NBA Season Preview 2025-2026

 One of the many subjects that I'm constantly going on and on about in my head is my favorite sport- basketball. I play it, I watch it, and I think about it. So in today's post I'll be giving my thoughts on each team and my expectations for them going into this year. They'll be split into tiers with other teams I have similar standards for. Let's start with the best of the best and go from there.

Tier 1 - "Championship Favorites": Expect them to win it all or come damn close.

My championship favorite: Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic was one helpful teammate away from possibly stealing last year's series away from the eventual champions, and now he might have what he needs. With the additions of Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. the Nuggets have upgraded their bench and replaced a starter nearly beat-for-beat if not fully upgrading. I expect another dominant season from Jokic and with the newly acquired depth they should be a lock for winning it all.

My championship honorable mention: Oklahoma City Thunder

The defending champions should still be taken seriously. They retained their depth, their young guys are all a year older with a long playoff run worth of experience under their belt, and their superstar is just now entering his prime at age 27. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren currently hold the belt for the best big three in the league, but there hasn't been a repeat champion in eight years and counting. Part of their identity is the intensity they bring on defense, but I worry it's going to be difficult to maintain this season after a grueling playoff run where they were taken to seven games twice. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they repeated, but recent history has shown that the league has more parity than ever.

Tier 2 - "Contenders": I wouldn't be surprised if one of these teams ended up in the Finals, but they aren't my favorites.

Contender: Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards is that guy. He can score in a million different ways and he brings it on the defensive end. He's got another two-way wing next to him in Jaden McDaniels, and of course Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint. The Wolves are back-to-back Western Conference Finalists. People forget they knocked off the defending champion Nuggets two years ago, and then this year made easy work of the old guard of the Lakers and Warriors. I do think they are in desperate need of a point guard who can take care of creating and setting the pace of the offense; Mike Conley is a mismatch on defense and is too old to rely on for big games, Rob Dillingham is also small for today's standards and is too far on the opposite end of the experience spectrum to be trusted. But even with the questions looming over their roster, my whole reasoning for their membership to the contenders club still remains: Anthony Edwards is that guy.

Contender: New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson is returning after an MVP finalist season that saw them fighting tooth and nail in the Eastern Conference Finals before falling short. They've added some depth to their bench and have a new coach in Mike Brown. I actually prefer Tom Thibodeau, but I do think it was time for a fresh voice in the locker room and a new emphasis on opening up the offense. If Jayson Tatum was healthy or Giannis had a few more pieces around him, I'm not sure New York would even be in this tier for me. There are so many questions: Will Mike Brown work? Will they continue putting the weight of their offense on the shoulders of a 6'1" point guard? Does the defensive identity Thibs instilled in them carry over after his removal? Hopefully for them Coach Brown works out and their added pieces help Jalen's usage rate, but I'm not optimistic. Luckily for them, the East is abysmal this year.

Contender: Cleveland Cavaliers

Alright, the stink of last year's upsetting round two loss has to be gone by now, right? The Cavaliers just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: riding an insane regular season record into the post-season only to be wrecked by a team on a mission- the eventual conference champions. Losing the offensive spark that Ty Jerome brought off the bench last year will hurt, but if Lonzo Ball stays healthy he can hopefully contribute in other ways. I don't foresee another 64-18 season, as their young core should hopefully be more focused on handling business in the playoffs, but I do see them being one of the few scary teams in a conference with no clear front-runner.

Contender: Milwaukee Bucks

So you lost Brook Lopez, you paid Damian Lillard to not be on your team, you traded away Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton in recent seasons, but you did add Myles Turner after he had a good but not overwhelmingly great post-season run with your rivals. Not bad, but definitely not good, especially if you're relying on Kevin Porter Jr. to be your main ball handler. Giannis is entering the LeBron-esque waters of being so great that you can throw one fringe level all-star on his team and hope his greatness will get you out of the first round, but this team has problems. One of them being my distrust for Doc Rivers. But more blaring than that is the perimeter holes on their roster- relying on A.J. Green and Pat Connaughton for anything other than the token shooter white guy is a bad place to be. The future looks bleak for this franchise, but thank God for the Bucks because the conference they're in is even bleaker.

