Five NBA Teams Ready To Surprise In 2027

We spotlight five franchises poised to jump from overlooked to dangerous, built on health returns, draft leverage, and switchable lineups. We weigh ceilings, risks, and what each team needs to turn talent into wins next season.

• Pacers’ path with Halliburton returning and a top-five pick
• Wizards’ Trae and AD core with wing depth and draft options
• Jazz’s oversized front-court, guard roles, and trade questions
• Hornets’ spacing around LaMelo and perimeter defense needs
• Hawks’ switch-everything ceiling and big-man matchup risks

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Transcript

Setting The Stage For 2027

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What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, Get a Bucket. I'm your host, Train as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Now, today we're going to talk about 2027. But there's some upcoming NBA teams that I'm looking forward to seeing how they actually perform. And they're at the bottom of the barrel right now. Well, okay, maybe not all of them, but some of them are entertaining to watch. As of right now, and next season, I think we could put some expectations such as playoffs on them. So with that being said, let's go ahead and talk about some of these teams. And to be clear, most of the teams that I'm about to list off, you've been looking at the squads, you've seen them, right? And you don't think there's much going on this season for the playoffs. You don't. We've seen these organizations kind of be a little lackluster, and now I think they have the opportunity to turn their franchise, their organization, around. Perception-wise. Now, one of these teams you can argue because they were in the playoffs pretty decently, couldn't won the championship. And that's the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Halliburton, Andrew Nimhardt, Aaron Nees Smith, Pascal Sialcom, and Abeka Zubak, that would be next year's starting five, to my knowledge. Could they make some changes? Sure. But as of right now, those are the those that's the that's the projected starting five that we got for the Pacers, which does seem interesting, especially if Tyrese Halliburton could come back from his ACL tier, right? And if everybody returns to what we saw or even get better. But here's the thing TJ McConnell, OB Toppin, Jay Huff, good versatile players to bring off the bench. At least serviceable. Could we have a better bench? Sure. But they're solid. The 2026 draft pick that they have, that one's looking a little interesting. Because it's supposed to be top five. And that could be Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson. If they get the number one pick, that really makes things interesting. Because they could get AJ DeBanza. AJ DeBanza, and I'm telling you right now, Buddy is smooth. They can go Darren Peterson. There's a lot of options that these Pacers can go, especially top five in this draft class. But thinking about that team next season, they got to the finals in the past. While, yes, they went up against some injured teams at times, they still showcased that they played well. They went to a game seven versus OKC. Tyrese Halliburton did his thing. I think this team you got to pay attention to, especially with the top five pick. Imagine if we get Cam Boozer or Caleb Wilson. That's somebody who eventually will replace Pascal Siakam. But here's the crazy thing: you can play both, either players, alongside Pascal Siakam, alongside Evetka Zubak. And it's similar in terms of production when you're looking at the established players of Pascal Siakam and Evetka Zubak. And I'm basing this off talent, not NBA production, because these players have not played in the NBA yet. But the pacers, you gotta watch out for. Because they'll at minimum make things interesting from a playoff perspective. Now, I I'm going to give them a year grace because again, Tyrese Halliburton come back off injury, not playing basketball in professionally, in the NBA at least, for a whole year. That's a lot. So I'm expecting there to be some some rust, some missed cues, some missed times, right? So I'm expecting them to be a lower C playoff team. Could they could they vault up to the top? There may be a world. But the Pacers being more relevant, especially depending on which draft pick they get, y'all gotta pay attention to. So again, Indiana Pacers. They're one of my teams to look forward to seeing next season. Now, the Washington Wizards, this is another team. Now, it's not because I'm from the DMV, it's because they've actually done things that some people might have been hesitant to do. They get Trey Young. Trey Young's had some injury issues, right? The Hawks have been perceived as mid for quite some time. But Trey Young has been viewed as a top-tier guard in the NBA. So we got Trey Young as the starter. We know they signed Anthony Davis. Cool. So their starting lineup projected for me could be Trey Young, Bilal Kuobali, Keyshawn George, Anthony Davis, and Alex Sarr. Now the Washington Wizards also have good players coming off the bench. I like Trey Johnson. Justin Champagne is pretty decent. Sharif Cooper can hoop a little bit. You know what I'm saying? I do like him. The Wizards got some talent. Now, could Sharif end up remaining at this on this team? That that that's we got to wait to see. Because both him and Trey have short guards, so they may want to bring in a bigger guard, which they already have Bub Carrington, right? So it's gonna be interesting to see who they end up keeping the Wizards meeting. But let's not forget, ladies and gentlemen, they have a top five projected pick in this upcoming 2026 draft. Now, with this, let's say they get number one. All right, do they go AJ DeBonsa? I think you do. I think you do. But I've also heard Cam Boozer's