NBA 2017-18: 5 Most Improved Teams

Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves

Despite improving by 16 wins, the Minnesota Timberwolves are only second on this list.

Now that the 2018 NBA Playoffs have concluded, it is pertinent to look back at the season and evaluate the progress some teams have made. There are very few things more gratifying in the NBA than seeing struggling young teams develop into playoff contenders.

The 2017-18 season saw several such teams which made significant improvements over the past season, either through intrasquad improvements or through free agency and trade additions.

Honorable Mentions

Before we get started, there are a few teams that were close to making this list but couldn’t as they “only” improved by eight wins from the 2016-17 season.

Toronto Raptors- Eight Games (51-31 to 59-23)

Toronto Raptors v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four
Toronto Raptors

It was supposed to be their year. The Toronto Raptors improved by eight games to go from the 3rd seed to a top-seeded NBA team. Yet, it felt like so much more. Their offensive system transformed from a Jurassic Park worthy isolation system to a modern offense replete with ball movement. Defensively, they continued to improve. Their bench became the best in the league. Rookie OJ Annouby added much-needed defense and shooting. DeMar DeRozan even started shooting threes. Then the playoffs happened.

The Raptors were walloped by LeBron James’ Cavs in a sweep for the second consecutive season. In the end, it felt as if eight games was overstating their improvement.

Brooklyn Nets - Eight Games (21-61 to 29-53)

Brooklyn Nets v Boston Celtics
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

The Nets improved in the same sense that Brian Scalabrine was preferable Smush Parker. That may be a tad unfair to the team from Brooklyn, but the reality is that the Nets continue to be one of the worst teams in the NBA. The fallout from the 2013 trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett continues as the Nets don't own their draft pick for the third consecutive year.

On the plus side, Brooklyn's coach Kenny Atkinson has shown great potential in making the most of this difficult roster. Spencer Dinwiddie's performances were also one of the stories of this season, as the point guard transformed from a bit-part player to the Nets' best guard. The Nets will be hoping for continued progress next year.

Portland Trail Blazers- Eight Games (41-41 to 49-33)

Portland Trail Blazers v New Orleans Pelicans - Game Four
Portland Trail Blazers

If this article was written before the playoffs, the Trail Blazers may have been given a special entry into the rankings based on their regular season success. Coach Terry Stotts had created a balanced team that was good on both ends of the floor. They were a team that did the “simple things” well- ranking third in free throw percentage and third in total rebounds. Their role players complemented their superstars, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Unfortunately for the Oregon team, all their progress came to naught in the playoffs where they were swept by the lower-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.

5. Los Angeles Lakers- Nine Games (26-56 to 35-47)

Los Angeles Lakers v New Orleans Pelicans
Los Angeles Lakers v New Orleans Pelicans

While on the surface, the Los Angeles Lakers’ improvement may seem similar to the Nets as one of the league’s worst teams in 2016-17 that improved to simply mediocre in 2017-18. Yet, the Lakers’ improvement was more meaningful because of the progress made by their young players. The Lakers ranked 2nd in total rebounds and 7th in assists. The latter is particularly impressive, considering that it indicates a modern NBA offense reliant on ball movement- boding well for their future.

The Lakers were also entertaining, playing at the league’s second quickest pace.

More importantly, the previous season saw Brandon Ingram finally start to make full use of his potential. Similarly, Julius Randle finally got his act together and became one of the best scorers on the team. Yet, perhaps most impressive was the performance of young rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma who flourished.

Coming in, Lonzo was perhaps a little overhyped, however, the point guard flashed his defensive potential (ranking 1st in Defensive Box Plus/Minus on the team) while also providing 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds. Kuzma was a brilliant scorer, ranking fourth among rookies in points. Despite such performances, the Lakers still struggled due to their lack of shooting, ranking 22nd in offensive rating.

While this prevented the Lakers from making the playoffs, the performance of their young players bodes well for their future. This is especially true as the Lakers are positioned to be a top free agent destination for the likes of LeBron James and Paul George.

4. Houston Rockets- 10 Games (55-27 to 65-17)

Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors, 2018 NBA Western Conference Finals
Houston Rockets

Even the biggest detractors of the Golden State Warriors would agree that they are one of the greatest all-time NBA teams. Since the Oakland franchise acquired Kevin Durant, they have been 32-6 in the playoffs. Half of those losses came to the Houston Rockets this season. In fact, the Rockets were one Chris Paul hamstring injury and a historically bad shooting performance away from defeating the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

While last season’s Rockets were definitely a great team, they were handily defeated by the San Antonio Spurs and would likely have met a similar fate against the Warriors. The biggest difference between last season and this season for the Rockets has obviously been the addition of Chris Paul. While he is no longer the same player he was in his prime, Paul still has the ability to be an elite point guard for 30-32 minutes every night. That production was vital for the Rockets’ offense, which had the highest offensive rating this season.

Another reason for that latter number was likely MVP James Harden, who became even better this season. The Houston guard was an incredibly efficient scorer, averaging 30.4 points with a true shooting percentage of 61.9% (both improvements on the previous season). The final aspect of Houston’s improvement was its acquisition of PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah o Moute, who provided three-point shooting marksmanship and defensive excellence.

