Early contenders: The most dominant teams in the NBA so far

Almost more than a month in, and the NBA has seen most of its legitimate contenders take the spotlight. Last season’s stars have taken their games to the next level, exemplified the best by the extraordinary reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, within the league’s dominant team since the 2017 Golden State Warriors and the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite their dominance, however, other teams are starting to show that they can hang with the defending champions and potentially take a spot on the throne. It is still early yet these teams are ahead of the pack so far:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder came off last season as one of the most dominant teams in recent history. What’s crazy is that they’ve become even more dominant this season, and currently on pace to break or at least equal the Warriors’ 73-9 regular season record. 21 games in and the Thunder have absurdly won all besides one. For comparison, they were 16-5 at the same time last season.

The craziest thing, however, is that they’ve been successful even without Jalen Williams, thanks to the overwhelming depth they boast. If that still doesn’t wow (or concern) you, they also lead the league in defensive rating with 103.6 – the lowest since the 2009 Boston Celtics.

2. Detroit Pistons

Gone are the days when Detroit was the laughing stock of the league. Gone are the days when they would only win 14 games in a season. And gone are the days they would lose 28 straight games. The Pistons are back, and they boast a modern version of the championship-winning teams they had in the past.

Cade Cunningham has truly emerged as a superstar who can shoot you out of the Motor City every night. Not to mention his supporting cast in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart that can take you out (literally) every night, too. Boasting a 17-4 record, they are currently the best the East has to offer to topple the goliaths in Oklahoma. But make no mistake about it, the Pistons are no Davids.

3. Houston Rockets

Coming into the season, the Rockets seemed to be the most threatening team, aside from the Thunder. Fred VanVleet’s torn ACL hampered those expectations, yet the Rockets still look the part. After all, it took the Thunder two overtimes to vanquish them on opening night.

Kevin Durant’s inclusion in the young squad has propelled them into becoming serious contenders, mainly due to their offensive prowess. Alperen Sengun has turned into something of a unicorn, similar to those who came before him, but different enough that he has separated himself with his own identity – very much like Amen Thompson, who has excelled so far in his newfound role as the team’s starting point guard.

4. Denver Nuggets

What can’t Nikola Jokic do? We’re living in the year 2025, and we’re still asking the question that has bugged many teams for most of the decade. Jokic has continually shown he can lead the Nuggets into something more than they can be, but in this season, they look more than capable of supporting Jokic while still being competent enough to carry the load without him.

5. Los Angeles Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks and now ex-GM Nico Harrison will dread the next decade or two knowing that they traded away basketball’s deadliest scorer. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves have become one of the most exciting backcourt duos in the NBA today, all the while LeBron James – in his 23rd season, mind you – has effectively transitioned into a more facilitating role that has transformed the Lakers as one of the league’s sneakiest picks for a Western Conference Finals spot.

OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.

👉 Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!

📌 Follow our Facebook page Sports News PH today and join the community of passionate basketball fans.