The NBA's Biggest Pretenders

Jerome Miron - USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA season now fully underway, teams are beginning to show their true colors. Teams that were crowned as pre-season title contenders have either lived up to those declarations or showed why everyone was wrong to anoint them before the season had even begun. Though there are teams that do not fall into either category, the last group is comprised of organizations that were expected to be a middle-of-the-road team but instead, have gotten off to a hot start and have people labeling them as possible contenders. Except they are anything but, here are the three biggest pretenders of this NBA season.

1. Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks, on the surface, have everything a team needs to be a title contender. The Mavs have a great coach, a very smart front office, a stable organization top to bottom and they also have a bonafide superstar in Luka Doncic. Not to mention they have a player that is so unique that his nickname is literally, ‘The Unicorn,’ in Kristaps Porzingis. So, why is Dallas a pretender?

There is a saying that goes something like, “defense win championships.” The Mavericks lack any sort of perimeter defense, they do not have even one perimeter player who is at least average on the defensive end of the court. The saving grace for this team defensively is Kristaps Porzingis, who averages 2.3 blocks per game. The Mavs are also a team that lacks real depth. Sure, they have some solid contributors off the bench, but they most definitely do not have a championship-level second unit. When the going gets tough and Luka and Kristaps are not able to carry the load, Dallas will find it difficult to win games.

The Mavericks are a good team led by two young players with no playoff experience. I see no reason why they should not get to the playoffs, but they will not win a series if/when they get there. The future is extremely bright, but for this season they are pretenders.

2. Toronto Raptors

After Kawhi ditched Toronto for the Los Angeles Clippers this off-season, many people expected the Raptors to regress, and rightfully so. What people did not anticipate was that Pascal Siakam would take another gigantic leap forward and that Fred VanVleet would continue his Finals performance. Even so, and after getting off to a 5-2 start, the Raptors are still not contenders.

The Raptors do not have a glaring weakness on their roster. The only knock against them is that with both Kyle Lowry and VanVleet starting, their guard depth is not as strong as it was last year. That is not why they are not contenders though. Last post-season, Kawhi was able to take the pressure off of Lowry, so even when he did not play well Toronto could still win games. That will not be the case this time around. Lowry will go back to being one of the biggest underperformers in NBA post-season history and the Raps will get bounced in the first or second round, depending on who they play.

3. Phoenix Suns

The Suns have begun the season like they were shot out of a cannon. Phoenix is 5-3, even with Deandre Ayton missing most of those games after being handed a 25-game suspension. Devin Booker has had a monstrous start to the season, and Phoenix has even seen Aron Baynes play exceptional. I still find it hard to believe this team is a top-eight seed in the West, much less a contender.

Devin Booker, as great as he is, cannot maintain the efficiency he has put forth so far this season. Kelly Oubre and Aron Baynes will also come back down to Earth at some point, probably sooner rather than later. Phoenix also lacks the veteran leadership and depth to get them through the NBA’s grueling 82-game schedule.

Phoenix would be higher on this list, but I think a lot of fans feel the same way I do about them. They are a good, young, ascending team but are just not built for playoff success this season. Yet, their fans will swear to you this team is special and are one of the better teams in the Western Conference, so I had to include them on this list, especially after their surprising start. The Suns will soon start to slump and find themselves out of the playoff picture yet again.

- Paul Hessing