me. There WILL be surprise teams this upcoming season. They won't all be like the Grizzlies who go from fighting for a playoff spot to the 2 seed, but when I look around at some teams that I think could follow this similar trend for 2022-23, a few come to mind. Each is in a different stage of its development/process so I'm not saying all of these teams will be title contenders or anything, but they should absolutely be worth your time to watch.
Let's have a look
Detroit Pistons
I don't think this is all that hot a take or even that I'm alone in this line of thinking, but I really feel like the Pistons are going to be one of the main "surprise" teams in the East. I know they went 23-59 last year, but that record is deceiving in my opinion. I you watched them play from around the All Star break to the end of the year, they were competitive as hell. Sure they lost those games, but that's what you want when you are executing the perfect tank.
I look at their roster and I dunno, I'm intrigued as hell
That's….not bad? Sneaky kind of good? We know Cade is that dude, they have some shooting with Bey/Ivey/Burks/Olynyk, they addressed their center issue with Noel/Duran, Marvin Bagley and Isaiah Stewart are continuing to get better, I dunno to me this screams as a team that is ready to make a jump. Why couldn't they be this year's Timberwolves/Pelicans who were in the lottery one year and then were competing in the play in tournament the next year?
I'm just thinking of a lineup that looks like Cade/Ivey/Bey/Bagley/Stewart and I see potential there. I'm assuming Bagley will get the nod now that Grant is gone because we saw that to end the season, and the Cade/Bey/Bagley/Stewart showed some positive things while on the floor together last season. I'll have you know that in 103 minutes together that foursome had a 117.3 Ortg. Then you add in Jaden Ivey and you can see where I'm going with this.
Would it be that crazy if the Pistons this year took over the 10 seed spot or something? This may be a year too early to be talking like this about a team that won 23 games last year, but that's the point of this blog. Of all the East teams that could fit that "surprise" mold, I'm rolling with the 2022-23 Pistons.
Sacramento Kings
OK, one of these years the Kings are actually going to take a leap. I feel like they're a popular pick for this type of blog because there is real talent on that roster, but year after year after year after year after year we see them end up in the Lottery. This is a team that hasn't made the postseason since the 2005-06 season. That's not great considering it's 2022.
Here's why I think they could be the 2022-23 version of a team like last year's Pelicans. For starters, the West is filled with more teams that were in the top 10 seeds that should be tanking. You can drop both the Jazz and the Spurs from that conversation. Last year, the Kings were just 4 games behind the Spurs for that 10 seed, and while teams like the Lakers/Blazers will be back and competing for a top 10 spot, here's why I'm thinking we could finally see the Kings end their postseason drought.
With all these bad teams in the West, the Kings were 20-12 against teams under .500. That was the best mark of any Western Conference team that missed the play in last year. Their 10-40 record against teams .500 and above certainly isn't great, but this is a Kings team that doesn't really drop games against bad teams. The easiest way to take a leap is to beat the teams you're supposed to beat. Just look at the Wolves last year, they went 26-9 against sub .500 teams. The Pelicans went 19-12. Both were big time under .500 against good teams and they were both able to take that surprise leap in 2021-22. The Kings could very well follow that same path.
I also like some of the roster moves they've made this summer. They were in the bottom 3rd of the league in 3P shooting, so adding guys like Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, and Jeremy Lamb should absolutely help in that department. To make the leap the Kings will finally have to play a lick of defense which is certainly not a guarantee, but this is not a roster that lacks talent.
As long as they can find a way to improve in their own building (16-25), this can be a top 10 seeded team in my opinion.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Now you may be saying, Greenie why are you including the Wolves in this blog if you've talked about how they were a surprise team last year? Well, it's pretty simple. I think they're about to take another surprise leap. They feel to me like this could be the 2022-23 version of the Grizzlies. Maybe not to 56 wins, but a team that was a 7-8 seed that jumped into a top 4 seed. Part of my thinking is the natural development of someone like Anthony Edwards
But mainly I see their jump coming from the Rudy Gobert factor. Think of what made the Grizzlies so good this year. They had the super athletic star (Morant) who took a personal leap. Why can't Ant do that? Their roster was deep with quality veterans like Kyle Anderson. Guess which teams he now plays for? But you know what was also a huge factor in the Grizzlies' jump? Their team defense. They grew into a legit top 10 team defense these last two seasons, jumping as high as 6th last year. When you are a young team, as soon as you collectively figure out how to defend you usually take a collective leap up the standings.
Enter the Wolves. Who did they add? Rudy Gobert. What is he awesome at? Defense. The Wolves went from 28th in 2020-21 to 13th last season and what happened? They took a leap. Now you are adding an elite defender in Gobert to help solidify their defense and be that anchor (instead of KAT), and I have a feeling that's going to make a massive difference. The Wolves already have a top 10 offense (7th last year), so if they can get the other end of the floor to also be in the top 10 which isn't even that crazy of an ask, that's how you find yourself in a top 4 seed situation like what the 2021-22 Grizzlies were.
The best part about the league right now is how deep it is. Even the teams that should stink are still loaded with awesome talent and there are really only 2-3 teams you truly know are going to tank. While you never know how injuries could become a factor, I don't think it's crazy to think the three teams mentioned here could all be this year's surprise teams who are much better than people thought heading into the year. I'll now turn it to you all, who do you think should also be in this discussion?