It’s almost that time. The NBA regular season is set to tip off in just a week and a half, so it’s time to seriously start looking forward and attempting to project what is to come. We’re coming off of a season where the Denver Nuggets just won the NBA title all while having the best player in the world on their team. Picking them as the best team in the league and their title favorite absolutely is not a bad choice. But who are the other four teams that accompany the Nuggets as the top five teams in the league? Here’s Digits’ take…

5. Los Angeles Lakers

This fifth spot is truly up for grabs, but giving it to the Lakers cannot be a bad decision. The team just went to the Western Conference Finals and strengthened their roster, so arguing them at 5 cannot be a tough thing to do at all. LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain world class players, while Austin Reaves can probably be a legitimate #3 on a title team. Having this team going far is absolutely not a bad choice.

4. Phoenix Suns

The Suns are damn good. If you want to move them to a spot higher than #4, it would make sense. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are two premier players, and the Suns just added Bradley Beal to the mix. If this team produces one of the best offensive teams in NBA history, it would hardly be surprising. Their depth is a very intriguing mix of players, and if a few pan out, the Suns could become an incredibly scary team.

3. Boston Celtics

Common theme of these teams: these are some loaded squads. The Celtics revamped their roster this offseason, adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to their star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Oh, did I forget that Al Horford and Derrick White are still there? This team’s top six is just absolutely incredible, and this team should be a force on both ends of the ball. If you want to put them 1st in the East, go for it.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

But to me, 1st in the East belongs to Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard easily take the reigns as league’s best duo, and their fit together is absolutely immaculate. Add in the fact that Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez remain Bucks, and you’re looking at the best four man core in the entire NBA (and the best since Steph/KD/Draymond/Klay!). This team is currently my title pick, but I have to respect what Denver just did.

1. Denver Nuggets

Very quietly, the Nuggets had one of the most dominant title runs in recent history. Sure, they lost Bruce Brown, but they retrained the rest of their core, which is also still a very young team; improvements will still be made across the board. They still have Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., you name it. This team is a perfectly constructed team around the world’s best player, and that’s enough to be considered the current best team in the NBA.

Charlie Spungin , NBA Analyst

- Digits Hoop Twitter