The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have met in each of the last three NBA Finals. It won’t surprise anybody if they represented their respective conferences in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year in 2018. The association is in a transition stage with the Warriors and Cavaliers alone at the top as the clear favorites to challenge for an NBA championship. Meanwhile, there is a handful of clubs that have improved enough to compete for a playoff spot this coming season. While they might not be good enough to win a title, they should be in the postseason mix after watching from the outside this past season. Here is a look at the four NBA teams that have improved enough to make the playoffs in 2017-18.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves patiently assembled a talented young core led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins over the past few seasons. This offseason they decided they were ready to make their move. Minnesota acquired Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson to solidify a roster that should be good enough to contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference next season. The Timberwolves missed on both Kyle Lowry and C.J. Miles as potential offseason acquisitions. However, Tom Thibodeau should have more than enough to work with to end a 15-year drought and guide Minnesota back to the postseason.
Miami Heat
The Heat missed out on Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin. That meant going to a backup plan and spreading out their available cash on a number of talented players that could help them get back to the playoffs in 2018. Miami added Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson over a 24-hour period with the hope that they could compliment a core that features Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic next season. The Heat only narrowly missed out on a playoff spot last year so the potential is there for them to challenge for a postseason spot. Miami isn’t good enough to compete for a title but they should be good enough to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Pistons
Detroit finished four games back of the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference a year ago. They could surprise as a playoff team in 2018. The Pistons traded Marcus Morris to the Boston Celtics for Avery Bradley, who should provide an immediate boost to the team’s guard situation. Detroit has Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris and Andre Drummond locked in and Bradley should be a strong compliment to that core group. After falling just short of the postseason a year ago, the Piston should be in the mix in 2017-18.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are in a similar situation to the Pistons after falling just short of the preseason a year ago. With the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers each set to take a step back in the Eastern Conference there is a good shot Charlotte can contend for a playoff spot.
The Hornets added Dwight Howard to a core that will also feature Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams. The hope is that Howard’s veteran presence can help put them over the top. While it’s true that Howard’s best years are behind him, remember that the frontcourt has been a big problem for Charlotte. They have pinned their hopes on Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky in the past, and both players were quite soft. Howard should – at the very least – provide strong defense and rebounding.
Also remember that the Hornets nabbed Malik Monk in the NBA Draft lottery and he looks like a player who could be ready to shine early on. If that’s the case, he’ll offer some nice back court support for Walker. While some other teams in the Eastern Conference are on the decline, the Hornets are on the way up.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
