The most satisfying notion about sports is, witnessing your favourite team exceed expectations. When the 2011 Dallas Mavericks won the NBA title, for instance, no one projected the Mavericks to make it to the NBA finals, let alone win the championship. Dirk Nowitzki and that roster brought Dallas their first-ever championship trophy and defeated Lebron James and the Miami Heat. However, other teams such as the 2012 Los Angeles Lakers, who were expected to be a force in the Western Conference, quickly depleted and tarnished all expectations that season. It was a surprise for NBA fans to witness a team of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
This season, the NBA was filled with many similar surprises. Some teams exceeded expectations and shocked the world, while others disappointed many NBA fans.
This list will comprise eight teams with three honourable mentions that could have made the top five. You will also notice that not all the teams selected here were anything but good; however, for them to be this bad was very surprising.
Honourable Mentions
These teams were very close in making the top five but barely missed the cut.
The Charlotte Hornets (23-42)
With the departure of Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics last off-season, the Charlotte Hornets were left with young talent and Terry Rozier presumably leading the charge. For most NBA fans and analysts, the Hornets were seen as a team that would be the favourites in receiving the first pick in the 2020 NBA draft. However, with the unexpected emergence of Devonte Graham, who could very well win the most improved player of the year award, the Hornets have exceeded expectations and would have potentially finished as the 10th or 11th seed. Although that is still very mediocre, it makes the list considering how much worse this team was projected to be.
The Toronto Raptors (46-18)
Entering this season, the Toronto Raptors had a lot of unanswered questions. These questions include, “Can the Raptors still be good enough to contend in the East without Kawhi” and “Is Pascal Siakam capable enough to be the new franchise player of the Toronto Raptors”? Surely enough, both these questions got answered this season as Pascal Siakam has blossomed into a legit superstar while the Raptors are still in contention in the East, with them being the second seed. However, the surprising factor about the Toronto Raptors this year compared to previous seasons is the amount of adversity and struggle this team suffered. Close to every month, the Raptors would have a key player in their rotation injured or unavailable including their star player Pascal Siakam who missed a month and a half of basketball! Yet despite all the injuries, Nick Nurse was able to construct ways in having success and, as a result, gave other players like Chris Boucher and Terrence Davis a chance to shine. The Raptors should not have been this good given their circumstance; however, with great coaching and incredible depth, this team has exceeded expectations and deserves to be mentioned in this list.
The Portland Trailblazers (29-37)
The Trailblazers are the first team to appear on this list as a surprisingly disappointing team. In the 2019 NBA playoffs, one of the most exciting storylines was, Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers. From waving Russell Westbrook goodbye to taking the second seed to seven games, the Trailblazers in the post-season truly exceeded expectations. Some fans even speculated that this team could have reached the finals due to the absence of Kevin Durant; however, Golden State prevailed. From having such a successful post-season, this team’s expectation was to be a playoff team, at least. However, that has not been the case for the Trailblazers as they struggled to win games and make an impact in the Western Conference. Although Lillard is a star in his own, the rest of the roster has been nothing but mediocre, which was the Blazer’s downfall. The additions of Hassan Whiteside and Carmelo Anthony may have looked nice on paper, but the Blazers have been far from successful when it comes to team success.
5. The Dallas Mavericks
Record: 40-27
The Dallas Mavericks are currently the seventh seed in the Western Conference and are only a game away from being the fourth seed. With the unexpected evolution in Luka Doncic’s game this season, the Mavericks at some point this year was looked at as a contender. From Luka Doncic averaging close to a 30 point triple-double in his sophomore year to Kristaps Porzingis playing reasonably well this season, the Maverick’s success is solely from these two stars. Although this duo can be seen as a future dynasty down the road, most NBA fans felt that this team this season could have either barely touched the playoffs or a lottery team. The reason why they are ranked at number five is due to the shocking production of Luka Doncic and how Luka and Kristaps Porzingis immediately developed incredible chemistry with one another. The Mavericks are in good hands for many years to come and will win a championship this decade.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: (32-33)
The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the youngest teams in the NBA. From Ja Morant to Jaren Jackson Jr., this Grizzlies team has many more years to develop into a definite contender in the Western Conference. However, the Grizzlies are currently the eighth seed with Ja Morant leading the charge and have already made a playoff presence before a team like the Phoenix Suns who have been rebuilding for eternity. Yet Ja Morant has been the answer to the Grizzlies problems and will very well be the best point guard in the NBA in the next 5-10 years.
