8. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a scorching start to the season but have come back to reality a bit over the past few games. Still, the foundation is there for the Lakers to have a big bounce-back season. I'm not sure if they're going to emerge as a legit championship contender in the Western Conference this season, but they're almost certainly going to be in the playoff mix all year long. What Lakers fans have to be more excited about is the fact that they've been better than expected this season even without LeBron James playing out of his peak.
Anthony Davis has been magical to begin the season and with the way that new head coach J.J. Redick has crafted the team's offense, he's in for a huge year. Of course, that's if he can remain healthy, which has been one of the biggest issues throughout his career. It's going to be a long season and there will likely be some bumps in the road but this is a team that may be in a position to emerge as a dark horse championship contender. Maybe they're a trade deadline move or two away, but the Lakers are lurking.
7. New York Knicks
After embarrassing themselves on national television on opening night at the hands of the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks have been pretty solid in the four games since. Even their lone loss, to the Cleveland Cavaliers, is nothing the team should be ashamed about. The argument could be made that the Cavs are playing some of the best basketball in the NBA. The Knicks are still trying to hit their stride and find their rhythm as a newly assembled team. Still, they've had flashes of brilliance as a new team.
Even though the Knicks haven't played to their ceiling as a team yet, the small spurts that this team has had at their potential peak are not something that can be overlooked. The Knicks are supremely talented and if they can figure out their depth issues, this is certainly a group that could potentially win a championship. As was clearly evident on opening night, the Knicks still have plenty of ground to make up on the defending champions but they do have the talent to eventually get there. At this point, you just have to believe in this team's long-term potential.