NBA Watchability Rankings: Who Will Be the Most Exciting Teams to Watch 16-30?
Article By
Last Updated: 
After an offseason that saw ultimatums (Brooklyn Nets), roster drama (Los Angeles Lakers) and a superman punch (well, you know), the actual games in the NBA are now underway.
With opening night now completed, it’s worth a look at what teams are going to be the most watchable this season.
Technically, you could wager on even the worst of teams and then it becomes interesting since you would have a stake in the outcome. But NBA betting or not, here is a ranking of teams who will be worth your time.
Here are the teams that rank at 16-30. All title odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
16. Detroit Pistons, +50000
The Pistons were an underdog favorite this preseason, with many comparing where they are now to where the Cleveland Cavaliers were a year ago in their rebuild.
Detroit has a budding star in Cade Cunningham, who can facilitate or utilize his size, athleticism and perimeter shooting to get a bucket when it’s called for.
Jaden Ivey adds more explosiveness to the backcourt, while Bojan Bogdanovic and Saddiq Bey should widen the floor as 3-point specialists.
Jalen Duren is also one of the most physically imposing and athletic bigs from this rookie class; expect plenty of highlight-reel-worthy dunks from him this season.
17. Toronto Raptors, +4600
The Raptors are a case study in taking numerous tall, lengthy and athletic forwards and sticking them on a team and seeing how it plays out.
Scottie Barnes, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is a 6-foot-9 guard/forward who can create for others in unique ways while also utilizing his physical traits to overwhelm smaller defenders.
Defensively, he can turn into a shutdown defender. Pascal Siakiam is a former All-Star who always flirts with being a top-end player in the league. And Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher round out the stable of freaky athletic bigs in Toronto.
18. Phoenix Suns, +1000
We pretty much know what we will get out of the Suns now. Chris Paul and Devin Booker hunting midrange elbow jumpers. Pick-and-rolls with Deandre Ayton finishing with dunks at the rim. Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges shooting 3s off kickouts.
The Suns have solidified themselves among the league’s best and have found a formula for doing so. Not much else to see here.
19. Houston Rockets, +50000
The Rockets are basketball’s epitome of reckless abandon. Houston ranked first in dunks and second in pace last season, and it starts with Jalen Green, who is one of the fastest players up the court with the ball in his hands.
Kenyon Martin Jr. is also one of the best in-game dunkers you might not know about, and now No. 3 pick Jabari Smith joins the team.
20. Portland Trail Blazers, +18000
The possibility that Damian Lillard could go off for 50 is the most interesting facet of this Trail Blazers group.
Portland does have some unique parts to it, though. Anfernee Simons is a pure scorer; Gary Payton II could provide plenty of fastbreak highlights sprinting up the floor; and Josh Hart is a reliable wing.
Put it all together, and you can see how Portland could be exciting this year. There’s also the unknown factor of Shaedon Sharpe that’s worth monitoring.
21. Chicago Bulls, +6500
Zach Lavine remains one of the top dunkers in the league, so the Bulls get credit for that.
But DeMar DeRozan settling for midrange jumpers all the time does not exactly make Chicago must-see TV.
22. Miami Heat, +1600
At this point, we know what we are getting with the Heat’s core. Half-court-oriented offense and a physical defensive group that fouls a lot.
If there’s a game that transforms into a 1980s NBA slugfest, the Heat are probably involved. Sure, the Heat are good and could win the East, but exciting they are not.
23. Charlotte Hornets, +24000
It’s surprising to see a team with LaMelo Ball ranked so low, but the team has lost some of its excitement with the departure of Miles Bridges and Montrezl Harrell.
With those two, Charlotte ranked second in fastbreak points per game a season ago. But both are gone and now the team is transitioning to new coach Steve Clifford who hasn’t been known to have the most uptempo teams in the league, which could take some of the excitement out of this group.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder, +50000
If Chet Holmgren didn’t get hurt, OKC could be in the top 15 of these rankings. The Thunder features one of the more exciting backcourts in the league with Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Last season, Giddey became the youngest player in history with back-to-back triple-double games, while Alexander had the 27th-best Player Efficiency Rating, ranking ahead of other guards such as Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday.
It’s just too bad we will have to wait for alley-oops from those two to Holmgren for another year.
25. Washington Wizards, +21000
Besides Bradley Beal, there is not really any on-court reasons to keep track of the Wizards.
Kyle Kuzma’s ridiculous pre-game outfits may be the second biggest storyline for the Wizards this year.
26. Orlando Magic, +50000
The Magic have turned into an NBA team that is full of Division I stars who played at schools you know. Now, Duke’s Paolo Banchero joins the team to give the Magic another player who fits this category.
With Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr., the Magic have the feeling of an AAU team of good individual talents who got together to compete on the same team.
It hasn’t really worked, and I wonder if it ever will as it keeps loading on former college stars.
27. New York Knicks, +12000
The Knicks are boring. Out of all the decent teams, they are the most unwatchable. New York played at the second-slowest pace last season and none of the players are exactly exciting besides Obi Toppin.
Julis Randle and R.J. Barrett are primarily below-the-rim players who aren’t that fun to watch. Randle just tries to bully people and shoot a contested layup. Barrett isn’t overly athletic, making him not overly exciting.
The only player that can usually bring the highlights is Toppin, who can throw down some impressive dunks on the open floor.
28. Indiana Pacers, +50000
Each of the bottom three teams could deservingly take the last spot in these rankings, but Indiana gets an edge simply because it has Tyrese Haliburton.
He’s a gifted passer who might end up leading the league in assists per game this season. In 26 games with the Pacers following his trade to Indiana, Haliburton averaged 9.6 assists per contest.
29. Utah Jazz, +50000
The owners and front office of the Jazz apparently don’t care about winning, so why should you care about watching them? Utah traded away Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Royce O’Neale in the offseason as it attempts a rebuild. The remaining roster is a bunch of young guys who don’t appear to complement each other in any way.
But it could be fun to see Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton compete for shots and try to score 40 each night.
30. San Antonio Spurs, +50000
If you still haven’t placed your San Antonio Spurs NBA championship bet, don’t. Source: Gregg Popovich.
“Don’t bet on us to win the championship” Gregg Popovich keeping it 💯
— Spencer Keele (@SpencerKeele) September 30, 2022
Goes on to say “the coach after me will have a chance to take these guys to the next level.” pic.twitter.com/fVb7PTrmru
Good basketball could be a rarity for a Spurs group attempting to mesh a young and unproven core.
There are no All-Star-worthy talents on the roster as it stands, and the only interesting player worth monitoring is 2022 first-round pick Jeremy Sochan, whose development could intriguing.
Be first to get our exclusive sports offers!
Join today to stay up to date on your states gambling news and offers.
Updated by
Last Updated:
