5 Teams Built to Shock the League In 2025-26
The NBA season is often unpredictable. The last three NBA finals featured a surprise team, between the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers. Will there be another shocking finals contender this season?
Heading into 2025-26, the Oklahoma City, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are all in the top five on FanDuel to win the Championship.
But the following five teams have the potential to shock the NBA landscape and become contenders throughout the season.
Los Angeles Clippers
1 of 5
If this were five years ago, the Los Angeles Clippers would be considered a legitimate contender for the NBA.
However, in 2025, this feels more like a heist movie looking to score on one last job.
Entering the playoffs last season, the Clippers were considered a dark horse contender but ultimately fell in seven games in Round 1 to the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles turned around and shored up its frontcourt, signing Brook Lopez to back up rising star Ivica Zubac, then flipping Norman Powell for John Collins to add athleticism and youthful exuberance.
Those three big men should be able to play off of each other and give the Clippers lineup versatility. The team will be able to play big lineups as well as go small with these additions.
To make up for the loss of Powell in the backcourt, the Clippers dipped into the buyout market to sign Bradley Beal and then brought back Chris Paul. All of this adds to Los Angeles' depth.
The Clippers are loaded. James Harden is starting at point guard with Paul backing him up. Beal can start or provide more firepower off the bench. They still have the likes of Nicholas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr, Kris Dunn and Bogdanovic off the bench. Tyronn Lue has a lot of lineup variations he can experiment with to find the right mix.
Last season, the Clippers held their own, even with Kawhi Leonard playing 37 games. They went 24-21 without him and were 26-11 with him. The team is even better built this time around and could handle Leonard missing more time.
If everyone can stay healthy—and for the Clippers, that is a huge if—they will be one of the deepest teams in the league and will be a contender.
Orlando Magic
2 of 5
At the start of last season, it looked like the Orlando Magic were poised to make a jump in the Eastern Conference. Then, of course, injuries had to rear their ugly head. Despite all of that, Jamahl Mosley was able to coach this team to the second-best defense in the league. The Magic loaded up on offense this season to go with their lockdown defense.
The Magic kicked off the offseason with a big trade for Desmond Bane. This is in response to how anemic Orlando's offense has been over the last few seasons, finishing in the bottom third in offensive rating the last three seasons.
Bane gives the Magic a reliable three-point threat to help spread the floor for star Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. In addition, he's a good secondary playmaker, attacking, rotating defenses and making the right reads. Bane does all this while taking nothing off the table on the defensive side of the court. He should slide right into the starting lineup, and the Magic should see a rise in their offensive numbers.
That was not the only addition the Magic made that makes them a surprise contender. To add more playmaking, they brought in journeyman point guard Tyus Jones. Even though he's coming off a down season in Phoenix, he is a capable backup point guard who can keep the offense organized and create for others.
The Magic bolstered their offense without trading in their defense. The offense doesn't have to be the best in the league if the defense can remain a top-three unit. The Magic are dark-horse contenders with their offensive upgrades in a weak Eastern Conference.
Minnesota Timberwolves
3 of 5
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made it to back-to-back Conference Finals, but they have been overlooked when discussing contenders in the West.
The Los Angeles Lakers have higher championship odds than they do on FanDuel.
With three key pieces all free agents, the Wolves had to figure out who to prioritize. They chose to retain their frontcourt by re-signing Julius Randle and Naz Reid, but at the cost of losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The calculation the Wolves are making is that second-year guards, Jaylen Clark and Terrence Shannon Jr., can take over Alexander-Walker's minutes. In limited minutes, Clark shot 43.1 percent from three last season, while Shannon was not as efficient but still solid from deep, shooting 35.5 percent.
Anthony Edwards showed last season that he is a star, making his second All-NBA Team (2nd) and finishing seventh in MVP voting. He improved his three-point shooting percentage to 39.5 percent on 10.3 attempts a game as well. And as long as he is still playing at this level, Edwards will make the Wolves a contender.
Atlanta Hawks
4 of 5
The Atlanta Hawks are the only non-playoff team on this list, but for the first half of the season, they were a fun surprise team that got derailed by injuries. This season, with a weakened Eastern Conference, they are going for it and could be a surprise contender.
Jalen Johnson was in the running for most improved last season until he tore his labrum, ending his season. At that point in the season, the Hawks were in a battle for the sixth seed in the East. Losing his 18.9 points a game, as well as his defense, had them tumbling down the standings.
The Hawks have a lot of talent. Dyson Daniels led the league in steals last year, Zaccharie Risacher made the All-Rookie first team and Onyeka Okongwu averaged career highs in points and rebounds.
Oh, they also have Trae Young, who, despite his shooting numbers being down, showed he was capable of working more off-ball than ever before.
This offseason saw the Hawks make a series of moves that should help propel them in the East. They took a flyer on Kristaps Porzingis from Boston. Young has not played with a pick-and-pop big like Porzingis, who could attack switches. This should add another wrinkle to the Hawks' offense and put more stress on opposing defenses.
Atlanta also added Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency as they are stocking up on three-and-D wings to help keep the floor spread. Alexander-Walker shot 38.1 percent from three last season. A wing rotation of Johnson, Daniels, and Alexander-Walker should provide enough perimeter defense to cover for Young's deficiency in that department.
The Hawks have a history of falling to meet expectations, but with the East not as strong as it has been in the past, if everything falls into place, Atlanta could be a surprise contender coming out of the East.
Detroit Pistons
5 of 5
Usually, a young team like the Detroit Pistons would not be on this list, but with the weakened state of the Eastern Conference, the door is open for them to shock the league, again!
The Pistons made a massive 30-win leap last year. New coach JB Bickerstaff established a culture and put a plan in place that saw them lose a tight first-round matchup to the New York Knicks. Cade Cunningham took a step forward in his development. He made his first All-NBA team (third team), averaging 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds.
The offseason was a bit difficult for the Pistons, as they lost Dennis Schroder to the Kings, and Malik Beasley's future is up in the air with him caught in a gambling scandal. To offset those losses, Detroit added Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson.
One of the Pistons' biggest additions is already on the roster. Jaden Ivey missed most of last season with a broken fibula. In his 30 games, he did show real promise, averaging 17.6 points a night, shooting 40.9 percent from three on 5.2 attempts.
It might be a reach to think that Detroit can be a shock contender this season. But if Ivey can provide that production for a full season, Cunningham continues to ascend to stardom, and Ausar Thompson takes a leap, the Pistons have a chance to shock the world.
