Seton Hall
The up and coming teams in the NBA
Date: August 16, 2019By: Jose Balderrama
With this off-season’s major changes in the NBA, it sure looks like we are set for the next two years in terms of who will be contending for the Larry O’brien Trophy. Teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Nuggets, 76ers, and Rockets, amongst others have set themselves up to be major contenders for the time being. But the real question is, which teams have positioned themselves to take over the league once the aforementioned teams no longer rule the league?
There is no right answer to this question just yet, but there certainly are some teams that have brighter futures than most. With that being said, let’s take a look at the teams with the best shot at being the NBA’s next dynasty.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are the obvious answer here, with one of the most surprising off-seasons in recent memory, an off-season that nobody saw coming, not even the Pelicans, they are now seen by the rest of the league as the team most likely to be the next super-team. I don’t blame anybody who believes, I mean they just got the next “generational talent” in Zion Williamson, this player is supposed to be one of the greatest of all time if he lives up to the hype.
Not only that, but they hauled in a tremendous amount of assets in the Anthony Davis trade, including young rising players Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. Along with the 10th overall pick Jaxson Hayes, who is meant to be their center of the future, they are virtually set at every position for the next ten plus years if all goes according to plan.
Atlanta Hawks
Personally, I believe the Hawks might have the potential to be better than the Pelicans, the reason being Trae Young could be the best point guard in the league at some point. We all know that the NBA has become a guard driven league, and Trae Young has the ideal style of play for today’s NBA.
One player I have a great amount of faith in is Cam Reddish. I don’t think Duke’s style of play favored a player like him, especially with limited opportunities due to the presence of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. I think he can be one of the better shooting guards in the league. Along with the athleticism and potential of John Collins and De’Andre Hunter, the Hawks should be a teamed to be reckoned with in the near future.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks might not have as many good young players as other teams, but they have two of the best youngsters in the whole NBA. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis could be the next great duo in the league.
Both players have showed the potential to be a top five player in this league. With the unicorns tremendous shooting ability for a big man, and Doncic’s all-around great offensive game and size for his position, this team is poised to make some noise around the league for years to come.
Phoenix Suns
Now, not many people might believe in the Suns, but I sure am one of those who do believe; although I might be a little bit biased being that I’m a Suns fan. People around the league including experts and fans have clearly expressed that they believe the Suns had one of the worst off-seasons in the NBA.
I happen to believe that these people couldn’t be more wrong, if we all can recall, these same people last year believed the Suns had one of the best off-seasons around the league, the Suns then went on to win only 19 games after a great off-season.
Now that people didn’t like their moves, I think the Suns have built a roster aiming toward a shift in culture. The players they brought in are perfect for the job. They now have their playmaker in Ricky Rubio, who is actually in the bottom half of the league in terms of how much he is being paid amongst starting point guards.
Kelly Oubre is also a culture setter, just ask all the ValleyBoyz followers. But the main reason why I believe they have a bright future is that they have two future superstars with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. These two will take the Phoenix Suns to greatness, you heard it here first.
There are a few other teams that might have a bright future as well, but I don’t think any other team’s young core beats out these four teams. Don’t be surprised if these teams are at the top of the league in a few years, with plans of staying there for a long time.
Jose Balderrama can be reached at josebalderramaornelas@student.shu.edu.
