NBA 2026-27 Season Preview

The 2026-27 NBA season is well under way, coming off of a year that saw yet another long-time championship drought end. The Knicks raised the banner for the first time since 1973, led by superstar Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the rest of the bunch. The Knicks’ incredible run just reminds us of a golden era that we are currently in in the NBA. Throughout my entire life, a player or team has dominated, whether it was the tale end of Jordan, Kobe and Shaq’s Lakers, the Spurs dynasty, LeBron, and Steph and the Warriors. We have had a new Finals matchup every year since 2018 when the Warriors-Cavs saga finally ended. So much disparity exists, and a whole new generation if superstar players have begun to accept the torch. But LeBron still remains at 42, looking to raise his 5th title before he calls it a career. So here is my 2026-27 NBA season preview, full of every prediction, every team roster and write-ups, and so much more.

Standings

Playoff Predictions

EAST

Play-In Tournament:
7 Cleveland over 8 Indiana – Cleveland earns the 7-seed
9 Boston over 10 Charlotte – Charlotte is eliminated
9 Boston over 8 Indiana – Boston earns the 8-seed, Indiana is eliminated

1st Round	ECSF	ECF
1 – New York vs. (NY in 5) 8 – Boston
4 – Philadelphia vs. (PHI in 4) 5 – Toronto	1 – New York vs. (NY in 7) 4 – Philadelphia
		1 – New York vs. (MIA in 6) 6 – Miami	Miami Heat EAST CHAMPS
3 – Atlanta vs. (MIA in 6) 6 – Miami	6 – Miami vs. (MIA in 6) 7 – Cleveland
2 – Detroit vs. (CLE in 7) 7 – Cleveland

WEST

Play-In Tournament:
7 Houston over 8 LA Clippers – Houston earns the 7-seed
9 Phoenix over 10 Utah – Utah is eliminated
8 LA Clippers over 9 Phoenix – LA Clippers earn the 8-seed, Phoenix is eliminated

1st Round	WCSF	WCF
1 – San Antonio vs. (SA in 4) 8 – LA Clippers
4 – Portland vs. (POR in 6) 5 – Denver	1 – San Antonio vs. (SA in 6) 4 – Portland
		1 – San Antonio vs. (OKC in 7) 2 – Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City Thunder WEST CHAMPS
3 – LA Lakers vs. (LAL in 7) 6 – Minnesota	3 – LA Lakers vs. (OKC in 6) 2 – Oklahoma City
2 – Oklahoma City vs. (OKC in 6) 7 – Houston

2027 NBA FINALS:
Oklahoma City Thunder over Miami Heat in 5 games

Award Predictions

MVP: Luka Doncic, LAL
Defensive Player of the Year: Amen Thompson, HOU
Sixth Man of the Year: Ajay Mitchell, OKC
Rookie of the Year: Cameron Boozer, MEM
Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
Most Improved Player: Khaman Maluach, PHX
Coach of the Year: Quin Snyder, ATL

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Roster Projections

Boston Celtics

HC: Joe Mazzulla
5th year as Celtics HC
Career/Team record: 238-90, Career Playoff record: 36-21
AGE: 38

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./College/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#4	Mitchell Robinson	7’0 | 240 lbs Western Kentucky | Age: 28	5.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 0.9 spg 72.3% FG – (NYK)
F	#0	Jayson Tatum	6’8 | 210 lbs Duke | Age: 28	16 GP, 21.8 ppg, 10 rpg, 5.3 apg 41.1% FG, 32.9% 3P
SF	#13	Paul George	6’8 | 220 lbs Fresno State | Age: 36	17.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.7 spg 43.9% FG, 39.2% 3P – (PHI)
G	#9	Derrick White	6’4 | 190 lbs Colorado | Age: 32	16.5 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg 39.4% FG, 32.7% 3P
PG	#11	Payton Pritchard	6’1 | 195 lbs Oregon | Age: 28	17 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.9 rpg, 0.7 spg 46.4% FG, 37.7% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#88	Neemias Queta	7’0 | 248 lbs Utah State | Age: 27	10.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 bpg 65.3% FG
F	#30	Sam Hauser	6’7 | 217 lbs Virginia | Age: 28	9.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg 41.9% FG, 39.3% 3P
SG/SF	#55	Baylor Scheierman	6’6 | 205 lbs Creighton | Age: 25	5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg 45.3% FG, 39.9% 3P
SF	#27	Jordan Walsh	6’6 | 205 lbs Arkansas | Age: 22	5.4 ppg, 4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.7 spg 50.9% FG, 38.4% 3P
PG	#45	Mike Conley	6’1 | 175 lbs Ohio State | Age: 38	4.5 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 rpg, 0.6 spg 33.5% FG, 33.7% 3P – (MIN)
SG/SF	#8	Ron Harper Jr.	6’5 | 233 lbs Rutgers | Age: 26	4.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.3 spg 41.8% FG, 35% 3P
C	#52	Luka Garza	6’10 | 243 lbs Iowa | Age: 27	8.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1 apg, 0.4 bpg 57.7% FG, 43.3% 3P
PF/C	#12	Chris Cenac Jr. (R)	6’11 | 240 lbs Houston | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 27th overall by BOS
SG/SF	#28	Hugo González	6’6 | 205 lbs Spain | Age: 20	3.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.5 apg 47.6% FG, 36.2% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#99	Devin Carter	6’2 | 199 lbs Providence | Age: 24	8.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.9 spg 41.4% FG, 26.3% 3P – (SAC)
C	#77	Amari Williams	7’0 | 262 lbs Kentucky | Age: 24	1.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.5 bpg 50% FG
F	#20	Dillon Mitchell (R)	6’8 | 210 lbs St. John’s | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 40th overall by BOS

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 40-42, 9th in East
MVP: SF Jayson Tatum
X-Factor: SF Paul George
Adds: SF Paul George (Traded from Philadelphia), C Mitchell Robinson (Signed)
Loss: SF Jaylen Brown (Traded to Philadelphia)
Grade: C+

It was a strange offseason for the Celtics after a heart-breaking loss in the 1st round to the Sixers after a hard fought 7 game series. They went the majority of the season without Jayson Tatum, leading to Jaylen Brown becoming an all-star and a true MVP worthy player. With Tatum fully healthy, tension began to form between Brown and the front office, leading to him being traded to the Sixers for practically nothing. It was a move that made many NBA GM’s scratch their heads in disbelief, and the first big blunder that Brad Stevens has seemed to make in the front office.