Tier 3 -"Pretenders": These teams have championship aspirations, but I just don't have confidence in them to make it that far.

Pretender: Houston Rockets

The loss of Fred Van Vleet is huge. Your point guard is out for the entirety of a season your ball club truly expected to be a favorite to win it all, with the addition of an experienced sell-sword named Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, I think your main problem isn't even Fred's injury- it's the loss of Dillon Brooks. Now don't get me wrong, I truly resent Brooks for his on-court antics and weird interview decisions, but without him, are you even the same defensive-minded, tough-nosed two seed Rockets from last year? Yes, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason were absolutely terrorizing teams last season, and Ime Udoka is going to expect high intensity on that end no matter who's suiting up, but I can't help but feel that the lead singer has left the band. Yes you brought in a guy who has a better singing voice, but the songs just don't sound the same. Houston will be very good, they solved a lot of problems by adding Kevin Durant, Clint Capela, and Dorian Finney-Smith... but I fear without the lead antagonist on defense, it just won't be as scary.

Pretender: Los Angeles Lakers

As a huge Luka Doncic and LeBron James fan (oh yeah, you'll be getting a lot of LeBron career retrospect content on this blog), it hurts my heart to not consider them a contender. But if there's one thing the first seven years of Luka's career told us, he has to have the exact mixture of defense, shooting, and lob-threats around him to have a successful playoff run- and he just doesn't have that on this Lakers team. Losing Dorian Finney-Smith was huge, one of the few guys that could guard multiple positions AND hit a big shot. They've got several guys who can do one or the other- Dalton Knecht and Austin Reaves can shoot, but they aren't exactly locking anyone up- Jarred Vanderbilt is a great defender but a huge non-threat on the other end. Another theme that seems apparent in this era of basketball is the need for depth. The two teams that competed for the Finals last year were two of the deepest teams in the league. Both the Thunder and Pacers could reach down their bench for meaningful minutes. The Lakers, unfortunately, cannot do that. And the players that they can count on don't fit their superstars. DeAndre Ayton is not a lob threat, nor a rim protector- two things Luka needs. LeBron James, although he has improved immensely, has never been a great spot up shooter, and at this point in his career cannot give you many games of both productive high usage on offense and difference making defense. As a LeBron fan, watching him in his prime was magical, because you knew no matter what slop of a roster was thrown around him, as long as he was healthy, they were going to make some kind of run on his greatness alone. Unfortunately, his prime is past, so his talent- even combined with Luka's- is not enough to be an automatic bid for contention. I hope I'm wrong, but the supporting pieces are just not exactly what they need to be a real threat to Denver and Oklahoma City.

Pretender: Atlanta Hawks

Possibly the winner for off-season acquisitions for me is the Atlanta Hawks. Adding pieces like Alexander-Walker, Kennard, and Porzingis were huge. They get Jalen Johnson back after an injury ruined last season, and another year of experience for Okongwu and Risacher. Trae, like the aforementioned Luka, needs shooting, defense, lob threats and rim protectors around him to be the best he can be, and they added that. I like this team, and if they stay healthy should scare some people. But make no doubt about it, this season will be the season that we truly find out about Trae. Is he a number one guy on a good team? Can he lead this team to the Finals in a decimated conference? Was 2021 a fluke? Time to watch the next episode of DragonBall Z and find out.

Pretender: Los Angeles Clippers

At the time of writing this, it looks like Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer are getting out of their under-the-table payment scandal without any bumps or bruises, or even slaps on the wrist. So assuming that remains the verdict, this team still looks really good. They've added Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and John Collins. They have more depth than ever before. They have one of the best coaches, if not the best, in the league. Ty Lue will have this team in the playoffs again, competing with anybody they match up with. I just don't think they have enough to get past any of the Western conference teams I've listed above them. You have to gamble on James Harden not shitting the bed with your season on the line and Kawhi Leonard being healthy. You have to hope with all the guys expecting minutes, one of which being Bradley Beal, that the locker room doesn't implode. I do think having too many guys is a real issue that teams deal with, and for me the Clippers will be a case study for this. A four seed for these guys is respectable, I just don't see much more than that.

