Basketball is officially BACK! Which means for us fans it is time to take a look at some teams that will be NBA League Pass teams.

What does it take to be a League Pass Team?

Athleticism

Youth/Potential

Style of Play

Highlight Plays

NOTE: These are not power rankings. They are teams that will be fun to watch night in night out, win or lose. They usually aren’t the title contenders that will be nationally televised. Rather it’s sort of a ‘fix’ on some of the second-third tier teams that may be exciting even though they not be the top tier teams. Not yet at least.

The projected lineups used are from lineups.com

NBA League Pass Team #1: Chicago Bulls

Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White has the makings to become one of the best teams in the East of the future. Photo Credits to nbcsports.com

Projected Lineup

Kris Dunn – PG Zach LaVine – SG Otto Porter – SF Lauri Markkanen – PF Wendell Carter Jr. – C

Combine LaVine’s athleticism with Markkanen’s ability to stretch the floor and you get one of the best fun young duos in the NBA. On top of those two, WCJ and Coby White add in some young athletic blood. Along with the youngblood, Thaddeus Young and Tomáš Satoranský add key components of depth for Chicago. The Bulls are young, almost ready to compete, and their lineup will be very fun. They are one of the quintessential NBA League Pass teams coming into the season.

NBA League Pass Team #2: Sacramento Kings

Fox and Hield is one of the best backcourts in the NBA. Photo Credits to nba.com

Projected Lineup

De’Aaron Fox – PG Buddy Hield – SG Harrison Barnes – SF Marvin Bagley III – PF Dewayne Dedmon – C

If you are looking for a young, quick, athletic team that is ready to take a leap, look no further than the Sacramento Kings. De’Aaron Fox is one of the players of this young wave that is coming to take over the NBA. Buddy Hield has progressed into the shooter we saw at Oklahoma. Marvin Bagley is one of the top 100 players coming out of his rookie year. Speed and athleticsm under new head coach, Luke Walton give the Kings reason to be one of the best NBA League Pass teams.

NBA League Pass Team #3: Dallas Mavericks

The combination of Luka and Porzingis is just one reason to watch the Mavericks. Photo Credits to mavsmoneyball.com

Projected Lineup

Delon Wright – PG Luka Dončić – SG Tim Hardaway Jr. – SF Kristaps Porzingis – PF Dwight Powell – C

Oh yeah, 7′-3″ Boban Marjanović is on this team as well. Seth Curry and Jalen Brunson will be microwaves coming off the bench shooting 3’s. Combine that depth with this caliber of a starting lineup you get one of the more interesting teams right now. Luka is one of the best young players in the NBA, and Porzingis seems to be healthy again. That duo is one of the best in basketball, and it makes Dallas one of the best NBA League Pass Teams.

NBA League Pass Team #4: Memphis Grizzlies

#2 Pick Ja Morant is leading one of the most fun young teams in the NBA right now. Photo Credits to dailymemphian.com

Projected Lineup

Ja Morant – PG Dillon Brooks – SG Jae Crowder – SF Jaren Jackson Jr. – PF Jonas Valančiūnas – C

The Grizzlies are bringing back one their classic Vancouver Grizzlies look on the court and for their jerseys. That reason alone is something to watch for in Memphis. But combine that strong look with a rookie point guard who can jump out of a gym and you get a Grizzlies team who will be fun to watch. The pick and roll with JJJ and Ja will be a force to be reckoned with all season. And the guy everyone loves to hate, Grayson Allen, is on this team. They’re young a team with a couple veterans to lead the locker room, so they should be able to compete. Sure they’ll take their lumps with a rookie PG, but it is an aesthetically pleasing team to watch between the jerseys and the athleticism.

NBA League Pass Team #5: Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, what’s there not to be excited about in Atlanta. Photo Credits to clutchpoints.com

Projected Lineup

Trae Young – PG Kevin Huerter – SG De’Andre Hunter – SF John Collins – PF Alex Len – C

Trae Young and Kevin Huerter is almost a younger version of what the Warriors have in Steph and Klay. John Collins is an uber athletic big man and the pick and roll between him and Trae will be a spectacle. Rookies De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish fit the 3 point centered offense of the Hawks as well. Vince Carter is still playing there and he’s at the must watch tier even at age 42. Lloyd Pierce is coaching one of the youngest units in the NBA, and with all that athleticism and playmaking ability, the Hawks are a League Pass team.