Now they’ll have to navigate the new season with an aging Paul George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and newly signed Mitchell Robinson as Tatum’s sidekicks. The bench is full of young pieces, as Neemias Queta was extended to pair with Robinson as the men in the middle. Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, and Baylor Scheierman should see big roles, with veteran Mike Conley coming in as the backup PG to Pritchard. The East has become a juggernaut and the Celtics are in a tough division with the reigning champion Knicks, the new look Sixers, and the new look Raptors. Boston should be a play-in team, but even the miracles Joe Mazzulla has performed as Head Coach are nothing compared to what they’re up against this season.

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Brooklyn Nets

HC: Jordi Fernández
3rd year as Nets HC
Career/Team record: 46-118
AGE: 44

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#20	Day’Ron Sharpe	6’10 | 265 lbs North Carolina | Age: 24	8.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg 60.1% FG, 23.1% 3P
PF	#30	Julius Randle	6’9 | 250 lbs Kentucky | Age: 31	21.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5 apg, 1.1 spg 48.1% FG, 31.5% 3P – (MIN)
F	#17	Michael Porter Jr.	6’10 | 218 lbs Missouri | Age: 28	24.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3 apg, 1.1 spg 46.3% FG, 36.3% 3P
G	#8	Egor Dëmin	6’8 | 200 lbs BYU | Age: 20	10.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, 3.2 rpg, 0.8 spg 39.9% FG, 38.5% 3P
PG	#0	Mikel Brown Jr. (R)	6’5 | 180 lbs Louisville | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 6th overall by BKN

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#14	Terance Mann	6’6 | 215 lbs Florida State | Age: 29	7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3 apg, 0.7 spg 45.7% FG, 36.4% 3P
PF/C	#21	Noah Clowney	6’10 | 210 lbs Alabama | Age: 22	12.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.8 spg 39.6% FG, 32.9% 3P
SG/SF	#4	Drake Powell	6’5 | 195 lbs North Carolina | Age: 21	6.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg 40.2% FG, 28% 3P
SF	#1	Keon Ellis	6’4 | 175 lbs Alabama | Age: 26	6.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1 apg 44% FG, 36.3% 3P – (SAC/CLE)
C	#13	Moritz Wagner	6’11 | 245 lbs Michigan | Age: 29	6.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 spg 42.6% FG, 31.4% 3P – (ORL)
PF/C	#2	Danny Wolf	6’11 | 250 lbs Michigan | Age: 22	8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.6 bpg 40.5% FG, 32.2% 3P
PG	#10	Nolan Traoré	6’3 | 185 lbs France | Age: 20	8.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 spg 38% FG, 31.8% 3P
F	#00	Josh Minott	6’8 | 205 lbs Memphis | Age: 23	7.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.9 spg, 0.9 apg 50% FG, 41.8% 3P – (BOS/BKN)
PF	#9	Joshua Jefferson (R)	6’8 | 246 lbs Iowa State | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 28th overall by MIN
G	#77	Ben Saraf	6’6 | 200 lbs Israel | Age: 20	7.5 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.1 rpg, 0.9 spg 39.6% FG, 21.1% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#31	Chaney Johnson	6’8 | 225 lbs Auburn | Age: 24	17 GP, 8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.1 apg 54.3% FG, 30% 3P
PF/C	#16	Grant Nelson	7’0 | 215 lbs Alabama | Age: 24	4 GP, 4.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.3 apg 55.6% FG
SF	#34	Tyler Bilodeau (R)	6’8 | 228 lbs UCLA | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 43rd overall by BKN

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 22-60, 15th in East
MVP: SF Michael Porter Jr.
X-Factor: PF Julius Randle
Adds: PF Julius Randle (Traded from Minnesota), PG Mikel Brown Jr. (Drafted)
Loss: C Nicolas Claxton (Traded to Chicago)
Grade: D

The Nets enter the new season three years into a true rebuild with little hope for the future. The issue is certainly not the Head Coach, as the franchise thinks fondly of Fernandez, extending him this offseason after a 20-win season. Michael Porter Jr. is by far the franchise’s cornerstone, after a career year in a system that is built around him being the ball dominant player on offense. Egor Demin and Drake Powell were two solid rookie surprises last year and will continue to get more and more opportunities. Day’Ron Sharpe should replace Nic Claxton in the starting lineup, while former all-star Julius Randle was acquired from Minnesota to give them a secondary scoring option.

Mikel Brown was drafted with their #6 pick, a plus-sized PG that I think will be a tremendous pro. He should be starting right off the bat alongside Demin in the backcourt. It will be another long season for Brooklyn, especially in a division with four likely playoff teams. They also aren’t the furthest along, as MPJ draws a lot of concern about being the true piece to build around despite the offensive numbers he put up a year ago. The young core will need to show major improvement as well and one of them will need to develop into a borderline all-star for them to start having hope in this rebuild.

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New York Knicks

HC: Mike Brown
2nd year as Knicks HC, 13th year as a HC (Cleveland ’05-’10/’13-’14, LA Lakers ’11-’13, Sacramento ’22-’25)
Career record: 507-333, Knicks record: 53-29, Career Playoff record: 66-43

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#32	Karl-Anthony Towns	7’0 | 248 lbs Kentucky | Age: 30	20.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 3 apg, 0.9 spg 50.1% FG, 36.8% 3P
SF	#8	OG Anunoby	6’7 | 240 lbs Indiana | Age: 29	16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg 48.4% FG, 38.6% 3P
SG/SF	#3	Josh Hart	6’5 | 215 lbs Villanova | Age: 31	12 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.1 spg 50.8% FG, 41.3% 3P
SG/SF	#25	Mikal Bridges	6’6 | 209 lbs Villanova | Age: 30	14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.3 spg 49% FG, 37.1% 3P
PG	#11	Jalen Brunson	6’2 | 190 lbs Villanova | Age: 30	26 ppg, 6.8 apg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 spg 46.7% FG, 36.9% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#44	Landry Shamet	6’5 | 190 lbs Wichita State | Age: 29	9.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg 43.7% FG, 39.2% 3P
PG	#5	Jose Alvarado	6’0 | 179 lbs Georgia Tech | Age: 28	7.4 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1 spg 41.6% FG, 35.2% 3P – (NOP/NYK)
C	#0	Andre Drummond	6’11 | 279 lbs UConn | Age: 33	6.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.8 bpg 47.2% FG, 35.6% 3P – (PHI)
F	#51	Mohamed Diawara	6’9 | 225 lbs France | Age: 21	3.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.2 spg 42.3% FG, 36.9% 3P
G	#2	Miles McBride	6’2 | 195 lbs West Virginia | Age: 26	12 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.4 rpg, 0.9 spg 42.3% FG, 41.3% 3P
SG	#00	Jordan Clarkson	6’5 | 194 lbs Missouri | Age: 34	8.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.4 spg 45.1% FG, 32.7% 3P
PG	#13	Tyler Kolek	6’2 | 195 lbs Marquette | Age: 25	4.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 rpg, 0.4 spg 43.5% FG, 38.6% 3P
C	#35	James Wiseman	7’0 | 240 lbs Memphis | Age: 25	4 GP, 3.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 0.8 apg 60% FG – (IND)
SF	#4	Pacôme Dadiet	6’9 | 210 lbs France | Age: 21	1.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.1 spg 33.3% FG, 21.9% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#9	Kevin McCullar Jr.	6’6 | 210 lbs Kansas | Age: 25	2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1 apg, 0.4 spg 42.6% FG, 33.3% 3P
SF	#55	Tyler Nickel (R)	6’8 | 217 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 47th overall by PHX
PG	#14	Jaden Akins (R)	6’4 | 195 lbs Michigan State | Age: 23	UNDRAFTED in 2025

