- 1 year ago
The NBA Season is right around the corner and some teams are getting too much love. Peter Klein looks at the Top 5 NBA Teams that are the most overrated and underrated heading into the 2024-25 NBA Season.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Alright, the NBA season.
00:12So close.
00:13So many intriguing storylines to go over.
00:16And so today, we'll go through a few of them, looking at the overvalued and undervalued
00:22teams in the league.
00:23So who's overrated?
00:24Who's underrated?
00:25Let's start with the negative.
00:27Who's overrated in the NBA this year?
00:29Coming in at number 5, it is the Milwaukee Bucks.
00:33Their win total is at 50.5.
00:35That is one more win than last year.
00:37Now, you can make some pretty compelling arguments that Milwaukee's actually going to get a little
00:41bit better going into this season.
00:43With Giannis being healthy, with Middleton and Lillard being healthy, a full season with
00:49Doc Rivers as the coach, just providing a little bit more stability and a bit more of
00:54an identity than they had before, I do think that there are some real opportunities for
00:59that team to be successful.
01:01However, for them to get over 50 wins this year, basically everything has to go right.
01:07Giannis has to fully healthily play like 75 games, ditto probably for Middleton and for
01:13Lillard.
01:14They're going to need to figure everything out defensively, and probably need some guys
01:16to step up, because also, the East is just very good.
01:20And so, I have my worries that the Milwaukee Bucks, the window has kind of closed on this
01:27group.
01:28And I just feel like enough teams have passed them by that 50.5 feels insurmountable.
01:33And so that's why I have them as an overvalued team this year.
01:37What about the Utah Jazz?
01:38They're at number 4.
01:39They won 31 games last year.
01:41Their total is now 29.5.
01:43But it always follows the same pattern, where you have a decent start to the year, everyone's
01:51like, oh wow, look at this, like if the playoffs started today, the Utah Jazz would be in the
01:55play-in.
01:56Isn't that neat?
01:58And then we get to around January, and they start to get their brains beat in, and they
02:01trade off any pieces that anyone would be interested in.
02:05And then it all kind of goes downhill.
02:07Now maybe there's a little bit less appetite for that, now that they've signed Larry Markkinen
02:10to a contract extension, but I do have, still, some concerns about Utah.
02:16And especially since this draft year is going to be, I think, significantly better than
02:20the last one, there is going to be more enthusiasm to lose, let's say.
02:26And so I do think that Utah probably goes under that one this year.
02:30At 3, it's the LA Clippers.
02:33And this feels a little forced, almost, at 39.5.
02:37But Kauai is injury prone, I think that's pretty safe to say, at this point, due to
02:44some trouble staying healthy.
02:46Paul George is gone.
02:47And so it is now up to Kauai and James Harden to lead this team to the promised land.
02:52Which means that it is up to James Harden to lead this team if anything happens to Kauai.
02:58So on the nights where Kauai is load-managed, on the nights where Kauai is a little bit
03:02banged up, it is the James Harden show.
03:06And we have seen, over the last little while, that does not equal winning basketball.
03:11And so that is where I think a lot of the concerns are around the LA Clippers.
03:15I think this could be a really ugly season for Los Angeles.
03:19At 2, it's Miami, at 44.5.
03:23They had some injury problems last year.
03:25And so I think you can kind of explain that away.
03:26And then again, they had some injury problems and they still finished at 46 wins.
03:30But, this is still a very unremarkable roster to me.
03:35And we are getting, like, there's some uncertainty around Jimmy Butler.
03:39They made a big move to bring in Rogier, and then he couldn't stay healthy.
03:42And I just, I think he is a much better 3 than he is a 2.
03:46And if there's going to be any injury problems with Butler or anything like that, I think
03:50that's forcing too much Terry Rogier into your lineup.
03:54And so that's going to be, I think, a big problem for this team.
03:57And a big concern for this group.
04:00And so I just, I don't, again, I think for 44.5, you are expecting best case scenario
04:07from basically everyone.
04:09And we could get to a point with an undrafted, or not undrafted, but with an expiring contract
04:15here for Jimmy Butler, and he gets moved at some point.
04:18And then the wheels fall off out there.
04:20So I just, I think there are more scenarios where this goes bad out in Miami than there
04:24are ones that are good.
04:26And at number 1, I already know someone from the YouTube comments who's going to be a little
04:30bit upset about this.
04:31It is the Philadelphia 76ers at 52 and a half.
04:36Everyone's getting adjusted.
04:37I think there is going to be an adjustment period with Maxie probably wanting a little
04:41bit more responsibility after just having an unbelievable year last year.
