The 2017 NBA off-season was one of the most exciting ones in recent years, with old faces moving to new places. Trades, draft picks and free-agent acquisitions improved almost every team in the NBA, and fans are itching for the season to tip off. Here are the three teams ready to make some noise in the league for years to come.
Philadelphia 76ers
Yes, that’s right. The team that has had a top-five draft pick in each of the last four years is poised for success. The 76ers' average age, 25.7, is below the league average. The young players on this roster could end up playing with each other for over a decade and turn into another super team. Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons, the two number one picks over the last two years, will be major pieces on this team. Neither has played an NBA game yet — one due to an injury and the other due to having just been drafted. The third member of the 76ers' big three is Joel Embiid. He was the third overall pick in 2014 and has been at the forefront of the rebuilding of this team. Do not doubt the potential of this Philadelphia team. As Embiid himself said, “trust the process."
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte may not seem like a young and up-and-coming team in the league, but in fact, the Hornets are actually tied for the seventh youngest team in the league with 24.8. Kemba Walker is the leader of this Hornets squad and has made it to the playoffs twice since being drafted in 2011. Walker averaged a career-high 23.2 points per game last year, which ranked him sixth in the NBA among point guards. He has proved to be an elite player and is hungry for another playoff run. Joining him are five other players who averaged more than 10 points per game last year and Dwight Howard who the tied for fifth best rebounder in the league last year and averaged 12.7 rebounds per game. Charlotte also ranked first in the NBA last season for least amount of turnovers per game. Less turnovers plus more rebounds is the perfect equation for more possessions. More possessions lead to more points, which leads to more wins. Buzz City has ample ways to score and should not be overlooked as a quality team in the East.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Most NBA fans already think that the Timberwolves will get a playoff spot, but there is no reason that they shouldn’t be in talks of possibly going far in the West, especially with the addition of Jimmy Butler. Butler averaged a career-high 23.9 points per game last season in Chicago and has been an all-star each of the last three seasons. He is playing the best basketball of his career and can help the Timberwolves get over the hump to become a force to be reckoned with in the West. Minnesota also has two of the best young players in today’s game: Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns. Both averaged more than 20 points per game last season and were back-to-back No. 1 picks. There is no doubting that these three players can lead Minnesota to its first playoff berth in 14 years.
These teams hold future stars of the NBA, and it won’t be long before they are at the top of their respective conferences and in talks of going deep in the playoffs. As for this season, don’t be surprised in the slightest if all three of these teams make the playoffs and if one of them becomes the Cinderella story of the 2017-18 season.