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 58-24, 1st in East
MVP: PG Jalen Brunson
X-Factor: C Karl-Anthony Towns
Add: C Andre Drummond (Signed)
Loss: C Mitchell Robinson (Signed with Boston)
Grade: A-

Well, they did it. What seemed like would never happen, did in fact happen as the Knicks broke their 53-year drought and won the 2026 Championship. It was a historic run for New York, etching their names in Knicks history as Brunson, Towns, and company pulled off two sweeps, an 11-game win streak, and the greatest comeback in Finals history all in one run. The cohesiveness that new HC Mike Brown had this team under after a bit of a struggling start cannot be denied, and Brown was able to win his first ring as well as the man at the helm. Now, entering their title protecting year, they run back an almost identical roster. They swap out long-time Knick Mitchell Robinson for veteran Andre Drummond.

Early on, they aren’t the favorite to repeat with most having the Thunder and Spurs as the more likely options. Also the new look Heat and 76ers are favorites to some as the real teams to beat in the East. But this conference will run through New York yet again, and you better believe Knicks fans will be boasting in the glory all season long. I see the Knicks being the best regular season team in the East, but falling short to make it back. It’s so difficult to repeat in this league, especially with the disparity that we have seen over the years in this league. The Thunder and Spurs are going to be coming back fierce, and whoever wins that inevitable WCF I think will win it all.

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Philadelphia 76ers

HC: Nick Nurse
4th year as 76ers HC, 9th year as a HC (Toronto ’18-’23)
Career record: 343-293, 76ers record: 116-130, Career Playoff record: 31-27
AGE: 59

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#21	Joel Embiid	7’0 | 280 lbs Kansas | Age: 32	26.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 bpg 48.9% FG, 33.3% 3P
F	#23	LeBron James	6’9 | 250 lbs USA | Age: 42	20.9 ppg, 7.2 apg, 6.1 rpg, 1.2 spg 51.5% FG, 31.7% 3P – (LAL)
SF	#7	Jaylen Brown	6’6 | 223 lbs California | Age: 29	28.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1 spg 47.7% FG, 34.7% 3P – (BOS)
SG	#77	V.J. Edgecombe	6’4 | 180 lbs Baylor | Age: 21	16 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 spg 43.8% FG, 35.4% 3P
PG	#0	Tyrese Maxey	6’2 | 200 lbs Kentucky | Age: 25	28.3 ppg, 6.6 apg, 4.1 rpg, 1.9 spg 46.2% FG, 36.7% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#45	Dean Wade	6’9 | 228 lbs Kansas State | Age: 29	5.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg 43.9% FG, 36.2% 3P – (CLE)
G	#5	Anfernee Simons	6’3 | 200 lbs IMG Academy | Age: 27	14.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.5 spg 44% FG, 38.5% 3P – (BOS/CHI)
PF/C	#25	Dominick Barlow	6’9 | 215 lbs Overtime Elite | Age: 23	7.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 spg 53.9% FG, 25.6% 3P
SG	#1	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	6’5 | 204 lbs Georgia | Age: 33	8.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 spg 41% FG, 31.6% 3P – (MEM)
C	#30	Adem Bona	6’10 | 235 lbs UCLA | Age: 23	4.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 0.5 apg 59.5% FG
G	#00	Labaron Philon Jr. (R)	6’3 | 176 lbs Alabama | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 22nd overall by PHI
SG/SF	#11	Justin Edwards	6’7 | 203 lbs Kentucky | Age: 22	6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.8 spg 44.7% FG, 37.2% 3P
F	#33	Jabari Walker	6’7 | 237 lbs Colorado | Age: 24	4.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.4 spg 45.5% FG, 33.7% 3P
C	#55	Ariel Hukporti* (I)	7’0 | 246 lbs Germany | Age: 24	2.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.5 bpg, 0.5 apg 56.3% FG – (NYK)

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#9	Caleb Love	6’3 | 212 lbs Arizona | Age: 24	10.4 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.3 rpg, 0.6 spg 38.8% FG, 31.8% 3P – (POR)
SG/SF	#12	Rayan Rupert	6’7 | 205 lbs France | Age: 22	5.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.9 spg 39.3% FG, 32.4% 3P – (POR/MEM)
C	#99	Tacko Fall	7’6 | 311 lbs UCF | Age: 30	DNP – Played in China

*Hukporti tore his achilles in the preseason and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 48-34, 4th in East
MVP: PG Tyrese Maxey
X-Factor: SF LeBron James
Adds: SF Jaylen Brown (Traded from Boston), SF LeBron James (Signed), PF Dean Wade (Signed)
Losses: SF Paul George (Traded to Boston), SG Kelly Oubre Jr. (Signed with Indiana)
Grade: B+

It’s been a roller coaster ride for Sixers fans over the past three seasons, but with a whole new look squad, they have title aspirations for ’26-’27. After a 24-win season in ’24-’25, they used their top pick on V.J. Edgecombe who broke out to be one of the best two-way wings in the league and a stellar backcourt piece to pair with Tyrese Maxey. A year later, they weren’t there yet despite Joel Embiid being fully healthy for their playoff run. They were able to pick off the Celtics in the first round, but were swept by the Knicks en route to their Finals championship run. Acquiring Jaylen Brown from Boston sort of fell in their laps as they got him for practically a steal, giving up nothing more than Paul George and draft picks.

And then, of course, they signed LeBron James to a $4m deal in which could be his final year in his 24th season at age 42. What he will bring to the table remains to be seen, but at full strength, he is the fourth scoring option behind Maxey, Brown, and Embiid. They also signed veterans Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to fortify their bench and give them valuable minutes on their second team. The Sixers have as good a chance as any to make it to the Finals in 2027, but there’s a huge question mark around health. Embiid barely ever plays 2/3 of a season, and LeBron at age-42 remains to be seen what he brings to the table. Regardless, Maxey, Brown, and Edgecombe are a solid core with great depth. Them and the Knicks are my favorites to make it out of the East.