name, Caleb Wilson's name, Darren Peterson could play alongside Trey Young, and he has combo guard skills. I know at Kansas he has not been assisting that much, but coming out of high school, he was his team's point guard. So he has that ability. But if you don't go Darren, I think you go Caleb in this situation just because Anthony Davis gets injured. Yes, you can also get Cam Boozer. That could be interesting depending on what pick you get. But a top five pick, I think we're finally expecting this for the Washington Wizards. They've been at the bottom of the barrel for quite some time. So next season, you got two All-Star All-NBA caliber players on your team, plus an arguable top pick on your squad. You got the number two pick from just a few seasons ago. Boulogali's pretty decent on offense and defense. Good, a solid two-way player who I think will be on France's 2028 team. Stay tuned. Keyshawn George been hooping. I think Washington Wizards, you gotta watch out for them. And especially because these boys could go as high as a four or fifth seed in the East. They have the talent to do so. They got the bodies to do so. Is their coaching good enough? Those are questions that we gotta figure out come next season. But at least from a talent collection standpoint, if everybody's healthy, you can expect to watch the Washington Wizards in the playoffs next season. And keep in mind, keep in mind, if they're all healthy, it's scary. Yes, Anthony Davis has been known to be Mr. Glass, I hear that. But even without Anthony Davis, they could still they could still sneak into the playoffs in the East. I'm just saying. Especially with a top five pick. But we gotta wait to see. Now, another team that I gotta highlight, the Utah Jazz. They have a treasure trove of players. My personal opinion. I genuinely like this team. But here's the crazy thing. I'm gonna list off their top five. They're starting five, right? It's gonna be a little weird to say. Because some of these players aren't in their starting five, which is stupid. But Isaiah Collier, he's not in their starting five, to be clear, but he should be. He's their best point guard. Keontae George, he's a bucket getter. Laurie Marketing, we know who he is. Jaron Jackson Jr., former depoy. Walker Kessler. Hey, yo. We have three players on this team, 6'11, and above. Jaron Jackson Jr. is the shorter player on the front court. And he's already won a de-poy. He can stretch the floor out. We can play four out, one in. Imagine a pick and roll with Walker Kessler or a pick and roll with Jaron DeLaurie, and you got Isaiah or Keontae. Isaiah is a solid playmaker. Keonta's a quality bucket getter. And then off the bench, you got Ace Bailey, Kyle Philipowski. I like these two players. Could they go a little deeper? I think they can. I think they do. But those are the players that have stood out to me because also they have a top five pick, ladies and gentlemen. And this is pretty smooth. Now, if they get the number one pick, I think they go AJ DeBonza, which would be crazy to see because he was at Utah Prep, then went to BYU, and now on the Utah Jazz. Hey, yo. But here's the crazy thing. Would you, if you get the number one pick in your Utah, keep your team the way it is and add AJ, maybe potentially bring one of these players off the bench. Or bring AJ off the bench. Would you do that? Or would you look to move one of these players for future draft capital or future young players? That could be interesting to follow along with as well, too. Because I know some people who say that Laurie Markinen is not going to be on the team that much longer, which I can understand that he's arguably their biggest trade chip. But they did just make a couple of moves with Jaron Jackson Jr. So it does make me question what the Utah Jazz will do. But let's not get it twisted. Next season, I expect the Jazz to be in the thick of things when it comes to the playoffs. Off talent, we can see a six seed. I can see a six seed out of the West. I can. For this Jazz squad, I can, especially if everybody's healthy. If not, that's another discussion. But again, top five pick, this starting five, that's quality. That is quality work. And this team also is trying to put Ace Bailey in the starting lineup. So now you got Keontae George who's 6'5. Ace Bailey has the two, and then everyone else the same way. Your smallest person is 6'5, and you got a 6'10 shooting guard. I have my gripes about Ace Bailey, but that's a possibility as well, too. I like what the Utah Jazz can offer. So the Utah Jazz fans, hey, enjoy your season. Because it's going to be a good one come next season. I promise y'all. Now, the other team that we got to talk about, the Charlotte Hornets. Oh my gosh. They got Lamello Ball, Conn Knupple, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Lusa Diabate. When coming off the bench, you got Kobe White, who easily can be a sixth man of the year candidate. Sion James, very solid lockdown defender. Ryan Calk Brenner, who is a seven-footer. You can't scoff at a seven-footer in today's game. And he's decent. He's decent. Grant Williams, who's been on the Celtics before, he has a good pedigree in terms of championship DNA. No, he's not a champion, but he's been in the finals. He has playoff experience that matters. Josh Green, quality of defender, a solid two-way player. So I like what the Charlotte Hornets are doing. And their lottery pick or their pick this year could be in the lottery. So could you flip that lottery pick maybe for, let's say, another player? That could be possible. Or maybe you get a young player and just add them to the rotation. And then y'all get that playoff experience. I wholeheartedly expect the Charlotte Hornets to be in the playoffs come next season. Lamello, especially if everybody's healthy, Lamelo Ball, off talent, is one of the