5 NBA Teams That Could Surprise Everyone in the 2026-27 Season

Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are really interesting. people are talking like they're going to be a terrible team, but I believe they won't be. I'm not saying they're going to make playoffs, but I definitely see them in the play-in Tournament at the very least

They have a few good pieces that can help the Bulls make a some noise this year. Norman Powell is someone that can get his own shot and score with the best of them, coming off his best season where he averaged around 20 points per game. Josh Giddey can playmake, rebound and score, and he was nearly averaged a triple double last year.

Rookie Caleb Wilson is someone I'm very high on. he's my pick to get Rookie of the Year, and I believe he's in a great situation to make an immediate impact. If Wilson can come in and produce right away, he could be a major reason why the Bulls stay competitive throughout the season.

This team is really not that bad of a team. They have a solid roster to keep games competitive, and they have players who play hard every possession. So yes, I believe the Bulls will be better than everyone thinks they will.

Celtics

Everyone is doubting the Celtics right now because Jaylen Brown is no longer there. Last year when Tatum was injured Jaylen Brown had led the Celtics to the 2 seed, and now the pressure is on Jayson Tatum to do the same thing.

After playing just 16 games last season while recovering from his Achilles injury, I believe Jayson Tatum is going to have a huge year- potentially an MVP-caliber season. He's going to have the ball in his hands way more and have the green light to shoot whatever he wants and I think he'll average either close to at 30 points per game. He has something to prove this year and he wants to show everyone that he can do exactly what Brown did last year.

Payton Pritchard is going to have a bigger role this year and they'll need him to average 15+ points per game. They also have Mitchell Robinson now who can be a bail out for when Tatum is running out of time or draws multiple defenders he can just lob it up. Robinson also gives them a defensive anchor and an offensive rebounding machine which will give Jayson Tatum and Paul George more shot attempts per game. They don't need Paul George to go back to his prime scoring, they just need him to be able to score enough to be a true contributor.

I can see the Celtics still being a top four or five team in the east and making the playoffs. Tatum could easily finish top three in MVP voting getting way more shots per game without Brown and being the main closer now. The Boston Celtics will surprise some people and I also believe their good enough to win a round in the playoffs considering the matchup.

Mavericks

This is an interesting one, because there have been trade rumors surrounding P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. If they don't make trades and are able to have a healthy Kyrie Irving, then this Mavs team is going to be a lot better than people think. Last season for the most part they were competitive in a lot of games while they were dealing with a bunch of injuries including star point guard Kyrie Irving.

If this Mavs team can stay healthy they could potentially shake a little bit up in the west. Cooper Flagg is coming off a stellar rookie season where he won Rookie of the Year in a season without Kyrie where Flagg had to see double teams and triple teams. Adding a healthy Kyrie Irving is going to open the game up so much more and make things easier on Cooper Flagg heading into his second year.

Having Gafford and Lively back will be crucial too because that adds two interior defenders and lob threats for Kyrie and Flagg. Rookie draft pick Morez Johnson is someone that can contribute right away too with his shooting ability, size, and versatility that will be needed for the Dallas Mavericks. Naji Marshall just recently resigned with the Mavs also and he's someone that had a solid year last season and can score the ball and defend. We all know what PJ Washington is capable of too, he's big, he's strong, can defend, can shoot, and can attack the paint.

This team has solid pieces all around and a healthy Kyrie Irving is going to open up so much more for everyone on the team. Now they're going to have a scary dynamic duo with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. This pairing may be one of the most exciting duos in the league. I have a feeling they will give a lot of teams problems and be fighting for a Play-in spot. If Kyrie Irving stays healthy and Cooper Flagg takes another step forward, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavericks end up exceeding expectations in the Western Conference.

Suns

The Suns are a team that can actually make the playoffs as a top six seed, maybe even the four or five seed. They have a pretty good roster as their team is constructed of right now. They have good guards, wings and good bigs.

They have two lethal scoring guards in Devin Booker and Jalen Green and a third guy coming off his best season in Dillon Brooks. Jalen Green is a player that can get streaky hot from three, and is explosive going to the rim and on any given night can go off for 30 or more points. Dillon Brooks is a guy coming off of his best season, a season where he averaged 20 points and he's one of the best defenders in the league. Then of course you also have Devin Booker, who in my opinion is going to have a huge year, possibly being a thirty point per game scorer. That trio if healthy will be really deadly this next season and help the Suns to a playoff birth.

On top of those three players I talked about, now you also have Miles Bridges. Bridges has shown to be a pretty good shooter and a good scorer all around with explosive athletic ability. He's another player who can give them 15-20 points on any given night. This next player I'm going to talk about is one that I'm truly high on and it's Khaman Maluach. Maluach has shown the ability to become a decent three point shooter, and he is also very tall, long arms and a great shot blocker and will be vital this next season to what the sins are trying to do.

Overall, the Suns have a really good roster that I believe will be able to compete with the best teams in a loaded Western Conference. I see Phoenix landing somewhere between the fourth and sixth seed, with a legitimate chance to win their first-round series depending on the matchup. If Booker has the type of season I expect, Jalen Green takes another step, and the rest of the roster stays healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Suns be one of the biggest surprises in the Western Conference.

Wizards

Now this is one of the teams that I am most high on even though others have said they won't make the playoffs. If the Wizards can stay healthy the whole season, this could actually be a really scary team. I feel like they could easily make it to a top five seed in the east.

With a fully healthy roster they have Trae Young, Anthony Davis, A.J. Dybansta, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Khris Middleton, DeAndre Ayton, and Kyshawn George. Trae Young is capable of putting up 25-30 points with 10-plus assists, and Anthony Davis can add 30 points and 12-15 rebounds. Tre Johnson adds a deadly shooter that can hit shots as soon as he crosses halfcourt, Kyshawn George can get hot and just go off. Alex Sarr paired with Davis is a dominant defensive presence in the paint and a lot of rebounding, Ayton now plays a backup center role which probably suits him a lot better. Khris Middleton still has some game left in him with a nice midrange shot and some overall shooting, and we all know what we expect from A.J. Dybansta, he could easily add 15-20 more points.

The biggest issue with this team is health, but if they stay healthy, this could easily be a playoff team. This could be a team that could win a first round matchup and take a second-round matchup to seven games. A lot of people have been counting the Wizards out saying Play-in or no playoffs at all, not me, I strongly believe they can be a top five seed and make some noise.