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Toronto Raptors

HC: Darko Rajaković
4th year as Raptors HC
Career/Team record: 101-145, Career Playoff record: 3-4
AGE: 48

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#19	Jakob Poeltl	7’0 | 253 lbs Utah | Age: 30	10.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 apg, 0.9 spg 70% FG
F	#4	Scottie Barnes	6’8 | 237 lbs Florida State | Age: 25	18.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.5 bpg 50.7% FG, 30.4% 3P
SF	#2	Kawhi Leonard	6’6 | 225 lbs San Diego State | Age: 35	27.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.9 spg 50.5% FG, 38.7% 3P – (LAC)
SG/SF	#9	R.J. Barrett	6’6 | 214 lbs Duke | Age: 26	19.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.7 spg 49.1% FG, 33.9% 3P
PG	#5	Immanuel Quickley	6’2 | 190 lbs Kentucky | Age: 27	16.4 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4 rpg, 1.3 spg 44.3% FG, 37.4% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#30	Collin Murray-Boyles	6’7 | 245 lbs South Carolina | Age: 21	8.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 bpg 57.9% FG, 34% 3P
PG	#23	Jamal Shead	6’1 | 200 lbs Houston | Age: 24	6.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.7 rpg, 0.9 spg 36.7% FG, 32.1% 3P
SG/SF	#14	Ja’Kobe Walter	6’4 | 180 lbs Baylor | Age: 22	7.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1 spg 44.6% FG, 40.9% 3P
PF/C	#32	Trayce Jackson-Davis	6’9 | 245 lbs Indiana | Age: 26	3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 bpg 57.3% FG – (GSW/TOR)
PF	#22	Allen Graves (R)	6’8 | 225 lbs Santa Clara | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 19th overall by TOR
F	#13	Kyle Anderson	6’8 | 230 lbs UCLA | Age: 33	6.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1 spg 53% FG, 36.4% 3P – (UTA/MEM/MIN)
SG/SF	#55	Alijah Martin	6’2 | 212 lbs Florida | Age: 24	2.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.3 spg
G	#8	Jaden Bradley (R)	6’3 | 205 lbs Arizona | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 50th overall by TOR
F	#77	Jamison Battle	6’7 | 220 lbs Ohio State | Age: 25	3.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.1 spg 51% FG, 41.2% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#24	Chucky Hepburn	6’0 | 193 lbs Louisville | Age: 23	2 GP, 0 ppg, 1 apg, 0.5 spg 0% FG
SG	#18	Malachi Smith	6’4 | 205 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 26	15 GP, 8.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg 48.5% FG, 43.5% 3P – (BKN)
C	#12	Nate Bittle (R)	7’0 | 250 lbs Oregon | Age: 23	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 47-35, 5th in East
MVP: SF Kawhi Leonard
X-Factor: SG R.J. Barrett
Add: SF Kawhi Leonard (Traded from LA Clippers)
Losses: SF Brandon Ingram (Traded to LA Clippers), SG Gradey Dick (Traded to LA Clippers)
Grade: B-

The Raptors shocked a lot of people in ’25-’26 after making the playoffs as a 6-seed, and they believe they only got better. They traded their leading scorer Brandon Ingram in a package that brings back future Hall-of-Famer Kawhi Leonard, who led the Raptors to their only franchise championship in his one year in Toronto in 2019. The trade was put on halt for multiple months this offseason after an investigation found the Clippers guilty of paying Kawhi under the table during his 7 seasons with them. Now, the Clippers are left in turmoil while Leonard looks to lead the Raptors back to the promised land on a new deal while entering his mid-30s.

As far as the rest of the team, they have built a solid supporting cast, led by R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, and all-star Scottie Barnes. Their bench is filled with youth pieces that have delivered as good role players in Murray-Boyles, Walter, Shead, and TJD. I like Toronto a lot and I think they should be better than last year if Kawhi can stay healthy. They’re well coached and have an arguably deeper roster than their 2019 championship squad. They should be able to avoid the play-in and land a top 6 spot in the East once again.

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Chicago Bulls

HC: Tiago Splitter
1st year as Bulls HC, 2nd year as a HC (Portland ’25-’26)
Career record: 42-39, Career Playoff record: 1-4
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#9	Nic Claxton	6’11 | 215 lbs Georgia | Age: 27	11.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 bpg 57.1% FG – (BKN)
PF	#8	Caleb Wilson (R)	6’9 | 211 lbs North Carolina | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 4th overall by CHI
F	#14	Matas Buzelis	6’8 | 209 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 21	16.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 bpg 46.3% FG, 34.9% 3P
SG	#24	Norman Powell	6’4 | 215 lbs UCLA | Age: 33	21.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg 47% FG, 38% 3P – (MIA)
G	#3	Josh Giddey	6’7 | 216 lbs Australia | Age: 23	17 ppg, 9.1 apg, 8.3 rpg, 1 spg 44.8% FG, 36.4% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#30	Tre Jones	6’1 | 185 lbs Duke | Age: 26	14.1 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 spg 55.3% FG, 31.5% 3P
SF	#35	Isaac Okoro	6’4 | 225 lbs Auburn | Age: 25	9.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.7 spg 46% FG, 33% 3P
SG	#7	Buddy Hield	6’4 | 220 lbs Oklahoma | Age: 33	7.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg 43.7% FG, 34.9% 3P – (GSW/ATL)
PF	#44	Patrick Williams	6’6 | 215 lbs Florida State | Age: 25	7 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg 37.2% FG, 34.7% 3P
PF/C	#25	Jalen Smith	6’8 | 215 lbs Maryland | Age: 26	10.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 bpg 48.3% FG, 37.3% 3P
PF/C	#12	Zach Collins	6’9 | 250 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 28	10 GP, 9.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 apg 57.8% FG, 42.9% 3P
F	#2	Noa Essengue	6’11 | 206 lbs France | Age: 19	2 GP, 0 ppg, 0.5 spg, 0% FG
SF	#5	Dailyn Swain (R)	6’7 | 211 lbs Texas | Age: 21	DRAFTED: 15th overall by CHI
F	#11	Leonard Miller	6’10 | 220 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 22	7.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg 55.3% FG, 32.3% 3P – (MIN/CHI)

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#15	Jordan Hawkins	6’5 | 190 lbs UConn | Age: 24	5.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.3 spg 36.6% FG, 34.8% 3P – (NOP)
F	#19	Tobe Awaka (R)	6’8 | 255 lbs Arizona | Age: 22	UNDRAFTED in 2026
SG	#22	Jaylin Sellers (R)	6’5 | 205 lbs Providence | Age: 23	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 31-51, 13th in East
MVP: G Josh Giddey
X-Factor: SG Norman Powell
Adds: PF Caleb Wilson (Drafted), SG Norman Powell (Signed), C Nic Claxton (Traded from Brooklyn)
Loss: SG Anfernee Simons (Signed with Philadelphia)
Grade: C

The Bulls have tinkered with mediocrity for the past decade, but a new era is hoped to be on the horizon starting in ’26-’27. They agreed to part ways with Billy Donovan this offseason after an unsuccessful attempt at restoring a winner in Chicago. Now they bring in Tiago Splitter who led the Blazers to a playoff berth as an interim last year. They do have some positives, mainly centered around #4 pick Caleb Wilson potentially becoming the franchise’s new cornerstone. They also had some breakout performances a year ago, with Matas Buzelis taking a big step in year 3 and Josh Giddey becoming an all-star caliber PG.

