As the NBA season is right around the corner, fans are excited for the season ahead. There are of course going to be the same powerhouse teams being the title favorites throughout the course of the season like the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, and Boston Celtics to name a few. But every year we see one or two sleeper teams make big postseason runs. 

     The Golden State Warriors are coming off their fourth championship in the last eight seasons. Most of the team is returning so why not try and go back-to-back. In the offseason they extended Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, two players who were key in their 2022 championship run. Of course they have the big three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, who have been there for all four of the championships. Other key players are Kevon Looney and Jonthan Kuminga who look to take the next step forward in their games. He may not be the player he used to be, but Andrea Iguodala a key contributor, not on the court but off the court as he provides the leadership to the younger players.  The Warriors are coached by Steve Kerr, who was a part of a dynasty as a coach and as a player with the Bulls in the late 90’s. The Warriors have the third best title odds going into the season. 

     This past offseason the Boston Celtics have been through a lot. Following their finals loss last season the team has been up and down. It started out hot as they acquired Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers, and signed Danilo Gallinari. But in August, just a month after being signed, Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL while playing for the Italian national team in EuroBasket 2022. Star center Robert Williams will miss time to recover from a knee injury from last season. Finally probably the worst thing for the celtics ro hadden this offseason was their head coach being suspended from the entirety of the season. Even with all of these distractions, the Celtics are still in the running for the title this season. They are led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, two all star level talents. On the defensive side, last year’s defensive player of the year Marcus Smart looks to continue his dominance. They have role players like vertran Al Horford , Grant Williams, Derrick White , and Blake Griffin. The Celtics will be coached by Interim head coach Joe Mazzulla. 

     The Milwakuee Bucks have the opportunity to be the next NBA dynasty, as in 2021 they won the championship over the Suns. Last season many people believed that if Kris Middleton was healthy the Bucks would be back-to-back NBA Champions. They are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the best players in the league. He is a 6x all star, 2x league MVP, a dpoy, and finals MVP at the age of 27! 

     Kris Middlenton was missed last season for good reason as he is a great shooter and an all star. Jrue Holiday is a solid player , as he is great on defense, making 4 all defensive teams in his career. 

     This team is deep, as they can mix and match players starting and coming off the bench in different lineups and never feel like they have a bad lineup. Other players to look out for are Bobby Portis , Pat Connaughton, and Brook Lopez. These players do their role well, whether they are starting or are coming off the bench. The Bucks are Coached by Mike Budenholzer, who has a long history as a coach in the league. The Bucks look to have a fully healthy team to make it back to the finals. 

     Every year there are sleeper teams that end up surprising most fans and getting further than people thought. A few teams to look out for are the Los Angeles Clippers. They get their star Player Kawhi Learnoard back, teaming up with Paul George and John Wall. 

     Another team is the Cleveland Cavaliers who acquired star Donavan Mitchell from Utah. The cavs already have a young team who had success last season. The 76ers have been a great regular season team, but when it comes from the postseason they seem to get stopped every year. Joel Embiid and James Harden look to change that. 

     The last team to look out for is the Minnesota Timberwolves as they acquired Big Man Rudy Gobert, who is a 3x dpoy. They made the playoffs last season with young stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Nba season is set to tip-off very soon and you can tell all of these teams and headlines are going to make for a great 2022-23 NBA season.