The NBA is in great hands with the young talent across the league but three teams in particular have exceeded expectations so far and look like serious playoff contenders this season. Those three teams are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Indiana Pacers. All three have taken tremendous leaps this season after 2 of the 3 missed the playoffs but who is most likely to have the most successful season?
Young teams usually don't win in the NBA for several different reasons, most commonly due to lack of talent and experience but each of these teams are changing that narrative. The average age of the three most successful young teams this season is 24.1 years of age for the Oklahoma City Thunder who are the third youngest team in the NBA. Behind behind them are the Indiana Pacers who are the ninth youngest team at 25.1 years of age. The oldest of the three are the Minnesota Timberwolves at 25.7 years of age. Currently, these are the three best young teams in the NBA and all have talented young guards in Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton leading them. However, their is one player in particular I feel is most likely to lead his team the farthest.
Thunder guard, Shai Gilgeous Alexander is having a MVP caliber season averaging 31.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. He is also leading the Thunder to what could be their best season since the Durant-Westbrook era. Beyond Shai, there roster is stacked with young talent such as forward Jalen Williams and rookie of the year candidate Chet Holmgren. One of the most impressive aspects of the Thunder especially for today's NBA is their ability to shoot three pointers. Not only do they lead the NBA in three point shooting at 39.1% but they also have 10 players who shoot at 40% from three which speaks volumes to their offensive efficiency.
Although the Timberwolves currently have the better overall record in the west along with the league's best defense the Thunder are still my pick to make the Western Conference Finals this season. Though the Pacers are a very talented team who have the best offense in the league along with arguably the best guard in the east in Tyrese Haliburton they face an uphill battle against championship contenders like the Celtics and Sixers. However, they do appear to have a favorable matchup in an expected championship contender in the Bucks who they have defeated 4 out of 5 times this season.
The Pacers, Timberwolves, and Thunder are not just three talented young teams but are all legit playoff contenders. However, the Thunder are the team I believe is most capable of winning a championship because they are the biggest threat to the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
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