The team overall has a good mix of youth and veteran leadership. Norman Powell is brought in to be the primary scorer as the catch-and-shoot threat that this team needed. Nic Claxton was also brought in for defensive dominance in the paint to pair alongside Wilson who is much more of an offensive dominant big man. Tre Jones, Buddy Hield, Zach Collins, Isaac Okoro, and Jalen Smith will all give valuable veteran minutes off the bench. I like the depth of this Bulls team, although injury issues and growing pains will likely hold them back from being a true contender. Regardless, they should easily be in the mix for a play-in spot.

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Cleveland Cavaliers

HC: Kenny Atkinson
3rd year as Cavaliers HC, 7th year as a HC (Brooklyn ’16-’20)
Career record: 234-238, Cavaliers record: 116-48, Career Playoff record: 14-18
AGE: 59

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#31	Jarrett Allen	6’9 | 243 lbs Texas | Age: 28	15.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg 63.8% FG
PF/C	#4	Evan Mobley	6’11 | 215 lbs USC | Age: 25	18.2 ppg, 9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.7 bpg 54.6% FG, 29.7% 3P
F	#8	Peyton Watson	6’8 | 200 lbs UCLA | Age: 24	14.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 bpg 49.1% FG, 41.1% 3P – (DEN)
SG	#45	Donovan Mitchell	6’2 | 215 lbs Louisville | Age: 30	27.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 spg 48.3% FG, 36.4% 3P
G	#1	James Harden	6’5 | 220 lbs Arizona State | Age: 37	23.6 ppg, 8 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 spg 43.4% FG, 37.5% 3P – (LAC/CLE)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#20	Jaylon Tyson	6’6 | 215 lbs California | Age: 23	13.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.8 spg 49.3% FG, 44.6% 3P
SG	#5	Sam Merrill	6’4 | 205 lbs Utah State | Age: 30	12.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.6 spg 46.1% FG, 42.1% 3P
C	#3	Thomas Bryant	6’9 | 248 lbs Indiana | Age: 29	6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.4 bpg 50.6% FG, 35.9% 3P
F	#33	Mario Hezonja	6’8 | 220 lbs Croatia | Age: 31	DNP – Played overseas since 2020
G	#9	Craig Porter Jr.	6’1 | 180 lbs Wichita State | Age: 26	4.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.9 spg 45% FG, 35.5% 3P
G	#15	Meleek Thomas (R)	6’3 | 190 lbs Arkansas | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 34th overall by SAC
PG	#24	Tyrese Proctor	6’4 | 185 lbs Duke | Age: 22	5.4 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 rpg, 0.5 spg 41.3% FG, 35.1% 3P
F	#35	Nae’Qwan Tomlin	6’8 | 210 lbs Memphis | Age: 25	5.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg 47.8% FG, 23.5% 3P
C	#18	Khalifa Diop (R)	6’11 | 231 lbs Senegal | Age: 24	DRAFTED in 2022

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#21	Tristan Enaruna	6’8 | 220 lbs Cleveland State | Age: 25	9 GP, 4.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.8 apg 50% FG, 30% 3P
SF	#12	Riley Minix	6’7 | 230 lbs Morehead State | Age: 26	9 GP, 3.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.6 apg 60.9% FG, 33.3% 3P – (SAS/CLE)
C	#88	Ernest Udeh Jr. (R)	6’11 | 266 lbs Miami | Age: 22	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 44-38, 7th in East
MVP: SG Donovan Mitchell
X-Factor: PG James Harden
Add: SF Peyton Watson (Signed)
Losses: PF Dean Wade (Signed with Philadelphia), SG Max Strus (Traded to LA Clippers)
Grade: B

The Cavaliers, coming fresh off their #1 seed season, had a bit of a tougher time gaining momentum. This led to a shake up at the deadline, with Darius Garland getting dealt to the Clippers for James Harden. A move that did not move the needle one bit, It only brought them to a sweep at the hands on the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Entering the new year, it’s tough to say that this team got any better than they were last year after losing two key rotational pieces in Dean Wade and Max Strus. They do bring in former Nugget wing Peyton Watson, who is still blossoming into a potential star two-way player.

One thing I wanted to see Cleveland do this offseason that they didn’t was dealing either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley. This was the key window to do it, while their stocks are still high, and Allen is clearly starting to show some decline on the offensive end. They doubled down on their roster though, re-signing James Harden to a multi-year deal after a terrible showing against the Knicks. Jaylon Tyson should step up and see major minutes either as a starter or off the bench in Dean Wade’s spot. The depth is still solid around him, with Sam Merrill, Thomas Bryant, and Craig Porter Jr. The East contenders’ task this offseason was to add as much as they can to beat the Knicks, and teams like the Sixers, Pistons, and Heat all did that. The Cavs though look to be too similar, and I feel like they’re right on the 6-8 seed cusp in the East.

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Detroit Pistons

HC: J.B. Bickerstaff
3rd year as Pistons HC, 11th year as a HC (Houston ’15-’16, Memphis ’17-’19, Cleveland ’19-’24)
Career record: 359-350, Pistons record: 104-60, Career Playoff record: 16-26
AGE: 48

