Dark Horse Contenders for the 2023-24 NBA Season

I wrote this same blog last year, and let me just say, I was on point. The three teams I chose were the Timberwolves, Hawks, and..... the Nuggets. Of course I was very wrong about Minnesota and Atlanta, but I was VERY right about Denver. And yes, Denver was definitely a black horse last year. They were the sixth seed the previous year, and all you heard from pundits in the off-season was that they were frauds. So, because I was right last year, I will be following similar criteria in this piece.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans this year are my Timberwolves from last year. By that I mean a team that absolutely nobody would consider a "contender" but who have enough weapons to be thrown in as a dark horse. Also just like the Timberwolves last year, they have a franchise level big man who can't stay healthy for more than twenty to thirty games a year. Apart from Zion (who I'll talk about in a second) the Pelicans are a very good basketball team. In 2022 they finished the regular season as the ninth seed before making it into the playoffs via the play-in tournament. They then sent the one-seeded Suns to six hard fought games. This past season they once again finished as the ninth seed, but did not win out in the play-in. What people forget is that up until Christmas the Pelicans were the second seed in the West and were playing great basketball. With an array of supporting weapons such as Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas, and Trey Murphy and defensive studs like Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Dyson Daniels they promise to be very solid on both ends of the floor.

pc: via NBA

I said I'd talk about Zion eventually, and this is that section. I wanted to separate him from the rest of the discussion surrounding the team, because at the end of the day without him the Pelicans aren't on this list. Obviously Zion has been one of the most injury prone stars we have seen in a long time, but eventually he's going to remain healthy for a prolonged period of time (at least we hope he will). When he has played this squad has been one of the best teams in the league. They aren't even a dark horse when he's on the floor, they are a bonafide contender. We've already seen this script...a dominant big man who's basically restricted to the paint is surrounded by a fantastic supporting cast consisting of both offensive and defensive specialists. The 2021 Bucks come to mind immediately. The only difference, the Pelicans are a way deeper and well-rounded team than the 2021 Bucks.

Cleveland Cavaliers

I'm not even sure if I can call the Cavaliers a dark horse contender, because on paper they are one of the better teams in the league. However, with how they disappointed in this year's playoffs I can only assume that not many are putting them in the contender category going into this season. It is true that they fell apart when it mattered most, but I just can't help myself, I believe in 'em. Donovan Mitchell has proved that he's one of the best offensive superstars in the league. I think at this point we can admit that he's good enough to lead a solid team to a championship. Is he an ideal first option? No. But I do think he's capable of taking a team deep in the playoffs. Darius Garland is the perfect second option, who on some nights will look like the best player on the floor and who gets better as a playmaker every year. Not to mention their defensive stars, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who led the Cavs to have one of the top defenses in the league this past year. The clear missing piece for the team was the ability to space the floor outside of Mitchell and Garland, and the Cleveland front office did an excellent job to solve that issue this offseason.

pc: John Kuntz/cleveland.com

The offseason additions of Max Strus, Georges Niang, and Ty Jerome are going to be massive for this team. Going into the offseason the Cleveland front office properly deduced that the outside shot was the team's primary weakness, so they went out and got three guys who are only in the league because of their shooting abilities. Max Strus just finished a run to the finals with the Heat where he was the primary deep threat for the team throughout the playoffs. Georges Niang is the definition of a guy who wouldn't be in the league if he couldn't shoot threes. Ty Jerome is definitely the most likely of the three to not get many minutes, but he's shot the three at a 40% clip in two seasons already in his short career. All in all, the Cavaliers solved their only glaring issue, which in theory should turn this already very good team into a contending team.

Dallas Mavericks

This is probably the hottest take in this blog, which is funny considering the Mavericks have by far the best player we've talked about so far. Of course I'm talking about Luka, but this team is so much more than him now. Last year they added Kyrie Irving as the season came to an end, and they were awful after he landed in Dallas. However, a huge reason for this was because the Mavericks traded valuable defensive pieces to Brooklyn to land Kyrie. Their defense was atrocious from that point on, but their offense was still near the top of the league. Now, as Luka and Kyrie gain chemistry over time, I have to assume this team will get even better on the offensive side on the floor. All the Dallas front office had to do was strengthen the team's defense, and they did just that this offseason.

pc: Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Firstly, the team drafted for their needs in the draft, taking rim-protection specialist Dereck Lively and all-around defensive prospect Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Then they added guys like Grant Williams and Dante Exum, players who are only in the league because of their defensive abilities. Add on top of that the addition of hyper-athletic Derrick Jones Jr who is a very capable defender. They are also hoping from a big jump from Josh Green on that end of the floor. These additions should move the team into the middle of the league among defenses, which is fantastic if they maintain a top three offense in the league. For example, you know who else had a middling defense and a top three offense? The 2023 Denver Nuggets.