Five (more) teams to watch in 2017-18

The NBA is an interesting place right now in the current "Super Team" era. With the Cavs and Warriors gearing up for a fourth straight NBA Finals meeting, a lot

The NBA is an interesting place right now in the current "Super Team" era. With the Cavs and Warriors gearing up for a fourth straight NBA Finals meeting, a lot of teams get lost in the shuffle as fans get prepared for June. It's a shame to think that great players and exciting teams get shown no love, so it's a perfect time to change that.

Before the 2017-18 NBA season begins, here are five NBA teams that you should not sleep on this year.

1. Milwaukee Bucks

Last year, the Bucks shocked a lot of people by jumping into the Eastern Conference's sixth playoff spot. After all, this team lost Khris Middleton for most of the season due to a hamstring tear and had started to adapt to life without Jabari Parker. Nevertheless, the "Greek Freak" and company muscled out 42 wins on the campaign and pushed the Toronto Raptors to six games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. With everyone back and ready to roll, the Bucks should contend for a top four spot in the Eastern Conference.

In order to do so, look for the obvious production from Antetokounmpo. He had his breakout year in 2016-17, with 22.9 points, 5.4 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game. By year's end, Antetokounmpo had not only fans, but other NBA stars talking out about how he could become the league's next big thing. He'll continue making that leap with help from Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, and Greg Monroe.

For Bucks fans, this could be the start of something new in Milwaukee.

Prediction: 50-32, 4th in Eastern Conference

2. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves finished thirteenth in the West last year. This author can guarantee that will not happen again this year.

With Tom Thibodeau leading this group of talented players, there's no way Minnesota finds themselves watching the playoffs from their couch this year. Top picks Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins have continued to grow into cornerstone players and the T'Wolves recognized that by taking the next step for the franchise.

What was that next step? Building around those two.

The T'Wolves did more than build around those two. They brought in a star to become the third cornerstone piece.

Minnesota went out and acquired Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls, reuniting him with his former coach. Butler will serve as the go-to man on this youthful team, taking some of the pressure off of Towns and Wiggins. Butler will appreciate the change of scenery from a very wacky situation in Chicago, as he never really meshed with Bulls' Head Coach Fred Hoiberg's style of play. Butler will be familiar with the way Minnesota plays right off the rip which helps the team's chemistry immediately. Add the fact that Butler will have Chicago teammate Taj Gibson along with him and there's no reason to have any hiccups.

The T'Wolves decided they weren't done and also picked up point guard Jeff Teague to orchestrate the offense. Teague is a two-way player, something that is rare in the NBA anymore. He's extremely team-oriented and is only worried about winning. Sharpshooter Jamal Crawford was added on a smaller deal as well and will provide spark off of the bench, providing a steady scoring option to lean on when one of Butler, Wiggins, or Towns is out. That bodes well for Minnesota and their "Big Three".

Prediction: 46-36, 6th in Western Conference

3. Philadelphia 76ers

The time has come to "Trust The Process" to get the 76ers into the playoffs.

For quite some time now, the 76ers have been banking on their top draft picks to develop into players that can change the franchise for the better. After all, when you have five key players that were all drafted in the first round, you better have some star power or something went awfully wrong.

For the 76ers, it went wrong and then oh so right.

Joel Embiid was the beginning of "The Process" and has now adopted the nickname after being the 76ers first-round draft choice back in 2014. Embiid had been injured his first few years into the league but finally was able to show the NBA what he has to offer, playing 31 games last year before falling to injury again. Before the season-ending injury, Embiid put up 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, becoming a serious problem for defenses in the process. This year, he will have another chance to display his immense talent with his first-round teammates.

Those teammates include Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric.

Saric is a proven power forward who has an excellent mid-range shot. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season while shooting over forty-percent. Saric is the perfect yin to Embiid's yang, as the latter likes to battle down low and create opportunities from inside the paint.

Simmons and Fultz are mysteries but have intriguing prospect.