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#0	Jalen Duren	6’10 | 250 lbs Memphis | Age: 22	19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2 apg, 0.8 bpg 65% FG
PF	#20	John Collins	6’9 | 226 lbs Wake Forest | Age: 29	13.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1 apg, 0.9 spg 55.2% FG, 40.6% 3P – (LAC)
SG/SF	#9	Ausar Thompson	6’7 | 205 lbs Overtime Elite | Age: 23	9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2 spg 52.5% FG, 25% 3P
SG/SF	#55	Duncan Robinson	6’7 | 215 lbs Michigan | Age: 32	12.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.6 spg 45.6% FG, 41% 3P
PG	#2	Cade Cunningham	6’6 | 220 lbs Oklahoma State | Age: 25	23.9 ppg, 9.9 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 spg 46.1% FG, 34.2% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#24	Daniss Jenkins	6’4 | 165 lbs St. John’s | Age: 25	9.3 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.3 rpg, 0.9 spg 40.8% FG, 37.4% 3P
SG	#17	Isaiah Joe	6’4 | 165 lbs Arkansas | Age: 27	11.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.7 spg 45.5% FG, 42.3% 3P – (OKC)
F	#5	Ron Holland II	6’8 | 206 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 21	8.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 apg 43.2% FG, 25.3% 3P
SG/SF	#27	Kevin Huerter	6’6 | 198 lbs Maryland | Age: 28	10 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 spg 45.1% FG, 30.8% 3P – (CHI/DET)
PF/C	#7	Paul Reed	6’9 | 210 lbs DePaul | Age: 27	7.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 bpg 61.7% FG, 32.5% 3P
F	#12	Taurean Prince	6’6 | 218 lbs Baylor | Age: 32	9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.6 spg 45% FG, 43.6% 3P – (MIL)
PG	#23	Ebuka Okorie (R)	6’2 | 186 lbs Stanford | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 17th overall by OKC
SG	#31	Javonte Green	6’5 | 205 lbs Radford | Age: 33	6.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 0.7 apg 44.7% FG, 38.1% 3P
4C	#35	Tolu Smith	6’11 | 250 lbs Mississippi State | Age: 26	15 GP, 3.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg 50% FG
G	#8	Chaz Lanier	6’3 | 206 lbs Tennessee | Age: 24	2.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 spg 31.5% FG, 28.4% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#3	Isaac Jones	6’8 | 245 lbs Washington State | Age: 26	7 GP, 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.1 bpg 42.9% FG – (SAC/DET)
PG/SG	#16	Elijah Harkless	6’3 | 195 lbs UNLV | Age: 26	6.8 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2 rpg, 1.2 spg 33.5% FG, 23.9% 3P – (UTA)
C	#34	Ugonna Onyenso (R)	7’0 | 236 lbs Virginia | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 53rd overall by HOU

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 54-28, 2nd in East
MVP: PG Cade Cunningham
X-Factor: C Jalen Duren
Adds: PF John Collins (Sign-and-trade with LA Clippers), SG Isaiah Joe (Traded from Oklahoma City)
Loss: PF Isaiah Stewart (Traded to Memphis), SF Tobias Harris (Signed with San Antonio)
Grade: B+

The Pistons were by far the surprise of ’25-’26, after years of rebuild they locked up the 1-seed in the East and lost to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This is a huge step for J.B, Bickerstaff’s squad who look to have a franchise cornerstone in Cade Cunningham running the ship. It took over 3 months to re-sign Jalen Duren who was an all-star for the first time last year, but they brought him back on a lucrative contract that handcuff most of their salary cap to Cunningham and Duren only. John Collins was added to be the scoring big alongside Duren, and Ausar Thompson developed into one of the best defensive wings in the league.

The depth was a key part to their team last year, as they bring back veterans Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter, Paul Reed, and newly signed Taurean Prince. Daniss Jenkins was a breakout two-way contract star who solidified himself as Cade’s backup PG, while rookie Ebuka Okorie should run third string duties and spend some time in the G-League. I was surprised by the Pistons last year, and although I don’t see them matching their 60-win season from last year, they are still an easy top 3 team if they stay healthy. They just missed meeting the Knicks in the postseason, but dominated them all through the regular season, can this become a rivalry in the making? We will see.

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Indiana Pacers

HC: Rick Carlisle
6th year as Pacers HC (2nd stint), 25th year as a HC (Detroit ’01-’03, Indiana ’03-’07, Dallas ’08-’21)
Career record: 1,012-923, Pacers record: 176-234, Career Playoff record: 86-87
AGE: 67

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#40	Ivica Zubać	7’0 | 240 lbs Bosnia | Age: 29	14.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.8 bpg 59.8% FG – (LAC/IND)
PF	#43	Pascal Siakam	6’8 | 245 lbs New Mexico State | Age: 32	24 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg 48.4% FG, 35.8% 3P
SF	#23	Aaron Nesmith	6’5 | 215 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 26	13.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.6 spg 41.4% FG, 37.9% 3P
G	#2	Andrew Nembhard	6’4 | 191 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 26	16.9 ppg, 7.7 apg, 2.8 rpg, 0.9 spg 44.2% FG, 36.1% 3P
PG	#0	Tyrese Haliburton	6’5 | 185 lbs Iowa State | Age: 26	DNP – Torn achilles

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#10	Kelly Oubre Jr.	6’8 | 203 lbs Kansas | Age: 30	14.1 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg 46.7% FG, 36% 3P – (PHI)
PF	#5	Jarace Walker	6’7 | 235 lbs Houston | Age: 23	11.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.8 spg 41.9% FG, 37.4% 3P
SG	#26	Ben Sheppard	6’6 | 190 lbs Belmont | Age: 25	7.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.6 spg 43.4% FG, 36.2% 3P
PG	#9	T.J. McConnell	6’1 | 190 lbs Arizona | Age: 34	9.4 ppg, 5.1 apg, 2.2 rpg, 1 spg 53.8% FG, 32% 3P
F	#1	Obi Toppin	6’9 | 220 lbs Dayton | Age: 28	11.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.5 spg 50.3% FG, 35.2% 3P
C	#32	Jay Huff	7’1 | 240 lbs Virginia | Age: 29	9.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.5 apg 47.6% FG, 31.9% 3P
F	#22	Larry Nance Jr.	6’6 | 245 lbs Wyoming | Age: 33	3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1 apg, 0.6 spg 41.9% FG, 33.3% 3P – (CLE)
G	#29	Quenton Jackson	6’4 | 173 lbs Texas A&M | Age: 28	9.1 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.3 rpg, 0.6 spg 47% FG, 35.6% 3P
SG/SF	#12	Johnny Furphy* (I)	6’8 | 200 lbs Kansas | Age: 21	5.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.6 spg 47% FG, 32.4% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#24	Kobe Brown	6’7 | 250 lbs Missouri | Age: 26	5.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.4 spg 46.9% FG, 37.4% 3P – (LAC/IND)
SF	#18	Jalen Slawson	6’7 | 215 lbs Furman | Age: 26	13 GP, 7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.8 apg 44.2% FG, 37.5% 3P
PG	#3	Braden Smith (R)	5’10 | 167 lbs Purdue | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 38th overall by CHI

*Furphy continues to rehab a torn ACL and may return in February

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 43-39, 8th in East
MVP: PG Tyrese Haliburton
X-Factor: C Ivica Zubac
Add: SG Kelly Oubre Jr. (Signed)
Loss: PF Micah Potter (Waived)
Grade: B-

Coming off of their tough road to the NBA Finals in 2025, the Pacers were without star Tyrese Haliburton all year and subsequently had a dreadful season. When Hali went down in the Finals, it always seemed like ’25-’26 would be a punt of a season and ’26-’27 would be the year they get back to competing for a title. They’ll definitely be much improved this year, after breakout Hali replacement Andrew Nembhard should be his backcourt mate. Ivica Zubac was a solid midseason addition last year, replacing long-time big man Myles Turner who left in summer of 2025 during free agency.

