Chris Gardner via Getty Images
By Sean Wallace, Sports Editor
Plenty of teams in the NBA outperform expectations every year. Here are three that could make significant strides this season.
Utah Jazz
Utah owns an abundance of young talent. Players such as guards Keynote George, Ace Bailey and Bruce Sensabaugh have not hit their ceiling. Forward Lauri Markananen returns coming off a season where averaged 26.7 points per game.
Last season, they landed forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who won defensive player of the year in 2023, at the trade deadline from the Memphis Grizzlies. They also drafted guard Darryn Peterson, who has the traits to become a superstar in the league, with the second pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Their center depth with the loss of Walker Kessler is questionable, but I expect Utah to make a significant jump in the Western Conference with the talent they still have.
Washington Wizards
Similar to Utah, Washington possesses many young players including center Alex Sarr, guards Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly and more. They will continue to take jumps in their development.
Washington acquired four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young and 10-time All-Star center Anthony Davis before the trade deadline last season. Despite the lack of defense in the backcourt, the front court can mask that liability. Sarr and Davis excel in that area. Young and Davis will also thrive in the pick and roll.
If that was not enough, they drafted AJ Dybantsa with the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Washington has their eyes set on the postseason for the first time in six years.
Chicago Bulls
Led by first year executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, I love multiple moves their new front office made this season. They kicked off the offseason by hiring Tiago Splitter. He led the Portland Trail Blazers to the seventh seed in the Western Conference last postseason as interim head coach.
Despite going fourth overall, forward Caleb Wilson has the talent to be this year’s Rookie of the Year. Third-year forward Matas Buzelis, who nearly doubled his season average in points last season from 8.6 to 16.3, is poised for another breakout year. Newly acquired center Nic Claxton will help defensively in the front court. Guards Josh Giddey and Norman Powell, an All-Star last season, will complement each other well in the backcourt.
I would be surprised to see them in the playoffs, but I do expect them to win more games than the consensus believes. The future is brighter than what people think in Chicago.
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