04:45Joel Embiid fully healthy for a year with Maxie as the guy.
04:49They didn't have that as much last year.
04:53But they did have it for a stretch.
04:54Like, that's not the biggest part of this.
04:55But also, now integrating Paul George into this offense, who I do think can be a little
04:59bit chill, but also does kind of need to get his.
05:02And so, I think you are looking at a team that is going to try to get adjusted, while
05:08also being very wary of protecting Paul George and some of the injury issues he has had.
05:15Protecting Joel Embiid, who missed all of last year, or not all of last year, but missed
05:19a very large chunk of last year with an injury, and then played in the Olympics a month ago,
05:24and is now back, and we're just assuming going to play 82 games.
05:27And so I just think there's so many different things that they are working around.
05:31They're 100% going to be the playoff team you wouldn't want to face when we get down
05:36to April, but 53 wins?
05:40I just, I don't see it.
05:41I think there's going to be a lot of puzzle pieces going in and out that is going to make
05:44that team a little bit difficult to put together.
05:48And then, now, the undervalued teams.
05:49Who's underrated this year?
05:51At 5, it's the Orlando Magic.
05:54At 47 and a half, with the younger players getting another year of experience, KCP bringing
05:59that kind of winning pedigree to the group, and all of that.
06:02I think that the Olympic experience for a few of these guys, as well, is going to help.
06:07They had a very clear and obvious hole.
06:10And that's, it was very hard for them to score.
06:13Defensively, they are unbelievable.
06:15I do think that KCP, while not the most dynamic scorer, is someone who can, you know, fill
06:21up the buckets, so to speak.
06:23That's what the kids are saying, trust me.
06:25But he can go out there and get you some buckets, while also playing well defensively.
06:28And so, of all the guys they could have gone out and got, obviously I think Paul George
06:32is probably the best.
06:34And so that didn't work.
06:35But in terms of how they fit into what they are doing, and still addressing a need that
06:40they had, I think that he is one that helps them out in a very big way.
06:44At 4, it is the Houston Rockets.
06:47With all of the young kids that they have, and now another year with Van Vliet, and with
06:53Brooks, and it all kind of meshing together, and Imei having another full year there to
06:58kind of do his thing as a coach, I feel like this is a team that takes a very big step
07:02this year.
07:03And so I think they are a little bit undervalued at 43.5.
07:06This one I'm taking a chance on.
07:08The Detroit Pistons at 25.5 points.
07:11I know one of the mantras of this show, since it started back in 2021, has been, feed off
07:18of the bad teams.
07:20So many times, honestly a lot of the overvalued in any preseason market is just not assuming
07:28that this bad team is actually going to be that bad.
07:32And for a bit, we have been able to profit off of the ills of the Detroit Pistons.
07:39But that ends now, to a certain extent.
07:42I think Cade has a chance to be a breakout guy this year.
07:45I think that injuries and just the team's irrelevance have kind of made us forget how
07:50good this kid was in college, and some of the great things that he can do.
07:55I think that they overpaid for some, but I do think that they have brought in some actual
07:59NBA talent, which I have heard helps.
08:02And so I think that, maybe not a significant step, I don't think they're going to be
08:05playing meaningful games or anything like that, I just think that there is going to
08:08be a step forward for this group.
08:10And yes, I just said that there is going to be incentive to tank for teams this year.
08:15I think Detroit wants to be out of that now.
08:17I think that they kind of want to see what these young kids have and take those steps.
08:21And I think there's going to be at least a little bit there this year.
08:23And so to get to 26-27 wins doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for Detroit.
08:29At 2, the Dallas Mavericks.
08:31They won 50 games last year.
08:33Their total is at 49 and a half.
08:35I think this is a better team.
08:36I think Klay fits exactly what they need perfectly.
08:39And I think what they need fits what Klay can do now perfectly.
08:43He doesn't need to go out and be super dynamic offensive dynamo.
08:48They kind of just needed him to go out there, spot up, and hit some threes at times.
08:52Because that was something that was greatly lacking on this team last year.
08:55I have concerns about them defensively, but I think a full year with Washington and with
09:01Gafford on this team, and another year of Lively and all of those guys kind of developing
09:06and meshing together, added that with Klay Thompson in the corner, jacking and knocking
09:12down threes, I think that this is going to be a very, very dangerous team.
09:18And so Toxic asking, what do you think Klay can provide at this point in his career?
09:23I think we kind of get him into the, this is now his Ray Allen era, right?
09:28With the Miami Heat, where you used to be a top like 1 or 2, sometimes 3, on very, very
09:35good teams.