Simmons was the number one overall pick in 2016 out of LSU, highly sought after due to his ability to get to the hole and create something out of nothing with his extraordinary passing skills. He was injured in summer league and was shut down for the year, making 2017-18 his rookie season for Philadelphia.

Fultz was the 2017 number one overall pick and possesses the knack to score at will. While at Washington, Fultz led the Huskies with 23.2 points per game. The Huskies only won nine games last year however, so Fultz is now looking to manufacture wins. To start the year, he'll look to help out the second unit, as he'll begin his rookie campaign off of the bench.

With a rather weak Eastern Conference, there's never been a better time for the 76ers to strike. Now is their chance.

Prediction: 41-41, 7th in Eastern Conference

4. New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans are constructed in an odd way, which makes this team quite confusing to figure out.

New Orleans acquired Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins at the NBA trade deadline to pair him up with Anthony Davis. Genius move....except for the fact that there was no one else to help those two. With Jrue Holiday serving as the only true scoring presence at guard/forward, the Pelicans weren't a threat to anyone last year. Shutting down Davis or Cousins while the other one went to work was the ideal gameplan and it worked to perfection seemingly every time.

In the off-season, the Pelicans made a under-the-radar move to sign point guard Rajon Rondo. Though Rondo isn't the same player that helped Boston win a championship, he's still a very tough player and a quality player to have commanding the ball at the top of the arc. Place him back with Cousins and unfinished business between the two should serve as motivation. That, and the fact that both of these guys aren't liked by many teams and can play with a chip on their shoulder.

Though he'll miss the first month or so of action, Rondo instantly creates a pretty serviceable backcourt when he returns. Having him run the point while Holiday slides into the two-guard role would make a lot of sense, as New Orleans can then utilize Holiday in a scoring-guard role while Rondo distributes to the two-headed monster down low.

As for Davis and Cousins, there's no need to worry about chemistry or ego. These guys are sick of losing and these Kentucky alums want to return to their winning ways.

If everyone can stay healthy in New Orleans, there could be something to cheer about in the Smoothie King Center.

There's something bad brewing down in the Bayou.

Prediction: 45-37, 7th in Western Conference

5. Miami Heat

When the Heat won their NBA Championship in 2006, they ran everything through Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. With a dominant scorer with controlling the ball and a behemoth of a man inside the paint, how could you lose?

It appears as if Pat Riley is going back to his roots that brought the Heat the first NBA championship with a new mold, featuring shooting guard Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside.

Now, I'm not saying that the Heat are going to win it all. That's crazy talk. But the setup they have currently in South Beach does create some problems for the opposition.

For starters, Waiters has finally been permitted to be himself. Basically, Waiters can go shot-heavy as much as he wants because he is the best scoring option on the team. Before his Miami days, Waiters had been waiting to get set loose but never had his chance to do so in Cleveland and Oklahoma City. Now, it's his time to shine and he's fully embracing it.

The behemoth in the paint would be Hassan Whiteside, who has quickly become one of the best centers in the league. With 17.0 points and 14.1 rebounds per contest last season, Whiteside just imposed his will on big men last year. He is a main cog in the Heat's rotation and creates a lot of looks for his guards as teams swarm to him. When the outside game is clicking and Whiteside is feasting down low, the Heat are a bad matchup for anyone.

The Heat also have intriguing players in third-year man Justise Winslow and newly-signed free agent Kelly Olynyk. Both Winslow and Olynyk are physically-imposing and create havoc all around the court. What gets lost in the physical nature of their game is their ability to shoot from behind the arc. With Waiters and Goran Dragic already able to shoot the lights out, having two timely shooters in the starting five will do wonders for Miami.

Finishing tenth in the East last year wasn't ideal for Erik Spoelstra, but neither was starting 11-30. After a strong second half that saw Miami play as good as anyone in the league, it's time to see how this team grows under this new look.

Prediction: 49-33, 6th in Eastern Conference