Which team has the brightest 2017 ahead of them?

A new year, a new hope. It's what keeps us going as sports fans. We jumped on a bunch of new bandwagons in 2016, who says we can't find a few more in 2017?

Hello and good Thursday to everyone. Welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable where we ask our contributors to sound off on the serious (and not so serious) side of sports. We've been wrapping up our 2016 year in review, which means we're just about at the point where we look forward and try to guess what's in store for us in 2017. So we asked a few of our writers:

Which team in any league has the brightest 2017 ahead of them and why?

Daniel Tran: Have you seen this UCLA Bruin basketball team? Showtime has disappeared in Laker Land for the moment, but it's alive and well at the Pauley Pavilion down Interstate 10 in Los Angeles. Lonzo Ball is a sure-fire first rounder and has drawn comparisons to Jason Kidd for his vision. Not only that, the kid can jump out of the building. Surrounding him are talented scorers Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and Aaron Holiday. Not only that, the team has a pair hardworking big men in Thomas Welsh and TJ Leaf to clean everything up on the inside. With a good mix of young talent and experienced leadership, the Bruins are looking like they will make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Chelena Goldman: I've never been one to predict sports too far into the future. Especially for a whole year. But since you asked: I think the start of 2017 looks bright for the Oakland Raiders, in their first playoff appearance since Eminem topped the music charts. Let's get through football and then see how everything else goes...

Alex Wong: Milwaukee Bucks. Maybe an odd choice since it's the Milwaukee Bucks, but watching Giannis Antetokounmpo play basketball this season, I can't help but think we might be watching the next great player of our generation, a true one-of-one talent that's going to transcend the league. Having just turned 22, Antetokounmpo is already putting up numbers that place him among the elite players in the league and the potential for more is tantalizing. Maybe it's because he plays in a small market like Milwaukee, but we might be watching the next best player in the NBA develop before our eyes, and 2017 and beyond might prove all of this hyperbole being heaped on The Greek Freak to be worth it.

Demetrius Bell: It's gotta be the Chicago Cubs. They finally won the World Series and broke The Curse, so one of the biggest monkeys in sports history has officially taken its leap off of the back of the Cubs. The core of the team is still very young, and the franchise has basically been printing money for a while now, so they'll have the financial wherewithal to fill any holes that come up. As long as they keep on doing smart things and their players continue to develop, then the Cubs are a team that's not only going to be very good in 2017, but they'll also be good for a very long time.

Jamie Neal: The Golden State Warriors added Kevin Durant to their roster and have already been to the last two NBA Finals. If they aren't chasing the all-time wins record again this year, they'll be looking to add another trophy to the case this summer. How crazy is it to think that the Warriors – once the epitome of mediocrity have a chance at going to three consecutive Finals and have a legit chance at winning two of those?

For more Yardbarker end of the year roundtables from our contributors:
The bandwagons we jumped on in 2016
Our favorite sports docs and movies of 2016
The most intense sports moments of 2016
Athletes who deserve a mulligan for a bad 2016 
What was the best 'get hyped' music of 2016?
Sports trends we hope to leave behind in 2016
What would be change in sports in 2017
What was the biggest off-field moment for any athlete in 2016?