by Jed Katz
As the 2024-25 NBA season nears, the dust in free agency has settled, and players are preparing for training camp. Some organizations made minimal changes, and others have flipped their direction. Regardless, a few teams will surprise fans based on their expectations heading into the season.
Whether it’s due to player development, big signings/trades, or personnel changes, here are five teams that could surprise the rest of the NBA based on their win total and performance from last season:
Sacramento Kings
The Kings swapped some key scorers for some big-time talent. While they lost Harrison Barnes and Chris Duarte, Sacramento made up for it by going and getting DeMar DeRozan and Jalen McDaniels. The offensive firepower of DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox, and Domantas Sabonis is something to look out for, while McDaniels is a forward who, while not as great as his brother Jaden, can defend and shares a similar frame.
The Kings finished ninth in the West last season, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Play-In Tournament. However, as the third option, DeRozan makes this the best fourth-quarter team in the league, with many clutch players. Even in a loaded conference, Sacramento may sneak into the top six, clinching a playoff spot.
Detroit Pistons
Last season was as bad as it could get for the Pistons. 14-68, with the longest losing streak in NBA history, is something fans wish they could forget, but the good thing about rock bottom is that it can only go up from here.
Despite their record the past few seasons, Detroit has made many smart moves over the last few years. Cade Cunnigham, Jalen Duren, and Jaden Ivey have all developed nicely, and the Pistons have another young talent in Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, and Marcus Sasser.
The one hole in this young team is shooting, which they attempted to fix by acquiring Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris. Albeit not great signings, Detroit has some foundation for the future.
In the weaker Eastern Conference, teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and Chicago Bulls got noticeably worse and will likely end up tanking and rebuilding in the future. That leaves some Play-In spots wide open for the Pistons to take. If they can sneak into the top 10, it would be huge for the timeline of their rebuild. While they did finish with the worst record in the NBA last season, the Pistons have had the tools to improve, which might likely happen this season.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs could make a run for the Play-In for an obvious reason. Victor Wembanyama lived up to the hype his rookie season, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks en route to winning Rookie of the Year.
Wemby alone should suggest that San Antonio could make some noise this season, but the organization surrounds the French big with a good mix of young talent and veteran leadership.
In the draft, the Spurs took Stephon Castle fourth overall, an excellent playmaker and defender who can make an impact aside from scoring. Other young talents in San Antonio include Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, and Jeremy Sochan.
Wemby will also have great veteran mentorship around him. New acquisitions, such as Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, will surely help with the Spurs’ offensive output, as CP3 will have a new big man to dish to, while Barnes can continue to be a solid scoring option in the forward.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are in an interesting position. While the situation with Brandon Ingram goes unresolved, and questions surrounding the status of Zion Williamson continue, New Orleans is still a playoff team and has been for the last few seasons.
The Pelicans are statistically one of the most efficient teams in the NBA on both sides of the ball. New Orleans finished 11th in offensive rating (116.5) and sixth in defensive rating (111.9) last season and will return with the majority of their core.
People must remember that the Pelicans were first in the West for most of the 2022-23 season before injuries brought them back to Earth. They’ll look to spark some of the magic again this season, bringing former All-Star, two-way star Dejounte Murray, and Yves Missi in the draft.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets have been doing everything right in the post-James Harden era, and it’s been paying off, with some big expectations this season. They saw a 19-win increase from 2023 to 2024, going 41-41 and finishing one spot out of the Play-In. The improvement was due to new head coach Ime Udoka finding a perfect balance between their young core of Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, and the rest of the young core with veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
Now, Houston comes into the season with few changes made, but two key players will make their debuts with the team. The Rockets drafted Reed Sheppard with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, and brought Steven Adams last season, who sat out due to injury. Houston might have the deepest team in the NBA, with up to ten players who could significantly impact either side of the ball.
The one issue that held the Rockets back last season was the lack of shooting. While they were 10th in defensive rating (112.8), Houston was 20th in offensive rating (113.7) and 24th in true shooting (56.5%). With the addition of Sheppard, a 52.1% shooter from three at Kentucky, and the development of their young core, the Rockets could surprise everyone and be one of the better all-around teams in the league this season.
