There are a few upcoming teams looking to take the next steps and go from pretender to contender for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Certain NBA teams that have rolled the dice and focused on rebuilding their teams with several draft picks, players from their G-League affiliates and trades.
While there are numerous young rising stars that have taken their first steps in the NBA, three teams have a vibrant and positive future that should be expected to take the next step in their journey.
Indiana Pacers:
The Pacers are an up-and-coming team with a great young core with guards Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam.
Siakam, who is a versatile power forward with the ability to stretch the floor, dominates down low in the post with physicality and has the stamina and discipline to dominate on offense and defense.
The All-Star was acquired in a three-team trade with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Toronto Raptors. The trade sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks to the Raptors, according to an ESPN article.
Haliburton’s ability to stretch the floor while also keeping his head up, looking for passing angles and his chemistry with Siakam is what makes the Pacers such a dangerous team.
Haliburton’s right-hand man, Myles Turner, can elevate their game with 3-point shooting, but the side of the floor that he excels at is defensively.
Turner exceeded 130 blocks in the previous three seasons and holds the record in Pacers history for blocks, according to a StatMuse webpage.
The fact that they have found a way, under head coach Rick Carlisle to improve its entire team is astounding. Its overall record under Carlisle is 370-345, showing that despite having a losing record, they have made the adjustments to improve very quickly.
Siakam’s physical style goes well with the Pacers’ philosophy of going at a blistering pace.
The Pacers are ranked seventh overall in the NBA at 99.87 pace rating, according to a StatMuse webpage.
The Pacers’ formula is simple, but effective, which is why they are the third-best team with a bright future.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Despite questions about the relatively small backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs have erased the heat from doubters.
The Cavaliers, who finished with the second-best record in the 2024-2025 NBA regular season. Their 64-18 record was earned with grit, belief and chemistry, according to an ESPN webpage.
They’ve managed to start with a blistering game-to-game momentum and carried that momentum into the playoffs.
Because of the frontcourt duo and their defensive presence, the Cavaliers have the luxury of getting beat off the dribble or stopping penetration into the lane and having the confidence of centers Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen behind them to clean up.
Mobley, the Cavaliers’ first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, won the 2024-2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, according to an ESPN article.
The Cavaliers are no slouch on offense either, and have the uncanny knack of knocking down 3-pointers at an efficient clip. The Cavs hit an average of 15.9 points from beyond the arch, which ranks second in the NBA, according to a StatMuse webpage.
The Cavs’ dynamic two-way play, their ability to create mismatches and their chemistry bodes for long nights for their opponents now, but make no mistake – they are the real deal when it comes to future contenders.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
The Thunder are a thrill to watch. Not only does everyone on the team play tough and smart defense, they lock in and make simple basketball plays.
Despite their Conference semifinals first loss of the series to the Denver Nuggets, they play together and are relatively mistake-free. Just as during the era of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the organization has been rekindled with talent up and down the roster.
However, make no mistake, the young pieces to this anomaly of a team have bought into defense and discipline and are committed to winning basketball games.
The star of the show is definitely the 2025 Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but has managed to take the helm of this team.
He makes the team succeed without dominating the ball while creating an unselfish team with oan riented structure.
Gilgeous-Alexander also leads his team in assists, passing the rock at 6.4 assists per game, according to a StatMuse webpage. He also won the scoring title in the regular season, averaging 32.7 points per game, according to a Basketball-reference webpage.
The team’s winning mentality is a sweet spectacle, and the Thunder notched a NBA-leading 68-14 record, according to a StatMuse webpage.
Furthermore the shooting, ball movement and chemistry takes a back seat to the real gem of the defense.
In the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Thunder lead all teams with a 107.5 defensive rating as of Wednesday evening, according to a StatMuse webpage.
The young, solid core has learned to work together and do the dirty work, but the hidden gem in this leap into championship contention is because of one person within the organization: head coach Mark Daigneault.
Daigneault, since his hire in Nov. 11, 2020, has managed to maintain a 211-189 record, according to a Basketball-Reference webpage.
Oklahoma City is the most cohesive team in basketball and havs earned its success. However, despite having the youngest team in the NBA with an average of 24.14, the Thunder show resilience and poise.
Look for this team to grow throughout this postseason, and although they may not win a championship this year, look for them to take the step to become a contender in the next few years.