09:36Now, if you could kind of just be our 4th or 5th best player, but our best shooter,
09:42and someone that teams at least have to worry about, so that not 5 people can collapse on
09:47Luka when he starts to drive.
09:49Just be that drive and kick corner 3 option.
09:53That's all he needs to be, and I think that's kind of all he can be.
09:56I still think he's a very good shooter.
09:58That doesn't just go away.
10:00And so I think with less responsibility on this team, that's going to be a role that
10:05I think fits him perfectly.
10:07There's absolutely a world where he's just cooked, and I'm wrong on this.
10:10But I do think that he is a guy that can transition into this new role in his career really well.
10:17And I think it was difficult for him in Golden State, because it's all there, right?
10:21You see the banners up there.
10:22You see the spot where they're saving to retire your jersey someday.
10:27And so it's tough to just be like, no, no, no, no, no, I wasn't THE guy.
10:31But I was one of the most important pieces on all of those championship teams.
10:36And this whole arena is built off of a lot of the hard work that I was able to do.
10:41And so it is tough to be in that same spot and transition into that new role.
10:46And so I think a fresh start in Dallas will allow him mentally to kind of get over some
10:50of those hurdles and be able to build up on that in a real important way.
10:55And so I do think he can provide quite a bit.
10:56At number one, the Sacramento Kings.
10:59At 44 and a half.
11:00I think DeMar makes this a more complete lineup.
11:05It makes scoring just so much easier, not that they had a ton of trouble scoring offensively,
11:09but in the half court at times it can kind of bog down a little bit.
11:11And he is one of the best half court scoring players in the NBA.
11:16And I think one of the other things it lets them do is instead of, it is now Sabonis and
11:20the bench.
11:21And it is now Fox and the bench.
11:23You can now have two of those three out there at any time.
11:27And it just kind of lengthens the lineup and it makes you more dangerous for all 48 minutes
11:31of a basketball game.
11:32And so I think Sacramento, they had the big light the berm thingy a couple of years ago
11:37and that was great.
11:38We all loved it.
11:39They took a bit of a step back last year.
11:40I think this is another step forward, probably even beyond what we saw from them a couple
11:44of years ago.
11:45I think Sacramento has a chance to really, really be a problem out West.
11:49Conrad asking, would you have retired Vince's numbers if you were in charge of the Raptors?
11:53Yes.
11:54Yes I would.
11:55I would throw up on this now on YouTube.com again, slash at couch potato diary.
12:00But yes, I would.
12:01I understand he quit on the team.
12:03And as a kid at the time, that was incredibly frustrating and very disappointing and core
12:08memory and all of those sorts of things.
12:10But when you look at what he did with the Raptors and not even like, even if you just
12:15want to block out the, they would have folded if it wasn't for him thing, just from a play
12:21on the court standpoint, multiple time All-Star, led this team to within one shot of the Eastern
12:28Conference Finals, was consistently one of the best players in the league for this team
12:33for an extended period of time.
12:36Even just that, I think you have to at least give consideration to retiring his jersey.
12:40But then when you combine it to the importance of bringing all those eyeballs in and making
12:45basketball cool in a hockey mad country during hockey season, all of those things combined,
12:52I just, I think it's a no-brainer.
12:54And yes, it would have worked out perfectly timing-wise if you could have retired Kyle
12:58Lowery's jersey first, and then Vince Carter's.
13:01But I don't think, with Vince going into the Hall of Fame this year, I don't think you
13:05can let the New Jersey Nets be the only ones who celebrate Vince Carter in that way, given
13:11how important he was to your franchise.
13:13And yes, set them back years and years and years with how he handled his exit from Toronto.
13:18A, we've become a little bit more accustomed to that now in the NBA, but B, I just think
13:24that the timing of it all with him going into the Hall of Fame really does kind of win out
13:28in this spot.
13:29And so yeah, make it a situation where Vince is the first one up there, and then the second
13:37Lowery retires.
13:38His jersey is up there.
13:39He signs a one-day contract with the Raptors, and the jersey goes up in the Raptors.
13:42And if you want a way to honor Kyle Lowery first, have Lowery be the first statue that
13:47the Raptors build outside of, um, fuck I almost called it the Air Canada Centre, whatever
13:51it's a Scotiabank thing.
13:54Have the Lowery statue be the first one out there, and then you can put a Vince one wherever
13:59you want after.
14:00But that is, I think, how you can kind of make there be balance in the force again.
14:06Is to have Lowery get the jersey retired second, but the statue first.
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