best NBA point guards in the game. Khan Knupple is one of the better shooters in the game. And keep in mind, he's a rookie. Remember, he went to the final round in the three-point contest. That's nothing to scoff at. And quite frankly, if Dame won't hoop in the way he shot, and if Book won't hoop in the way he shot, there's a world where Khan could have won that. Because again, it was three people in the finals. Brandon Miller, six, nine shooting guard, small forward. He can put the ball in the basket. I'll give him credit. He can put the ball in the basket. Miles Bridges, like the only thing I got to question is do they what do they need to add? Because they got the defenders. Like maybe Brandon, Brandon's going to have to defend a little bit more. Miles, you got to be a lockdown defender as well, too, from a forward perspective. So maybe they can use a little bit more perimeter defense. Like Khan's okay. I wouldn't call him a lockdown defender, but again, they got Sion James out there. So if they need a defender, they can do that. They got Josh Green out there already. So they have players who can play defense, and their starters, I can't say, are trash on the defensive end. So I really like the Charlotte Hornets and their makeup. We just got to figure out what their coaching is looking like. Because in the thick of things, that's going to tell us whether or not they need to trade coaches or not. Fire their coach and get a new one. But I do like the Charlotte Hornets and what they can bring to next season. That's going to be interesting. Now, my final team, in terms of the new upcoming teams, right? This team has kind of been here for a little minute. I'll give y'all, I'll give you. But it's got to be the Atlanta Hawks. Listen, I love what these boys have done. Only question for me is are they missing like that big man, that seven-footer? Everybody else, every team, the Pacers, the Wizards, the Jazz, the Hornets, everybody else has a seven-footer on their squad. The Hawks, they don't. They boast a team that could go Dyson Daniels, Nikil Alexander Walker, Jonathan Kaminga, Jalen Johnson, and Oneko Okungwu. Everybody on the team is 6'6 and above. Now, to be clear though, that above stretches out to about 6'10. And that's because of Jalen Johnson. So again, Oneco Okonwu about 6'8. That's their center. Now he plays pretty daggone well. He can move them puppies. He can defend. I like Oneco Okonwu personally. But when I'm thinking about the Joel and Bees, the Nikola Yokicks, he should do decently against Kat. But even Kat on an occasion can get what can get a little saucy. Jalen Duran is strong as the Hawks. 6'11. How do they deal with those big centers that can actually play well? When Wimby starts to get a little stronger, how does Aneka Okongu do against Wimby? How do the Hawks do against Wimby? Players like that, Walker Kessler, Zach Edy, like those players. Yes, the mobility leans, the Hawks. They can be in transition. They can switch one through five. Do they need a big man? Because coming off the bench, you got Zachary Reefshead, Corey Kispert, Jock Landell, who is 6'11, I'll give you, but he's kind of like a power forward to me. Do they need that seven-footer? Maybe they can use their 2026 pick, which is a lottery, to try and get a seven-footer out of college. Bring them low. But I like this Hulks pick, this Hulks team. Because Jalen Johnson has emerged as one of the better players in the game. Jonathan Kaminga, I thought has been one of the better forwards in the game. He just has been screwed over by Steve Kern, the Golden State Warriors. So now, on a different team, new environment, he already put up three 20-point games in a row. And that's on a team where Nikhil Alexander Walker is a 20-point per game scorer. Jalen Johnson is too. They got a number one pick in Zachary Rishay, despite what you may think about him as a pick, still number one pick. So could he ever get to 20? We'll find out. But this Hawks team, hey, dog, they got a nice little squad on them. Versatility out the yin-yang. I'm telling you, you have to pay attention to the Hawks. Because I honestly, and I genuinely mean this, I honestly can see the Hawks hitting a number one seed in the East next year off of talent. Execution is one thing, but off talent, they have the ability to be a number one seed in the East. You don't believe me? All right, cool. Watch. Because again, Dyson can score and defend. Nikhil can score and defend. Kaminga can score and defend. Jalen Johnson can score and defend. Oneko Kungwu can score and defend. They can play five out, four out, one in. They can do a lot of different packages on offense and on defense, they can switch a lot. So, okay, cool. Do that pick and roll if you want to. We'll just switch it out. We got it. And the only time they're going to really be able to get killed is against a dominant big, which there aren't as many dominant bigs in the league as you might think. So the Hawks, I could see them being a top team off talent, off production. I'm expecting that middle of the pack team, not play-in, but playoff team. Like four seed, five seed. That's what I'm genuinely expecting starting next season. And maybe that's a bit premature. Maybe it's a bit premature for some of these teams that listed off. But I genuinely am looking forward to watching every team that I listed off. The Pacers, the Wizards, the Jazz, the Hornets, the Hawks. Next season, you have to lock in and see what they're doing. Are they going to win a championship? Probably not. But will they be entertaining? More than likely. Especially if they're healthy. But ladies and gentlemen, I'm very curious who do you all look forward to watching just next season? I want to hear your thoughts. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Sherry. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.