NBA: 5 Championship contenders being criminally overlooked as threats

Taking a closer look at five NBA championship contenders that are being criminally overlooked as threats heading into the 2023-24 season. 

The start of the 2023-24 NBA regular season is less than a week away. The pre-season is pretty much in the books and the true meaningful games are about to start. With a flurry of storylines that will drive the start of the season, it’s almost impossible not to get ahead of ourselves and begin to look at potential contenders who could end up winning the 2024 NBA championship.

On paper, most seem to think that the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns are the natural favorites. Could a team outside of those four win a championship this season? Possibly. However, there aren’t many pundits that are expecting that to be the case.

Pushing back against that narrative, let’s explore five possible championship contenders that are being criminally overlooked as threats.

Honorable mention: New Orleans Pelicans

I know there’s going to be a lot of clicking away here, but the New Orleans Pelicans do deserve to be on this list. With how they looked healthy during the first part of last season, the Pelicans are a team that could make some noise in the Western Conference this season.

If they can remain healthy, the Pelicans are going to be a problem this season. Zion Williamson is as dominant as there is a player in the paint and the C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram duo is one of the most underrated offensive pairings in the West.

If the start of last season wasn’t an aberration, the Pelicans could be a dark horse threat to make a run in the West again.