NBA: 5 teams to watch out for after the All-Star Break

The All-Star Break is a great time for most teams to rejuvenate and review their goals as a franchise: Either make a case for the Playoffs or re-establish themselves as a contender for the NBA or Conference title.

With the run, the Miami Heat made last season, still fresh in our mind, we will look at the top 5 teams to look out for post the All-Star Break:

#5 Washington Wizards (33-24)

Washington's two All-Stars John Wall and Bradley Beal

The Washington Wizards have had an underwhelming season till now, considering they were supposed to be challengers for the Eastern Conference title this year. Even though they are 4th, only 1.5 games behind 3rd seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, their journey has been tumultuous. A decent start to the season with a 4-2 record had everyone's hopes high. A horrid 7-8 November record took them out of contention for the Eastern conference's top seed.

A decent 17-12 record for December and January have pushed them back into an Eastern Conference which is very underwhelming this season. Most of their problems have stemmed from the absence of John Wall at the end of November through most of December and has again been injured since the start of February. But the absence of Wall has now actually improved the team with Beal in-charge.

They have been 5-2 to start this month and overall look very encouraging, moving the ball around better than they ever have this season. They are a team to watch out for as they are only 1.5 games behind the Cavaliers and just 6 wins separating the 3rd seed and the 9th seed, they have to give it their all to stay in the Playoffs.

#4 Toronto Raptors (41-16):

DeRozan and Lowry have formed an unbeatable backcourt

The Toronto Raptors have always been a team that are considered "just good enough". Past couple of seasons, they have been performing well enough to make the Semifinals of the Eastern Conference just to lose to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. But this year, coach Dwane Casey has turned this team into a new look roster with the same old players. DeMar DeRozan, the Midrange Marauder, has added a 3-point shot that is consistent and has been averaging a cool 23.7 points per game, 5.2 assists and 33.0% shooting from behind the arc on at least 3.5 attempts a game, which is a career-high for him.

The Raptors have made such a drastic turnaround in such a short time, that it was rocketed them to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, with a 2-game lead over the Boston Celtics, who have been under the limelight all the way.

The emergence of Ibaka as a floor-spacing big, alongside rookie OG Anunoby, who has established himself in this rotation, has had a profound impact on their season. The bench strength has also had a big-time influence on the results. Players like Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and Jakob Poeltl, who have had breakout campaigns this season, have been a dependable asset to the team.

They are a team to watch out for as they can actually cause an upset and stay the #1 seed in the East and be favorites for the Conference title this season.

Players to watch out for: DeMar DeRozan, OG Anunoby, Delon Wright, Jakob Poeltl.

#3 Detroit Pistons (28-29):

Can these 2 lead the Pistons to glory?

The Pistons are a team to watch out for the rest of this season, now that they have acquired an All-Star caliber forward in Blake Griffin, one who can be a playmaker, as well as the floor spacing big that the team needs.

They had a great start to the season, going 14-6 through October and November, but then an alarming 6-9 run in December leading to a horrid 3-11 run in January had almost destroyed all Playoff hopes until the Griffin trade went through, which improved their February record to 5-3.

Apart from the Griffin deal, the biggest talking point for the Pistons has been the emergence of Andre Drummond as an All-Star. He has been phenomenal this season, averaging 15 points and almost 16 rebounds per game. But the biggest talking point has been his improved free throw shooting which is at 63%, which is at least closer to the league average than the league-worst, which is where he was hovering for most of his career. He has also been a much-improved playmaker, averaging a career-high 3.6 assists a game.

Also, Stanley Johnson and Luke Kennard have come out to be good supporting players to the ensemble of Griffin and Drummond. Ish Smith has also stepped up in the absence of Reggie Jackson. Watch out for the Pistons to only get better once Reggie Jackson returns and the Griffin-Drummond combination only becomes better.

Players to watch out for: Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, Luke Kennard.

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers (34-22):

A rejuvinated LeBron and Cavaliers look rearing to go

The Cavaliers finally got rid of the aging roster they had, on deadline day and replaced it with younger, better shooters and defenders who can now at least play a better role of the supporting cast to the LeBron James show. They had a great 12-3 November run after an underwhelming 3-4 start to October. But the return of Isaiah Thomas from injury in early January marked a slide for the Cavaliers, losing 8 out of 14 games in January and generally looking almost disinterested on the court.

The deadline day players, consisting of Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, George Hill and Rodney Hood have almost changed how the Cavaliers feel. LeBron looks like he wants to win again alongside a bunch of young players who haven't tasted success yet and are raring to go. They have had a 4-2 run in February with these players. A part of the problem was Isaiah Thomas, who has since been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. His constant disapproval of the general atmosphere in the locker room along with his over-hyped return just destroyed the team chemistry.

Another part of their short rise till now has been the improved shooting from JR Smith and just overall better defending from the rest of the squad. If they have flipped the switch, they are definitely a team to look out for, especially now that they have able-bodied defenders and shooters who can turn the game. With Kevin Love back in another month, they will only become better and probably have a chance at taking down the Celtics and the Raptors.

Players to watch out for: LeBron James, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson.

#1 Utah Jazz (30-28):

Rookie of the Year?

The Jazz are currently the team to beat, the fox in the hole, in the Western Conference right now. Head coach Quinn Snyder has transformed this team and kept them slowly plugging away the whole season. Now that they have their full squad fit and ready to go, they are on an 11-game winning streak, with a 7-0 run in February. They have beaten the San Antonio Spurs twice, The Raptors and the Warriors once each on this streak and they seem like they will only stop once they are in the Playoff spots. They are now just 1.5 games behind the Pelicans and 4.5 games behind the 3rd seed Spurs, which makes the West Playoffs spots a wide-open race.

The man responsible for this rise and atleast keeping them in contention is Donovan Mitchell. When nobody was fit and keeping them afloat, they could always count on Mitchell to come good. Mind you, he is a rookie and this is his 1st full season in the NBA. He has shown tremendous skill and character, along with those highlight reel dunks, which have propelled him into a serious candidate for the Rookie of the Year award, something Ben Simmons was considered a foregone conclusion for midway through December. He has averaged 19.6 points per game, 43.9% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc, Mitchell has truly been a revelation.

Alongside Mitchell, the other driving force of this team has been Ricky Rubio. He has taken up the mantle of secondary scorer alongside primary playmaker, something we haven't seen from the guard throughout his career, something everyone wanted him to develop. He has taken over games when Mitchell is absent and done the dirty work for the Jazz when it is needed. He is one of the top 3 scorers for the Jazz and has to applauded for such a massive improvement to his game.

The Utah Jazz is the top team to watch out for considering the schedule they have is the easiest on paper among all the other team vying for the final 3 Playoff spots and can easily make it if their current form continues.

Players to watch out for: Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio, Jae Crowder.