Tier 4 - "Dark Horses": Good but not great, intriguing, and borderline scary teams

Dark Horse: Golden State Warriors

I know the sexy thing right now is to get excited about the Warriors with the addition of Al Horford. I mean if they got to the second round with Quintin Post playing Horford's minutes, and looked like they might upset the Wolves before Steph got injured, then they have to be better this year, right? Unlike the Lakers who have the talent, but don't have fitting pieces, the Warriors do have pieces that fit- Horford is a going to fit like a glove next to Curry- but after Steph I'm just not sure what I'm getting. If we get "Eight Seed Nobody Believed In Us Miami Heat" Jimmy Butler, then that should be scary. But last year we did not, and the year before that we did not. So are we sure he exists anymore? Throw in a pouting Kuminga (rightfully so), an old Draymond who still is a goose egg in the scoring column most nights, and the need to have Brandin Podziemski to start (yikes), and this team just isn't as sexy as it seems at first glance. 

Dark Horse: Philadelphia 76ers

Like many teams on this Tier 4 list, the 76ers are facing a lot of big 'if's. If Joel Embiid can play sixty or so games, they should be in the playoffs. If Paul George can also stay healthy and get back to his old self (I'm thinking 2018 or 2019 version? yikes that was long ago), they should be contenders. If Tyrese Maxey takes another huge step in his progression, they could be a favorite to win it all. But those are some big 'if's. I do think Tyrese has star-level talent and he's box office, he's just handcuffed to a sinking ship that Joel Embiid is captaining. If I were Philly, I'd play Joel and Paul George as much as I can within reason to hike up their respective trade values and ship them out for the best packages possible. Punt on this season, retool around Tyrese and the most promising of VJ Edgecomb and Jared McCain, and be a typical Nick Nurse feisty underdog for a season or two. When Tyrese hits his peak, hopefully by then you've gotten some pieces around him to compete and the Celtics have parted ways with one of their dynamic duo, leaving you an empty runway to take off towards contention. But that's just me.

Dark Horse: Dallas Mavericks

If Kyrie Irving were healthy, they would be one, maybe even two tiers higher than this. Unfortunately his replacement is... D'Angelo Russell? Gulp. I guess he was probably the best option available in a limited free agency market, but good God if Anthony Davis hand picked him after their shared Lakers stint, the final nail in the coffin of my decade old questions about the Brow's IQ has been hammered. This team looks good. I mean real good. Lively, Gafford, and Davis as your backline defenders. Perimeter "dawgs" like Washington, Marshall, Christie, and now Flagg. Klay with the championship experience and ability to go off every once in a while. But without Kyrie they don't have a guy that can go get a bucket at the end of a playoff game. Yes Anthony Davis exists, but he usually needs someone setting the table for him, getting him a look in his favorite phonebooth area. That is of course if he hasn't been poked in the eye or injures himself falling on the ground in an attempt to get free throws. This teams defensive threat and depth will put them in at least the play-in again, but without a Kyrie level scorer, or God forbid a Luka level creator, I just don't see them punching with the big boys. Man... if Kyrie Irving were healthy though.

Dark Horse: Detroit Pistons

Cade Cunningham fought the Knicks deeper into the night than they expected in last year's first round series. Unfortunately a pretty bad referee decision or two down the stretch diminished the Pistons' chances and they were sent home early. I like the pieces they added- Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson will hopefully help with scoring, and having Jaden Ivey back from that gruesome injury last season is the cherry on top. Cade has to take another step towards super stardom, but until we know if Ivey is a true number two that fits with him, I'm not sure they make more noise than they did last season. If I were Detroit I'd call the Jazz and see how much Lauri costs. Don't waste the house money you're playing with- Cade is great for his age and the East is bad.

