Top 5 NBA Favorites for 2023: Championship Contenders and Rankings

Fans are excited to witness another exciting season of basketball as the NBA season for 2023–24 picks up steam. We examine the top five NBA favorites for the year in this much-anticipated breakdown, carefully analyzing the title contenders and their rankings. Join us as we check out the exciting landscape of the NBA’s most promising teams, dissecting their strengths, strategies, and potential to etch their names in the annals of basketball history. From established powerhouses looking to maintain dominance to up-and-coming challengers eager for their moment in the spotlight. Here are the top five teams tipped to win a ring in the upcoming season.

NBA ranking 2023-24 season

Ahead of the 2023-24 NBA seasons, here is how popular media outlets rank the NBA teams. Note that this list is subjective and not from the official NBA website. In this regard, incomings or departures from any of these teams could alter their rankings ahead of the start of the season.

• 1. Denver Nuggets, 2. Boston Celtics, 3. Miami Heat, 4. Milwaukee Bucks, 5. Philadelphia 76ers, 6. Phoenix Suns, 7. Los Angeles Lakers, 8. Memphis Grizzlies, 9. New York Knicks, 10. Golden State Warriors, 11. Sacramento Kings, 12. Cleveland Cavaliers, 13. Los Angeles Clippers, 14. New Orleans Pelicans, 15. Oklahoma City Thunder.

• 16. Minnesota Timberwolves, 17. Dallas Mavericks, 18. Atlanta Hawks, 19. Brooklyn Nets, 20. Chicago Bulls, 21. Toronto Raptors, 22. Utah Jazz, 23. Indiana Pacers, 24. Orlando Magic, 25. Portland Trail Blazers, 26. Washington Wizards, 27. San Antonio Spurs, 28. Houston Rockets, 29. Charlotte Hornets, 30. Detroit Pistons.

Win with N1Bet and its unique 300% first deposit bonus up to $700. Become a real NBA betting MVP and feel the thrill of basketball!

Top five favorites to win NBA championship 2023-24 season

• Denver Nuggets

Who else to back other than the reigning champions to run it back again in the forthcoming season? The 2022-23 NBA champions won their ring in style as the basketball world was in awe of them. The Denver Nuggets were extremely clinical in the postseason last year; they did not lose more than two games in any of the series. Notably, they swept the LeBron James-led Lakers in the conference finals.

They have done well to keep their core so far in the offseason, albeit losing a pivotal role player in Bruce Brown to the Indiana Pacers in free agency. There are high hopes the reigning champions will make moves to fill his spot as they target to run it back next season. The Nuggets, led by finals MVP Nikola Jokic, are the favorite to win it all again.

• Miami Heat

The Miami Heat has found immense postseason success under Eric Spoelstra. However, despite that, they have yet to put the last piece together and finally win a ring. The Heats have been in two of the last three NBA finals, an utter display of their playoff dominance. Still, they always get finessed in the finals. With trade rumors ongoing about adding a third star to the duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat might finally be on the path to solving this puzzle.

According to reports, Damian Lillard is hell-bent on joining the Miami Heat. This is backed by the departure of players like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus from the team. A deal might be in the works, as Miami is clearing space for a player of his caliber. This move alone makes Miami a huge contender for the title.

• Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are one team just like Miami that has found success in the postseason recently but has been unable to get the job done at the very end. The Celtics have made it to the last four Eastern Conference finals and even lost the NBA finals to the Warriors in 2022. Boston Celtics have made some off-season moves, the most significant being trading Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis.

They may have lost a defensive player of the year in Marcus Smart, but Porzingis is a beast in the paint who can make buckets. Porzingis’ addition makes sense for the Celtics; coupled with Jaylen Brown’s contract extension, the Celts are tipped for another incredible run next season.

• Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers’ run of games at the tail end of last regular season to make the playoffs is no fluke. They proved that by their deep postseason run, cut short by the Denver Nuggets in the WCF. The Lakers are in for business, which is validated by how they have exploited free agency this offseason.

Los Angeles Lakers signed Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, and Jaxson Hayes as free agents. This is an incredible business by Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka. He has set the squad up for success while keeping the core together from last season. They will shake the league up next season. LeBron James is entering his 21st season, and if he’s ever going to get another ring, there’s no better time than now.

• Phoenix Suns

The Suns had a disappointing run in the playoffs in the just concluded NBA season despite adding Kevin Durant to the team late in the regular season. It marked their second straight second-round exit from the playoffs. Now the management has shaken things up; Head coach Monty Williams was fired, and Frank Vogel is the new coach, while they dealt out Chris Paul in a three-way trade that saw Bradley Beal join up with them.

The trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal sets alarms off in the league; although this meant sacrificing depth, this trio is too lethal to pass on. The question to be answered is will Frank Vogel be the one to lead the Suns to a chip finally? Regardless they are a huge contender for the title in the forthcoming season.
Only time will tell which squad will etch their name onto the championship trophy and seal their place among the greats as the journey unfolds in anticipation of the regular season’s commencement. For more basketball news, make sure to follow FBR.