NBA League Pass Team #6: New Orleans Pelicans

Even without Zion for the first part of the season, the Pelicans have a team that will be an interesting follow. Photo Credits to forbes.com

Projected Lineup

Lonzo Ball – PG Jrue Holiday – SG J.J. Redick G/F (Starting until Zion comes back) Brandon Ingram – F Derrick Favors – C

Coming out an offseason where New Orleans traded their superstar, is it safe to say more people are interested to see watch the Pelicans? Lonzo and Jrue Holiday is a backcourt that will lock up opposing guards. Fans are still interested to see if Brandon Ingram can continue to progress. Nicolo Melli was an overseas sensation and the Pelicans were able to go out and get him. A bench with Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes, Jahlil Okafor, and Frank Jackson adds in more youth and athleticism. Even without Zion for the first portion of the season, seeing how the new look Pelicans will turn out is intriguing enough to have them as a NBA League Pass team.

NBA League Pass Team #7: New York Knicks

They might of missed out on the big name free agents, but the New York Knicks will be a fun team in a big market. Photo Credits to clutchpoints.com

Projected Lineup

Dennis Smith Jr. – PG R.J. Barrett – SG Marcus Morris – SF Julius Randle – PF Mitchell Robinson – C

Missing out on Kyrie and Kevin Durant may have caused the Knicks to miss out on being title contenders. Even though it is the Big Apple and some of their games will be nationally televised, the fact is they will struggle which makes them a candidate for a league pass team. The youth and athleticism combined with veterans makes New York a riveting team to watch. The questions looming around the Knickerbockers already make them an interesting team to follow. Will R.J. Barrett and Kevin Knox pan out like many thought? Will Mitchell Robinson continue to progress into an elite defender? Will Marcus Morris continue to fight everyone? Find out this year in MSG on the Knicks Go Young.

NBA League Pass Team #8: Minnesota Timberwolves

Lead by KAT, the young pieces of Minnesota make the T’Wolves an entertaining team to follow this upcoming season. Photo Credits to canishoopus.com

Projected Lineup

Jeff Teague – PG Josh Okogie – SG Robert Covington – F Andrew Wiggins – F Karl-Anthony Towns – C

KAT is one of the best players in the NBA. Robert Covington is one of the pre-eminent 3-and-D wings. Jarrett Culver at pick #6 is another young wing who can adapt to the 3-and-D style of play necessary to play off of KAT. Talking about the combination of youth and veteran leadership, the T’Wolves have it. Wiggins, Towns, Covington, Okogie starting alongside a professional level PG like Teague. On the bench they have a NBA champion in Jordan Bell. And who knows? Maybe the T’Wolves make a move to pair up the three on the SLAM Cover.

Photo Credits to arizonasports.com

NBA League Pass Team #9: Phoenix Suns

Booker’s scoring ability with the raw talent and athleticism of Ayton have the potential to be one of the best duos in the NBA. Photo Credits to arizonasports.com

Projected Lineup

Ricky Rubio – PG Devin Booker – SG Kelly Oubre – SF Dario Saric – PF DeAndre Ayton – C

The lineup looks great on paper and that is what makes them a league pass team. There will be nights that Ayton puts up near a 20-20 and Booker cannot miss from 3. But the Western Conference is tough. So the Suns will take their lumps as well. Booker’s ability to go for 30 makes him one of the more fun players to watch in the NBA. Mikal Bridges, Frank Kaminsky, Aron Baynes, and Tyler Johnson give the Suns a bench presence that has lacked in the past years. They might not win much, but the duo of Ayton and Booker will be fun to watch on any given night.

NBA League Pass Team #10: Orlando Magic

Aaron Gordon has shown he is one of the most athletic players in the league. And now that Fultz is in Orlando, his story coming out of a preseason makes the Magic a team to follow after a playoff season last year. Photo Credits to clutchpoints.com

Projected Lineup

D.J. Augustin – PG Evan Fournier – SG Jonathan Isaac – F Aaron Gordon – F Nikola Vucevic – C

The Magic made the postseason last year, and improved their team this offseason. After acquiring Fultz at last years trade deadline, Orlando signed Al-Farouq Aminu which deepens an already impressive forward position. Another year of Mo Bamba off the bench. Terrence Ross remains the spark plug off the bench. And if Markelle Fultz can do anything, the Magic will be a very entertaining team with their supreme athleticism across the board. Pair that athleticism with some floor spacers, not only will they be fun to watch, but they could be a playoff team in what is a weak bottom half of the Eastern Conference.

Featured Image. The 29 People and Things That Will Define the NBA in 2019-20. Photo Credits to theringer.com