Sports
By Ryan Ottiger, Newswire Intern
It has already been an entire summer since the 2024-25 NBA season ended with one of the greatest NBA Finals series in recent memory between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
As of right now, the 2025-26 NBA season is set to begin in less than two weeks. Key names like Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Fred VanVleet and Jayson Tatum will not be playing this season due to injury.
This offseason saw major moves across the league. The Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant, the Orlando Magic added Desmond Bane and the Boston Celtics moved Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers to avoid salary issues.
Kevin Durant begins a new chapter with the Houston Rockets.
Meanwhile, the 2025 NBA Draft Class is shaping up to be one of the strongest in modern history. Highlighted by Cooper Flagg joining Xavier alumnus Naji Marshall in Dallas, Dylan Harper and V.J. Edgecombe, as well as a bevy of other young players who have star-potential in the NBA.
Despite all the changes in the offseason, many of the same teams will be ready to dominate once again in the coming season.
Western Conference
Best of the West: Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets
Dark Horse Contenders: Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves
Likely Playoff Teams: Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors
Play-In / Possible Fringe Playoff Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans
No Playoff Hope: Utah Jazz
Eastern Conference
Probable Finals Contenders: New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers
Other Possible Contenders: Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons
Safe Playoff Bet: Philadelphia 76ers
Probable Playoffs: Milwaukee Bucks
Play-In Possibilities: Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets
Young and Rebuilding: Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets
Beyond team predictions, ESPN recently released its Top 100 Players list, projecting the best players in the 2025-26 season. To say the list is controversial would be an understatement. The rankings seem to heavily favor role players on Finals contending teams. Several Oklahoma City Thunder players fresh off a championship were placed very high: Luguentz Dort (64), Isaiah Hartenstein (56) and Alex Caruso (53), all rank ahead of recent All-Stars LaMelo Ball (63), Tyler Herro (68) and Zion Williamson (61).
Something arguably even more surprising is the rating of Derrick White, who ranked 26th. This puts him ahead of Trae Young, Karl-Anthony Towns, Franz Wagner and Ja Morant. More jarring placements include Jalen Williams (11), Jimmy Butler III (18), Aaron Gordon (40), Jamal Murray (46) and Joel Embiid (47).
With team estimations and player rankings discussed, many key storylines will be underway in the 2025-26 season.
Will Kevin Durant joining the young and exciting Rockets team elevate them into surefire Finals contenders? Can Reed Sheppard fill in Fred VanVleet’s shoes in the starting point guard role with little NBA experience?
Another storyline centers around the rookie class. Will Cooper Flagg be a generational player that impacts winning from day one? Can No. 2 pick Dylan Harper thrive alongside Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs’ guard-heavy roster while pushing San Antonio into the Playoffs? Other intriguing prospects to watch for are V.J. Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel. Every draft has its late round steals. Could this year possibly be Cedric Coward, Yang Hansen, Walter Clayton Jr., Nique Clifford, Hugo Gonzalez or Rasheer Fleming?
Additional narratives to watch include Luka Dončić’s first full season as a Laker, Wembanyama’s third year in the league and the improved Knicks, Nuggets, Magic and Hawks. Joel Embiid’s health and the 76ers development of young players will also be a key factor in shaping the Eastern Conference standings.
As the NBA season is about to tip-off, anticipation is reaching its peak. This season’s returning and rising stars, in tandem with the shakeups across the league, will make for yet another thrilling season.