As a rookie, Ja Morant has been very impressive and should be the unanimous rookie of the year. With him leading the Grizzlies to a playoff spot while also defeating top teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Ja Morant should receive a lot more credit than what he is given. However, Ja hasn’t been the only surprise to this team as players such as Jonas Valanciunas, Dillan Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke have all become vital pieces to the Grizzlies success. The connection between Ja and Jaren Jackson Jr. was one of the more entertaining basketball duos to watch this season and was also reasonably successful. With this young team already touching the playoff race and playing only one season together, only time will tell to how good this Grizzlies team can be!
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: (39-26)
The Philadelphia 76ers have been nothing but disappointing this season. In the 2019 NBA playoffs, the most memorable moment for 76ers fans was Jimmy Butler leaving in free-agency and Joel Embiid crying off the court. The 76ers were scarred that day and needed a player to really step up and bring the 76ers back to glory.
Entering this season, Joel Embiid appeared to have a different approach. Rather than being the fun and entertaining player that everyone sought him out to be, he entered this season supposedly locked in and ready to compete for the 2020 NBA finals. However, Embiid’s mentality wasn’t the only thing that the 76ers changed as they also signed Al Horford and traded Jimmy Butler away for Josh Richardson. The starting five of Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid should, in theory, decimate any other team in the NBA; however, certain discrepancies revealed itself and as a result, made the 76ers a much worse team. Some of these issues include lack of shooting, depth, and a real star to take charge of this team.
With Joel Embiid’s last memory of the 2019 season, which was crying off the court, one would assume that the 76ers would fight back this season with a vengeance and a certain form of competitiveness. Yet this was not the case as Joel Embiid would have a mediocre season and remain unhealthy while the rest of the roster would struggle to play with one another. The only upside that this 76ers team had this season was determining who they should rebuild around and who they should trade away. Ben Simmons played extraordinarily well when Embiid was out to injury and showed flashes of what he can do if he is the central piece to an organization. If the 76ers want any success going forward, they need to trade away Joel Embiid as he is a player who cannot remain healthy and has lost his dominant touch.
2. Miami Heat
Record: (41-24)
The Miami Heat were by far the most surprising team in the Eastern Conference. From the unexpected production of Bam Adebayo to the entire roster shaping up to be one of the best shooting teams in the NBA, the Heat are beautifully constructed under Eric Spoelstra’s coaching. However, the biggest surprise to this team has been Jimmy Butler.
For the past few seasons, Jimmy has gained the reputation of being hard-headed if his demands weren’t addressed. These include his team’s work ethic and overall seriousness on and off the court. However, the only thing that Jimmy Butler wanted was a team that valued winning just as much as he did. As a result, Butler would join Pat Riley, who is known as a winner throughout his basketball coaching and the Miami Heat who not too long ago had a dynasty that made four straight finals while also winning two NBA championships in the process!
The most impressive aspect of this team is how well they played together this season. With Jimmy Butler leading the charge and being named an all-star, their team’s chemistry led them to be fourth in the Eastern Conference while also being darkhorse for the NBA finals. Furthermore, the Miami Heat are also the only team in the NBA to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks twice. Overall, this team has an excellent balance of offence and defence and should be known as a contender.
1. The Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: (40-24)
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the most surprising team this season. From Chris Paul’s unexpected resurrection in his career to Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s all-star potential, he displayed this season; the OKC Thunder has exceeded all expectations. Entering this season, the Thunder were projected to miss the playoffs and begin the rebuilding phase. However, OKC is currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference and have defeated some difficult teams throughout the year.
The aspect that makes this team so shocking is how well Billy Donovan can coach this team. For the last few seasons, Billy Donovan seemed to be a lousy coach considering that he failed to bring a championship with players such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, a young James Harden, and Paul George. Yet, it almost seems to be that the actual issue was the players and not so much the coaching due to how well Billy Donovan has coached this team. The Houston Rockets, for instance, are the sixth seed with Russell Westbrook and James Harden, which clearly illustrates that Billy Donovan was being accused wrongly.
With great chemistry with one another, this Thunder team is on pace to have one of the quickest rebuilds in the NBA. Chris Paul has shown NBA fans why he is regarded as a top 5-10 point guard of all-time as he was also named an All-Star in a tough Western Conference.