Which players and teams are poised to surprise in 2017?
Here are eight teams and eight players who will make noise in the new year.
1. Which East team might make more noise than expected in 2017?
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Against all my better judgment, I'm going to say the Washington Wizards. In December, they went 10-5 with a net rating of +3.4, good for ninth in the league. They're underachieving defensively, but at least their offense is finally clicking, with the sixth-highest offensive rating in December.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: Milwaukee Bucks. When Khris Middleton got injured before the season, the number of games the Bucks were expected to win -- according to Vegas' over/under lines -- was in the low 30s. Thanks to the rise of the Greek Freak, though, they've been playing more like a 44-win team. With Middleton expected back in March, the Bucks have a real chance to make noise in the playoffs.
Chris Herring, FiveThirtyEight/ESPN.com: Charlotte. You won't hear much about anyone being a true contender in the East, aside from Cleveland, Toronto and Boston. But the Hornets could very well finish in the top three. They boast the conference's best defense and clean the defensive glass better than any other team in the league -- two things that will make them a tough, annoying out come April and May.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: The Bucks are my favorite to emerge from the nine-team race for the East's last home-court seed. They have the third-best point differential in the conference, and if Khris Middleton gets back on the floor by April, Milwaukee can get past the first round in what feels like forever (16 years).
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have started to separate themselves from the pack below to establish themselves as one of the top four teams in the East. This looks like it could be the year Charlotte wins a playoff series for the first time since it rejoined the NBA via expansion in 2004.
2. Which West team might make more noise than expected in 2017?
Elhassan: I think the best is yet to come for the Utah Jazz, and that includes perhaps even cracking the top three in the conference. The Jazz have been stellar when George Hill has been healthy, and he has posted an on/off rating comparable to Steph Curry's and Kevin Durant's. As they strive to finally field a healthy starting five (when's the last time that happened?), I think the Jazz can turn it up another notch this year.
Engelmann: The Rockets, now the third-seeded team in the West, aren't exactly flying under the radar anymore. Still, given that they are sporting a point differential better than the Cavs' and Spurs', I think many people don't quite realize how good they've been. Further, their high-variance approach -- they're taking 3s at a rate never seen before -- is one of the few ways to beat superteams such as the Warriors.
Herring: The Clippers. They were viewed as one of the favorites to take down Golden State coming into the season, and they played that way early on. But depending how far they fall in the crowded West, with both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin out due to injury, the Clips could turn out to be a nightmare matchup for a top-seeded opponent that's desperately hoping to meet Oklahoma City or Sacramento in the first round instead.
Doolittle: We will see if it holds up against better competition, but the New Orleans Pelicans have looked terrific since they started playing smaller. Not only has the offense played at an NBA-appropriate level, but the defense has been better as well. They need to prove they can take this out on the road.
Pelton: The Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves have pulled within three games of the last spot in the West playoff race and now have a better point differential than anyone outside the conference's top seven. I expect them to contend for their first playoff appearance since 2004.
3. Which East player might be more important than expected in 2017?
Elhassan: Khris Middleton. Expected to be out for six months after September hamstring surgery, Middleton is the best 3-point shooter on the roster, one of the Bucks' best perimeter defenders and a capable creator off the dribble. The Bucks are tied for sixth in the East, and Middleton could be just what they need in their final playoff push to move up in the standings.
Engelmann: Kyle Lowry. The Toronto Raptors are sporting the second-best point differential in the league. This is thanks mostly to Lowry, who has become a top-five player, according to Real Plus Minus. With Lowry's incredible level of play, there's a real chance that we might see a non-LeBron team as the Eastern Conference champion.
Herring: DeMar DeRozan. Toronto will be a heavy underdog if it gets back to the Eastern Conference finals to play Cleveland. To go further, the Raptors will need DeRozan to play more like he has this season -- solid from his preferred midrange area from the floor -- than how he has performed in the playoffs, where he has been a poor, sub-40 percent shooter for his career.
Doolittle: It's kind of amazing the Raptors are as well positioned as they are even though they have been so much better with their backup center on the floor rather than their starter. Jonas Valanciunas will be an interesting case at the trade deadline. Can he make it work in Toronto, or can he be moved for a difference-maker in a deal?
Pelton: Kyle Lowry. Lowry has consistently been one of the NBA's 10 best players during the regular season, but he has yet to reach that same level in the postseason. If he can do that, the Raptors should return to the conference finals -- possibly even with home-court advantage.
4. Which West player might be more important than expected in 2017?
Elhassan: JaVale McGee(?!). I already feel bad making this pick, but when he plays well, he provides all the things Golden State is lacking: above-the-rim athleticism, size and shot blocking. Indeed, one of the Warriors' most effective lineups has McGee alongside their four All-Stars. The biggest question is whether McGee has the wherewithal to leave behind his boneheaded decision-making (gratuitous goal tends on line 1) and play the brand of high IQ basketball his teammates have mastered.
Engelmann: Trevor Ariza. The Rockets look like a team that can put a scare into both the Spurs and the Warriors. If Ariza can keep Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant somewhat in check while continuing to shoot a good percentage from 3-point range, he could be the X factor in this year's playoffs.
Herring: George Hill, who has missed more than half the season and as of Saturday is in the league's concussion protocol. He has already shown his value to the Jazz, a club that's 10-3 with him and 11-10 without him. They outscore opponents by about 17 points per 100 plays with him on the court and just two points with him on the sidelines. He might rank right behind LeBron, Westbrook and Harden on a league-wide scale in terms of importance to his team.
Doolittle: The healthier Utah gets, the more complete the Jazz look as a soon-to-be elite team. If Alec Burks returns and adds some offensive punch to a second unit that needs scoring, that will be one less hole on a very good roster.
Pelton: JaVale McGee. Can he actually help the Warriors in the playoffs? At some point, it sure seems like we'll find out.
5. What's your fearless prediction for 2017?
Elhassan: As noted above, I think there's a strong chance that Utah will find its way past the Rockets and Clippers to secure the third seed. I'll throw in a bonus that I called before the season started: The Bulls are not making the playoffs.
Engelmann: The Bucks will be a top-four team in the East by the end of this calendar year. Their top guys are all locked up for several years, they're incredibly young, and they appear to be making big strides. Getting back their best 3-point shooter in Middleton, who also had an incredible NET rating of +13 last season, should catapult them into the East's elite.
Doolittle: The Celtics will finally land a defensive anchor in the middle, and will push Cleveland in the East. There are some interesting options out there, such as Andrew Bogut and Valanciunas, though Toronto might not want to deal with an East rival. With Isaiah Thomas playing so well, it feels like Boston is very near a tipping point.
Pelton: Without the benefit of home-court advantage, the Clippers will again be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Herring: The Cavs repeat as champs. Their thin roster, trying to withstand an injury to J.R. Smith, could come back to haunt them, particularly if LeBron doesn't get the rest he needs after playing so much this past month. But Golden State's depth isn't all that wonderful, and it often takes superteams -- including Cleveland and Miami before that -- two years to hit their full stride in the playoffs.