Dark Horse: Orlando Magic

The Magic also improved significantly this off-season. Upgrading KCP to Desmond Bane, adding a true point guard off the bench in Tyus Jones, and another year of experience under their belt for Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner. I also really like Tristen De Silva and look forward to watching his progression. In the hellscape that is the East, you would think this team is a tier or two higher, but just like the Pistons I'm not sure they have enough to truly compete. If Paolo takes another step or two towards superstardom then the discussion will change, but for now, I see them as a low seed yet again.

Tier 5 - "Play-Ins": Teams who don't excite me and I expect in the play-in.

Play-In: Miami Heat

Another year of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and now Norm Powell. All good players that can help a superstar win, but this team has no superstar in sight. The only reason they aren't lower for me is the reputation of Erik Spoelstra- in my opinion a top two coach in the NBA who can build a super computer from junkyard scraps. Well he has the junkyard scraps, but I'm not sure even he can make anything past a play-in team out of this roster.

Play-In: Phoenix Suns

With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal long gone, I fully expect Devin Booker's love of the game to return, and that attitude to spread through the locker room. He's surrounded by young guys that are eager for minutes, willing to play defense and set screens for him and Jalen Green, and with Dillon Brooks hopefully giving them some pride in defense, they should be okay. But just that- okay. They don't have enough to make any kind of run this season with their first year head coach. Ship Jalen out for an actual point guard, figure out which young guys are worthy of investment, and build around Devin the best you can without gutting your team for more aging superstars like you've done twice before (Mat Ishbia I'm looking at you).

Play-In: Boston Celtics

Most organizations would probably punt on a season that one of their two best players is sidelined with an Achilles tear. If it weren't a franchise with someone as psychotically competitive as Joe Mazzulla coaching then maybe they would. But I see them still trying to win games, lead by Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard. Tatum hasn't ruled out returning in early 2026, but if they aren't contending I just don't see the reason. As a Tatum hater- no, I wouldn't call myself that, more of a detractor towards those that overrate him- this season is a win-win for me. If the Celtics do well without Tatum, it reaffirms everything I've believed, which is that Brown is the better of the two and that with Mazzulla's coaching and the roster around him he's been coddled for superstardom since he entered the league. If the Celtics do poorly, well that's great too because I get a season of not watching them deep in the playoffs.

Play-In: San Antonio Spurs

Baby steps. Kind of like Victor Wembanyama's pre-game tippy toe excerise to warm up his ankles and calves. Wembanyama is like Harrison Bergeron, ready to explode and flex his strength to the world, but weighed down by exterior factors. Last year it was injury and roster composition. This year, it may yet again be roster composition. You have three point guards- two of which drafted in consecutive years- as your best players behind Wemby. I thought for sure you would trade a package to Dallas for number one and get Cooper to pair with him, and build next to Castle. Is Mitch Johnson the coach of the future for this team? Can they improve with a full season of Fox and now Harper? I personally feel like Wemby was playoff ready his rookie season, but poor roster moves around him has handicapped what could have been an all-time start to a legendary career. The time is now to find out San Antonio, stop wasting Wemby's years. This year will be a baby step in the right direction though, with a play-in appearance for the young Frenchman and his team.

Play-In: Indiana Pacers

Just like the Celtics losing a star to an Achilles, and just like the Celtics who have a great coach, the Pacers are in the same lane. With no Tyrese Haliburton being the Steve Nash-esque catalyst to their potent run and gun spread offense, I'm not sure what this team looks like. Yes, fitting Mathurin in the starting line-up and Nembhard playing point doesn't seem too bad. Jay Huff playing the position of a poor man's Myles Turner is intriguing, but not enticing. Rick Carlisle's coaching will get them to the play-in, but their point guard superstar sized deficit in the roster will be this season's undoing.

Play-In: Memphis Grizzlies

Well, another of the original Grizzlies core hits the road this summer. Desmond Bane to the Magic. Now a core that once was all home grown, including Dillon Brooks, is down to just Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. Ja is a top ten talent, and I believe he has put his off-court issues behind him, but can he stay healthy with his daredevil style of rim-attacking play? His last original running mate in JJJ also has trouble staying healthy. They ditched the coach that had been there since the beginning as well. I think Ja has superstar potential and deserves to be on a perennial contender, but this year won't be much different from last.

