The start of the NBA season is just a couple of weeks away, and fans are starting to get excited if their teams have a chance to actually win an NBA championship this season.
You have the obvious teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, who look unstoppable heading into this season after winning a Championship, and the New York Knicks, who might have the easiest road to a Finals, maybe in recent memory.
However, there are some teams this season that could surprise a lot of people despite most analysts not giving these teams a chance.
More NBA Content From TWSN:
The Next 3 NBA Coaches Who Will Be Fired
Where Does LeBron James Rank Heading Into Year 23?
This Minnesota Timberwolves Breakout Player Will Change Everything
Four Teams That Can Make A Playoff Push This NBA Season
I will be covering four teams this season that I believe can make a legitimate push for the playoffs this season and maybe even go to the NBA Finals.
San Antonio SpursÂ
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the San Antonio Spurs this offseason about how they are going to make the playoffs. However, the Spurs have a roster that I believe can seriously make a push for the NBA Finals this year.
The Spurs are highlighted by the 7’4 monster Victor Wembanyama, who is heading into his 3rd season in the NBA. Wemby has shown signs and has the hype around him to be the best player the NBA has ever seen.
A 7’4 player should not be able to handle and shoot the ball the way Wemby can. Wemby is coming off a shoulder injury that sidelined him for half of the season last year. I expect Wemby, if healthy, to be on the All-NBA 1st team this year and seriously be in the competition for the MVP.
Another player that I want to highlight on this roster who I think has potential to breakout this season is De’Arron Fox. Fox is one of the most athletic players in all of the NBA and has shown he can consistently put up 20 a night. We haven’t seen much of a Fox and Wemby duo yet, but this season, they will catch some eyes.
I don’t think the Spurs have a chance to beat the Thunder; however, I would not be shocked if they see them compete for a Western Conference Finals appearance if the team remains healthy.
Indiana PacersÂ
One of the greatest Cinderella stories in NBA history unfortunately came to an end when All-Pro guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals last season, sidelining him for the entire 2025-2026 season.
The Pacers lost their Center, Myles Turner, in free agency in the offseason to the Milwaukee Bucks, which leaves them with no great big man in the paint.
However, people forget how great their team was outside of those two. Pascal Siakam was an All-Star last season and was arguably the best player for them last year in their postseason run. Siakam has been in situations before where he carries teams to the postseason, but luckily for him, he has a great group of core players that will help him out.
Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith balled out last year and proved that they can be great starters for the Pacers Organization. Nembhard has one of the most underrated handles in all of the NBA and presumably will be taking over the point guard position. Aaron Neismith was fantastic in the postseason, almost single-handedly winning some crucial games for the Pacers down the stretch with his 3-point shooting.
Bennedict Mathurin will be the player to watch for the Pacers this season. He will presumably be the replacement for Haliburton until he returns from his injury. Mathurin has shown signs that he could be the best player on the Pacers team, but he has disappeared in games that really matter. This will be the deciding factor if the Pacers make a run this season.
New Orleans PelicansÂ
The New Orleans Pelicans come into this season with not a lot of praise. The Pelicans had a very disappointing season last year as the injury bug really affected this team.
This team will ultimately be led by, at one point, one of the better NBA prospects of all time in Zion Williamson. Williamson’s career has been nothing but underwhelming as he has missed a lot of time due to injuries he has sustained while playing. However, in his Media Day interview, Williamson looked like he had dropped a lot of weight and could have a great NBA season this year. We have seen what he is capable of, and this might be the year he shines.
The starting lineup and the young players on this squad are actually quite impressive for a team that was miserable last year.
I want to highlight Dejounte Murray, Jordan Poole, Herbert Jones, and Yves Missi, who I expect to have great years this year if they stay healthy. Not to mention their two first-round picks, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, who I believe will have long careers in the NBA.
This team is scary when healthy, and I don’t see a world where they do not make the playoffs this year. This is a team to keep your eyes on.
Dallas MavericksÂ
The Dallas Mavericks come into this season after somehow getting the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, which they ultimately selected Cooper Flagg.
The Mavericks traded their star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for center Anthony Davis last year, which really turned some heads around the league. Nicco Harrison, the team’s General Manager, was really under fire with that trade because they got rid of their star player for an older Anthony Davis. But with the luckiest draw in NBA Draft Lottery history, the Mavericks were able to snag Flagg first overall.
The Mavericks heading into this season do not have a bad roster by any means. Davis is one of the best bigs in the NBA when he is healthy and is on pace to be an NBA Hall of Famer, along with star guard Kyrie Irving.
Irving tore his ACL last season, but is on pace to come back at some point this season, which could really help the team down the stretch.
Cooper Flagg has some pretty high expectations heading into this season, as some people think he could be the new face of the NBA if he lives up to his potential. Flagg won National Player of the Year in college basketball last season as a freshman, as he averaged 19-7-4.
Flagg with AD this year can really turn some heads, as nobody is really thinking of the Mavericks as a contender. If the Mavericks were in the East, I would put them as a potential candidate to make the ECF. However, with an ultra-competitive West, the Mavericks might not stand a chance against some of the teams, but could get a possible upset series win in the first round.