Ranking the Five Best Offensive Teams in the NBA
Ranking the Five Best Offensive Teams in the NBA
With the NBA All-Star break finishing up, it's time to start thinking about the playoffs. There are a few contending teams that have already proven they can beat anyone in the league. Others are hopeful that they can figure it out and compete for an NBA Final. The best way to do so? Offense. Below, we will be ranking the top five offensive teams in the NBA.
Five Best Offensive Teams NBA
1. Boston Celtics (Finals Odds: +280) (Bet $100 to collect $380) Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
The Boston Celtics have the best offense in basketball and that shouldn't be much of a debate at this point. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are arguably the best offensive duo in basketball and they have others that can knock down open shots and get to the rim at an elite level.
While I do have questions about Marcus Smart and Robert Williams in the playoffs, there are way too many threats on the Celtics' offense for me to even be too concerned with them. Even then, Smart and Williams are the only two guys I question in one series and that's a series against the Bucks due to their defensive scheme.
If they decide to not play Williams in the playoffs against the Bucks again, that could come back to be huge for Boston. Al Horford will continue to hit open shots and that's exactly what they need next to Tatum and Brown.
When also factoring in that they added Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White is having a ridiculously underrated season, the Celtics undoubtedly have the best offense in basketball. There's a reason why they have the highest odds to win the Eastern Conference.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (Finals Odds: +430) (Bet $100 to collect $530) Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
The Bucks have a 117.7 ORTG since January 23, which is when Middleton returned from his injury the second time around. In his first stint, he played just seven games and experienced a setback.
If they played at that pace for the entire season, they would have the highest offensive rating in basketball.
Milwaukee's offense struggled before Middleton returned and that's evident by their 22nd-ranked offensive rating. However, it's tough to say that those games even matter at this point given their history with Middleton on the court.
The Bucks' half-court offense gets significantly better once they have their tough shotmaker and there's an argument to be made that they have the best offense when healthy.
Furthermore, they have the best player in basketball that can score 35-plus in his sleep. Jrue Holiday has also proven to be a clutch scorer as he's hit multiple big shots in clutch moments for Milwaukee.
3. Phoenix Suns (Finals Odds: +450) (Bet $100 to collect $550) Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
The numbers don't back me up much when talking about the Suns. However, they still have the best pure scorer in basketball, in my opinion.
I would even go as far as saying that Kevin Durant is the best bucket-getter in NBA history, but that's a story for a different time.
Devin Booker is a star in this league and he's proven that he can score at an elite level when it matters most. If they need a bucket, there might not be a better duo in the league than Booker and Durant.
Chris Paul certainly isn't what he used to be and that's fine for Phoenix. He doesn't need to give them 17 and 12 every night. However, he's still a threat and someone that defenses have to focus on due to his playmaking ability, which will open up the offense for Durant, Booker, and Ayton.
I do have some worries about Deandre Ayton's offensive game. He's shown some impressive signs throughout the past few years but there are too many games where he goes into hiding.
Still, I can't sit here and act like he won't benefit greatly from playing with Durant. Ayton could be the biggest piece of this Suns team if Durant and Booker have off nights in the playoffs and I think he can fill that role in certain matchups.
Some are worried about the Suns' bench. That shouldn't be much of an issue given they only need 7-8 guys in the playoffs and 1-2 of them won't see too many minutes.
When Phoenix has Durant and Booker healthy, there's a real argument to be made that they have the best offense in basketball.
4. Denver Nuggets (Finals Odds: +750) (Bet $100 to collect $850) Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
It almost feels a bit disrespectful to have the Denver Nuggets as the fourth-best offense in basketball, but I would like to mention that the two teams above them in the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks could all be interchangeable. To me, those teams are pretty evenly matched while Boston clearly has the best offense in the league.
In terms of an offensive rating standpoint, the Nuggets lead the league at 117.6 and have proven to be an offensive force all season long behind their two-time MVP and potential three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic.
The only reason I don't have them higher on this list is that I don't know if they have the same type of shotmakers as the Bucks and the Suns. At this point, I trust the Bucks (Khris Middleton - Jrue Holiday) and Phoenix (Devin Booker - Kevin Durant) more than Jamal Murray and Michal Porter Jr.
Either way, I don't think that Denver will have much of an issue scoring the basketball in the playoffs. If anything, it will be their defense that doesn't do enough come playoff time.
5. Sacramento Kings (Finals Odds: +13000) (Bet $100 to collect $14,000) Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
It's almost tough to say that a Sacramento Kings team has one of the best offenses in basketball given the lack of success that this team has found throughout the past decade.
However, this is a much different Kings team than we've seen throughout the past 20 seasons and because of that, I do believe that they do deserve a little bit of respect. While I don't think that they're going to find a ton of success in the playoffs just because of how good the Western Conference is, their offense is about as good as it can be.
I'm a big believer that mid-range shooters win in the playoffs and they might have the best midrange shooter in basketball in De'Aaron Fox. I don't think it's crazy to say that the Kings could potentially win a series or two in the playoffs, but they might still be a few years away from completing that task.
Looking for a new sportsbook to use for the end of the NBA season? Click claim now below and get an incredible new welcome offer!