Play-In: New Orleans Pelicans

Zion looks in shape for the first time in his professional career. Jeremiah Fears was a homerun pick and will be a good NBA player. Jordan Poole can add some offensive firepower that the squad lacked last season. Another year of experience for wings Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. Yves Missi seems to be a project worth investing in. I like this team on paper, but can they stay healthy and put it all together for a season? They have high potential and high risk both tattooed on their forehead. My bet is on the risk, that they end up underachieving and fighting for a play-in spot.

Play-In: Toronto Raptors

You know what a great addition to a team that's best player is a non-floor spacing young point-forward is? Trading for another non-floor spacing young point-forward. Which Toronto has done twice now. I'm not sure anybody's "Build Around Scottie Barnes" bingo card had adding RJ Barrett or Brandon Ingram on it. This team has an overwhelming majority of its salary cap tied up in its starting five, and the starting five does not fit together. This bizarre experiment has a few casual fans excited, but if you watch more than just YouTube highlights you should be aware that this team is not very good. Just being talented in a down year for your conference may be enough to crack the top six, but I doubt it.

Tier 6 - "Drifters": Teams wandering around aimlessly, drifting through time and space with no apparent purpose or ambition

Drifter: Sacramento Kings

What are we doing Sacramento? You paid ridiculous money to Dennis Schroeder, a guy I like, but would not want in my starting line-up. You saw the failures of the Derozan-Lavine led Bulls, and thought 'hey let's try that in the harder conference'. The pick and roll game of Sabonis and Fox is long gone, maybe Schroder was your answer to that? You've made so many moves I wouldn't have done I can't even fathom where to begin with where it all went wrong. Not drafting Luka has got to be a milestone though. This team could make the play-in, but this seems more like a ticking time-bomb ready to blow into rebuild mode if you ask me.

Drifter: Chicago Bulls

Your team is Vucevic, Giddey, White, Williams, Okoro, Buzelis. Just like your California cousins, the Kings, I have to question the plan here. Your five years too late to trade Vucevic for a decent asset, and your draft picks have been good but not great. At this point, I wouldn't expect you to make the play-in, but also don't expect you to be bad enough for a good pick in the draft, what a dark place to be in.

Drifter: Portland Trailblazers

Adding Jrue Holiday is intriguing- his defensive skills, experience, and leadership should be helpful with such a young roster. I suspect buying out Ayton to free up more time for Clingan and Yang will end up being fruitful, and Scoot Henderson should hopefully have more room to grow without Simons. Advija is the most interesting player on this roster in my opinion. I would be surprised if Grant and Holiday finish the season there though. They seem like important trade chips for contenders looking to get better around the deadline.

Drifter: Washington Wizards

I like the additions of CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, adding some veterans will help set the tone for the young talent in the locker room. We are still a few years away from Washington being competitive though, the front office has to find out which young guys are worth keeping and which are not. Just like Portland though, I could see their vets being moved mid-season.

Drifter: Utah Jazz

All I have to say about this team is FREE LAURI.

Drifter: Charlotte Hornets

This team seems to be tugging on different ends of the same rope. On one side you have the players that, while still young in the general sense of the NBA, have been around long enough for us to know who they are: Lamelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, even Jusuf Nurkic. On the other end you have young exciting talent you should be focusing on: guys like Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. I don't see this team sniffing the post-season at all, but I look forward to watching at least the younger exciting end of this self-deprecating game of tug-of-war.

Drifter: Brooklyn Nets

Another absolutely weird draft night. The Nets roster doesn't make much sense, and they've now turned Kevin Durant for the most part into Michael Porter Jr. and Bojan Bogdonovic (who's no longer with the team). Cam Thomas is insanely talented, but his demeanor and play style give off huge locker room cancer vibes. Having your two best players be known as ball-stopping shot chuckers should be a recipe for success, right? Expect more draft picks at and closer to #1 in the summer of 2026.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks for reading. I would love to read any comments and I can respond to any that are engaging in one of my next posts. I also plan on having a response to this post at the mid-season point, at regular season end, and after the Finals to see how close or far off my predictions were.