Former lottery pick Jarace Walker had a breakout season and he should provide the bench with big man depth behind Zubac and Siakam. Veterans Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. were added while rotational pieces in Sheppard, McConnell, Toppin, and Huff all return. The Pacers should be back in the playoff mix, but it’s hard to see if they will return to their form from ’24-’25. Hali may take some time to get going after not playing in game action all of last year. The star power in the East only got tougher, and Indiana may have a tough time regaining form.

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Milwaukee Bucks

HC: Taylor Jenkins
1st year as Bucks HC, 7th year as a HC (Memphis ’19-’25)
Career record: 250-214, Career Playoff record: 9-14
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#3	Myles Turner	6’11 | 250 lbs Texas | Age: 30	11.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 1.5 apg 44% FG, 38.3% 3P
PF/C	#9	Kel’el Ware	7’0 | 250 lbs Indiana | Age: 22	11.1 ppg, 9 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 0.8 spg 53% FG, 39.5% 3P – (MIA)
SF	#24	Jaime Jaquez Jr.	6’6 | 230 lbs UCLA | Age: 25	15.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 4.7 apg, 0.7 spg 50.7% FG, 31.7% 3P – (MIA)
G	#13	Ryan Rollins	6’3 | 180 lbs Toledo | Age: 24	17.3 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 spg 47.2% FG, 40.2% 3P
PG	#11	Tyler Herro	6’5 | 205 lbs Kentucky | Age: 26	20.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 0.7 spg 48% FG, 37.8% 3P – (MIA)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#5	Gary Trent Jr.	6’5 | 204 lbs Duke | Age: 27	8.1 ppg, 1.2 apg, 1 rpg, 0.5 spg 38.7% FG, 36% 3P
SG	#20	A.J. Green	6’4 | 190 lbs Northwestern | Age: 27	10.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.5 spg 42.4% FG, 41.9% 3P
F	#15	Nate Ament (R)	6’10 | 211 lbs Tennessee | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 13th overall by MIA
F	#21	Ousmane Dieng	6’9 | 185 lbs France | Age: 23	7.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.4 spg 42.2% FG, 34.1% 3P – (OKC/MIL)
SG	#12	Caris LeVert	6’7 | 205 lbs Michigan | Age: 32	7.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2 rpg, 0.9 spg 41.7% FG, 33.3% 3P – (DET)
F	#18	Kyle Kuzma	6’8 | 221 lbs Utah | Age: 31	13 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.7 spg 49.2% FG, 34.7% 3P
PG	#25	Kasparas Jakučionis	6’5 | 205 lbs Illinois | Age: 20	6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.6 spg 42.9% FG, 42.3% 3P – (MIA)
SG	#0	Brayden Burries (R)	6’4 | 215 lbs Arizona | Age: 21	DRAFTED: 10th overall by MIL
C	#00	Jericho Sims	6’10 | 250 lbs Texas | Age: 27	5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.3 bpg 78.4% FG

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
G	#19	Kam Jones	6’4 | 200 lbs Marquette | Age: 24	4.4 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 rpg, 0.5 spg 40.2% FG, 29.3% 3P – (IND)
SG	#30	Cormac Ryan	6’5 | 195 lbs North Carolina | Age: 27	11 GP, 14.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.7 apg 52% FG, 45.8% 3P

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 26-56, 14th in East
MVP: PG Tyler Herro
X-Factor: SF Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Adds: PG Tyler Herro (Traded from Miami), SF Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Traded from Miami)
Losses: PF Giannis Antetokounmpo (Traded to Miami), PF Bobby Portis (Traded to Miami)
Grade: D+

The Bucks had to face the harsh reality this offseason that the Giannis era is over after 13 spectacular seasons. They were able to bring a haul back, sending their franchise icon to Miami for a package that included multiple first round picks, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez, and Kel’el Ware. This will definitely kickstart their rebuild, giving them a future top scoring option and two talented big men. Veterans Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, and Gary Trent Jr. still remain, while Caris LeVert was also added in a separate trade.

Their youth core of breakout players from a year ago including Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins should see increased roles despite the big veteran presence. Kuzma and LeVert likely could be odd men out, sitting on a team that looks to be at the bottomg of the barrel, and potential buyouts could happen for one or both of them. Myles Turner is a tougher situation as he is entering year 2 of a massive deal and will likely pair in the frontcourt with Kel’el Ware. Rookie lottery picks Nate Ament and Brayden Burries as well as Kasparus Jakucionis will be interesting pieces to see where they fit in. My guess, is they become rotational pieces later in the season after some veterans are dealt, unless new HC Taylor Jenkins falls in love with one of them as a bench piece. Regardless, Milwaukee won’t be very competitive in a tough East, as they enter a rebuild that could be lengthy. Patience is a virtue now for Bucks fans.

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Atlanta Hawks

HC: Quin Snyder
5th year as Hawks HC, 13th year as a HC (Utah ’14-’22)
Career record: 504-399, Hawks record: 132-135, Career Playoff record: 25-38
AGE: 60