The former allowed Coach Mike D’Antoni to run his signature offense while the latter (along with Paul’s intensity) transformed Houston from an average defensive team to one of the league’s best. The Rockets will need to get even better if they are to defeat the Warriors next season. Acquiring LeBron James (a possibility) couldn’t hurt.

3. New Orleans Pelicans- 14 Games (34-48 to 48-34)

New Orleans Pelicans v Golden State Warriors - Game Five
New Orleans Pelicans

Last season, the New Orleans Pelicans were perhaps one of the worst-run teams in the league. While they managed to compile a decent record thanks to the excellence of Anthony Davis (and DeMarcus Cousins after the trade deadline), the rest of the team was mediocre. This season, the Pelicans made a good start to the season, which seemed to have fallen apart when all-star DeMarcus Cousins’ season ended with an Achilles injury.

Yet, the best part of the Pelicans season was yet to come as Davis played center surrounded by rangy, defensively astute wings. The Pelicans pushed the pace (highest in the league), as Davis became a dark-horse MVP candidate in the latter stage of the regular season- averaging 28.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Even more importantly, Davis was excellent on the defensive end of the floor as he provided rim protection along with an ability to switch across defensive positions.

At the same time, Jrue Holiday finally became the side-kick that the Pelicans have always wanted him to be. Like Davis, Holiday is also an excellent defender who can guard up to four positions. Holiday’s excellence can partially be attributed to Rajon Rondo, whose presence freed the UCLA from play-making responsibilities. Rondo’s statistics were typically excellent as he averaged 8.3 points and 8.2 assists per game.

Another important addition for the Pelicans which enabled their improvement was the acquisition of Nikola Mirotic through a mid-season trade. The Montegonian big man helped stretch the floor (making 2.2 threes per game). These player improvements not only helped the Pelicans improve in the Regular Season, they were vital in the playoffs as the New Orleans franchise swept the Trail Blazers in the first round. If the Pelicans can make similar improvements over the next year, then perhaps franchise superstar Davis can be convinced to stay.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves- 16 Games (31-51 to 47-35)

Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves
Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns

Perhaps one of the more “expected” improvements this year, the Timberwolves were expected to improve significantly after adding superstar Jimmy Butler through a trade last offseason. For a while, the Timberwolves seemed like a dark horse contender as they hovered around the 3rd and 4th spot in the Western Conference standings.

However, in March, an injury to Butler derailed the team’s momentum as it collapsed to the last playoff spot in the conference (almost missing the playoffs) before getting crushed by the Rockets in five games. At the end of the season, there was a tinge of disappointment surrounding the franchise as bigger things were expected from the team. Moreover, tensions between coach Tom Thibodeau and young superstar Karl-Anthony Towns have dominated most of the discussion this offseason.

Nonetheless, the improvements made by the Minnesota Timberwolves must be acknowledged. This is especially true on the offensive end where the Timberwolves went from sporting the 10th best offense in the league to the 4th best. Butler was easily their best player, as the former Chicago Bull averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while being one of the league’s premier defenders. Butler’s comparatively efficient production was a massive upgrade over Minnesota’s wing rotation last year.

Meanwhile, at point guard, Jeff Teague was also an important addition as he averaged 14.2 points and 7.0 assists per game for his career. While in-house stars Towns and Andrew Wiggins did not improve significantly, the increased (and more efficient) production from the newcomers allowed the Timberwolves to break their playoff drought. However, the team (especially Towns and Wiggins) will need to make significant improvements if they are to reach their full potential.

1. Philadelphia 76ers- 24 Games (28-54 to 52-30)

Philadelphia 76ers v Boston Celtics - Game Five
Philadelphia 76ers

What a difference a year can make. In the 2016-17 season, the Sixers spent most of their time contemplating draft picks, the health of Joel Embiid and whether their much loved “Process” would ever come to fruition. By the end of the 2017-18 regular season, a magical 14 game winning streak had fans dreaming of NBA titles and the possibility of LeBron James joining the Sixers.

This tremendous improvement can mostly be attributed to the quality (and health) of their two young superstars: Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Last season, Embiid flashed superstar potential while only playing 31 games the entire season. This season, Embiid was an all-star starter as he dominated on both ends of the floor.

The Cameroonian averaged 22.7 points and 11.0 rebounds on a rather efficient 48.3% field goal percentage. Yet, he was even better defensively where he had 1.8 blocks per game along with advanced defensive stats that matched the league’s best (like a defensive rating of 100). Simmons, on the other hand, missed what should have been his rookie campaign (2016-17) with a foot injury. In his actual rookie season, he showed the Sixers what they had missed the previous season. While completely refusing to shoot any three-pointers, Simmons dominated on both ends of the floor to such an extent that by the end of the season, he was being compared to Magic Johnson and LeBron James.

Yet, the Sixers managed to successfully complement the unique talents of Simmons and Embiid by surrounding them with shooters like JJ Redick, Robert Covington, and Marco Belinelli. These role players along with the unique qualities of Dario Saric helped transform the Sixers from a lottery team to a championship contender. Philadelphia’s famously rabid fans will be hoping for a similar improvement next season.

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Edited by Yash Matange