Top 5 Biggest NBA Team Surprises of the 2024-25 Season

(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Now that the 2024-25 NBA regular season is near halfway complete, we take a look at the five biggest surprises, team-wise, so far this season. There is still a way to go before serious playoff talks and positioning scenarios take place, but it’s hard not to like where these teams are positioned and what direction they are headed.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

• Current Record: 31-3 (50-32 preseason projection)
• Key Stat: 18-1 at home
• Key Development: The Cavs are taking better shots, playing faster and moving the ball better than they did last season. All the advanced statistics display that.
• Key Improvement: The Cavaliers are the most efficient shooting team in the league and have greatly cut down on their turnovers despite playing at a faster pace.

The Skinny

We predicted coach Kenny Atkinson’s club to finish second in the Central Division, but nobody expected it to perform at the level the Cavs are now. Cleveland started the season with 15 consecutive victories and are currently riding a 10-game winning streak. The Cavs have the best Effective Field Goal Percentage (EFPG = FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA) in the league (59.5) and if they continue at that rate they will turn in the best season in NBA history in that category.

Atkinson has good depth at his disposal and has a devastating combo in Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Cleveland is also good when Mobley is out and Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland are on the floor at the same time. Their point differential (+11.8 ppg) is second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the defense is very solid. It’s not a question if Cleveland can challenge the Celtics in the East, it’s a question of can the shooting remain at this level and can the rotation stay healthy down the stretch.

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2. Detroit Pistons

• Current Record: 18-18 (20-62 preseason projection)
• Key Stat: 8-2 in its last ten games and on a four-game winning streak.
• Key Development: With a new head coach in J.B. Bickerstaff and a new G.M. in Trajan Langdon, the Pistons have a fresh outlook and that new attitude shows up in close games.
• Key Improvement: The Pistons are currently 12th in the league in defensive rating and getting stops when it matters has kept them in games.

The Skinny

Detroit has been a bad team for some time now, but it has  turned the ship around this season and looks to qualify for the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Saying that is a realistic goal is pretty remarkable considering the season it had last year and projecting them to win 20 games. They are almost at that mark now despite losing Jaden Ivey and his 17.7 ppg to a season-ending leg injury on New Year’s Day.

Veterans such as Malik Beasley (16.0 ppg), Tobias Harris (13.4 ppg) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (10.5 ppg) were not cheap acquisitions, but their presence in the locker room has been a big plus after last year’s fiasco, which included a 28-game losing streak with a coach who signed the biggest coaching contract in history but was let go after a season. Cade Cunningham is the leader (24.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 9.5 apg) and should be a NBA All-Star for the first time.

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3. Memphis Grizzlies

• Current Record: 23-13 (47-35 preseason projection)
• Key Stat: They are the best scoring team in the league (123.1 ppg).
• Key Development: Jaylen Wells playing like a legit NBA Rookie of the Year candidate after being drafted No. 39 overall.
• Key Improvement: The emergence of Scotty Pippen Jr. as a legit NBA guard.

The Skinny

We projected the Grizzlies to finish second in the Southwest Division and that’s where they stand. After winning 27 games last season, it’s amazing the Grizz are a pretty damn good team because the injury bug has hit for the second consecutive season. Last year the team was a complete M.A.S.H. Unit (NBA record 51 different starting lineups) and this year Desmond Bane and Ja Morant have missed significant time.

Morant has missed the last five games and 2023-24 second team all-rookie choice J.J. Jackson hasn’t played yet, either. Coach Taylor Jenkins does a great job with his personnel and the team got a pair of terrific draft picks in center Zach Edey and Wells, who recently scored 30 points vs. The Kings back in his hometown. Morant’s health is key because the Grizzlies are better with him in the lineup (14-6) and have a refreshing hard-hat mentality each night.

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4. Houston Rockets

• Current Record: 24-12 (45-37 preseason projection)
• Key Stat: The Rockets have six losses at home and six on the road.
• Key Development: The locker room presence and steady play of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, who came over from Toronto with a win-first mentality.
• Key Improvement: Big man Alperen Sengun emerging as the team’s best player and one of the best in the league.

The Skinny

We projected Houston to be a good team, but it is much better than No. 4 Southwest Division. In fact, a realistic goal is to earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets lead the league in rebounds and are first in fast break points because coach Ime Udoka demands defense.

One of the league’s most respected coaches, he has this team in position to compete after the front office made some quality draft choices in recent seasons. Udoka relies on a team defensive concept (No. 3 in defensive rating and No. 1 in rebound percentage) and it pays off when the shots are not falling. If this team could add a knock-down shooter by the NBA trade deadline, perhaps it can challenge teams such as OKC and Denver in the Western Conference.

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5. Atlanta Hawks

• Current Record: 19-18 (34-48 preseason projection)
• Key Stat: 3rd overall in the league in assists per game.
• Key Development: Getting behind the talents of Trae Young and going as far as they can with that strategy.
• Key Improvement: Jalen Johnson (19.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.5 spg) is playing like one of the best young forwards in the league.

The Skinny

We projected the Hawks to finish No. 3 in the Southeast Division and they are currently the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta was one of those “No Man’s Land” teams who could have realized the season wasn’t going anywhere or decided to compete with what it has and chose the latter.

Atlanta can’t win the East, but is tracking to be much better than last season when it was the No. 10 seed in the Play-In. The Hawks can score in bunches, share the ball (Young leads the NBA in assists) and are playing care-free with wins over major East contender Cleveland and New York. It’s all they can do instead of worrying each night about what the future holds.

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