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#17	Onyeka Okongwu	6’10 | 240 lbs USC | Age: 25	15.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 bpg 48% FG, 37.6% 3P
F	#1	Jalen Johnson	6’8 | 219 lbs Duke | Age: 24	22.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 7.9 apg, 1.2 spg 48.9% FG, 35.2% 3P
SG/SF	#5	Dyson Daniels	6’7 | 199 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 23	11.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2 spg 51.7% FG, 18.8% 3P
SG	#7	Nickeil Alexander-Walker	6’5 | 205 lbs Virginia Tech | Age: 28	20.8 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 spg 45.9% FG, 39.9% 3P
G	#3	C.J. McCollum	6’3 | 190 lbs Lehigh | Age: 35	18.7 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 spg 45.5% FG, 37.5% 3P – (WAS/ATL)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#0	Luguentz Dort	6’4 | 220 lbs Arizona State | Age: 27	8.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 spg 38.5% FG, 34.4% 3P – (OKC)
PG	#4	Kingston Flemings (R)	6’3 | 183 lbs Houston | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 8th overall by ATL
C	#31	Jock Landale	6’11 | 255 lbs St. Mary’s | Age: 30	10.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.5 bpg 51.5% FG, 38.3% 3P – (MEM/ATL)
SG	#2	Aaron Wiggins	6’5 | 190 lbs Maryland | Age: 27	9.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 spg 43.1% FG, 35.6% 3P – (OKC)
SG/SF	#24	Corey Kispert	6’6 | 224 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 27	9.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.2 spg 45.5% FG, 35.4% 3P
PF	#14	Asa Newell	6’11 | 224 lbs Georgia | Age: 21	5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.4 spg 53.8% FG, 38.7% 3P
F	#8	Dorian Finney-Smith	6’7 | 220 lbs Florida | Age: 33	3.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 apg, 0.4 spg 33.3% FG, 27% 3P – (HOU)
C	#20	Zuby Ejiofor (R)	6’8 | 245 lbs St. John’s | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 23rd overall by ATL
PF/C	#13	Henri Veesaar (R)	7’0 | 227 lbs North Carolina | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 52nd overall by LAC
PF	#18	Mouhamed Gueye	6’11 | 210 lbs Washington State | Age: 23	4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.8 spg 45.2% FG, 30.8% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#10	RayJ Dennis	6’2 | 180 lbs Baylor | Age: 25	4.4 ppg, 1.9 apg, 1.5 rpg, 0.2 spg 31.3% FG, 31.1% 3P – (IND/LAC/ATL)
SF	#22	Jalen Wilson	6’6 | 220 lbs Kansas | Age: 25	6.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg 39.6% FG, 35.5% 3P – (BKN)
PG	#51	Keshon Gilbert	6’4 | 200 lbs Iowa State | Age: 23	4 GP, 4.3 ppg, 3 apg, 1.3 rpg 41.7% FG – (WAS/ATL)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 53-29, 3rd in East
MVP: PF Jalen Johnson
X-Factor: PG C.J. McCollum
Adds: SF Luguentz Dort (Traded from Oklahoma City), PG Kingston Flemings (Drafted)
Loss: PF Jonathan Kuminga (Signed with Minnesota), SF Zaccharie Risacher (Traded to Dallas)
Grade: B

The Hawks shook things up mightily at the deadline, trading franchise icon Trae Young to the Wizards. It ended up being addition by subtraction for Atlanta, who played so much better without Young and show much more hope for their future. C.J. McCollum took the reigns as a huge secondary scorer alongside Jalen Johnson who was an all-star for the first time in his career. McCollum was re-signed and pairs in the backcourt with All-NBA Defensive wing Dyson Daniels and first time 20 ppg scorer in NAW.

Although their starting 5 looks the same, they revitalized their bench, bringing in NBA champions Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, rookies Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor, while bringing back Jock Landale, Corey Kispert, and Asa Newell. This team, fundamentally, is one of the deepest in all of the league, prioritizing depth over having one true star player. Sure, Jalen Johnson is becoming a star, but this entire team showed that they are well coached and there’s no doubt that the ball moves better without Trae Young in the lineup. I like the Hawks a lot and I think they will be a surprise regular season team, landing one of the top spots in the East. As far as how far they go in the playoffs, star power always comes into play and we’ll see if Johnson develops further to become a franchise changing talent.

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Charlotte Hornets

HC: Charles Lee
3rd year as Hornets HC
Career/Team record: 63-101
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#0	Naz Reid	6’9 | 264 lbs LSU | Age: 27	13.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1 bpg 45.6% FG, 36.2% 3P – (MIN)
PF	#2	Grant Williams	6’7 | 236 lbs Tennessee | Age: 27	7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.5 spg 42.6% FG, 38.8% 3P
SF	#7	Kon Knueppel	6’6 | 215 lbs Duke | Age: 21	18.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.7 spg 47.5% FG, 42.5% 3P
SG/SF	#24	Brandon Miller	6’7 | 200 lbs Alabama | Age: 23	20.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1 spg 43.5% FG, 38.3% 3P
PG	#3	Coby White	6’4 | 195 lbs North Carolina | Age: 26	17.4 ppg, 4 apg, 3.4 rpg, 0.5 spg 44.6% FG, 36.2% 3P – (CHI/CHA)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#8	Grayson Allen	6’3 | 198 lbs Duke | Age: 31	16.5 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3 rpg, 1.4 spg 40.3% FG, 34.9% 3P – (PHX)
PF/C	#14	Moussa Diabaté	6’10 | 210 lbs Michigan | Age: 24	7.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1 bpg 63.1% FG
F	#00	Royce O’Neale	6’6 | 226 lbs Baylor | Age: 33	9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg 42.1% FG, 40.8% 3P – (PHX)
G	#4	Sion James	6’5 | 220 lbs Duke | Age: 23	5.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2 apg, 0.6 spg 37.1% FG, 35.2% 3P
C	#11	Ryan Kalkbrenner	7’1 | 256 lbs Creighton | Age: 24	7.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 0.8 apg 75.3% FG
PG	#17	Dennis Schröder	6’1 | 175 lbs Germany | Age: 33	10.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.7 rpg, 0.8 spg 40.5% FG, 32.9% 3P – (SAC/CLE)
PG	#5	Christian Anderson (R)	6’1 | 180 lbs Texas Tech | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 18th overall by CHA
F	#31	Tidjane Salaün	6’10 | 207 lbs France | Age: 21	6 ppg, 4 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.4 spg 50.3% FG, 43.4% 3P
SF	#33	Liam McNeeley	6’7 | 210 lbs UConn | Age: 20	4.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.2 spg 40% FG, 40% 3P
C	#22	Hannes Steinbach (R)	6’10 | 248 lbs Washington | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 14th overall by CHA

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#16	P.J. Hall	6’8 | 245 lbs Clemson | Age: 24	12 GP, 6.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.7 bpg 50% FG
SF	#10	Michael Ajayi (R)	6’7 | 235 lbs Butler | Age: 23	UNDRAFTED in 2026
PG	#18	Kylan Boswell (R)	6’1 | 226 lbs Illinois | Age: 21	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 39-43, 10th in East
MVP: SG Brandon Miller
X-Factor: C Naz Reid
Adds: C Naz Reid (Traded from Minnesota), SG Grayson Allen (Traded from Phoenix)
Losses: PG LaMelo Ball (Traded to Minnesota), SF Miles Bridges (Traded to Phoenix)
Grade: B-

The Hornets decided to shake things up this offseason after a Play-In tournament appearance by trading away franchise leaders LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. In doing so, they added more depth and opted to build around last year’s breakout rookie Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and newly acquired Coby White. Similar to the Hawks’ issue with Trae Young, the Hornets wanted less ball dominance from what they got in Ball and more of a deeper squad. Veterans Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale were added in these two trades and will provide the team with valuable experience to mix with their young core.

Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James were two promising looking rookies from last year, and PG Christian Anderson and C Hannes Steinbach were both added with mid-1st round picks. This team is much more well rounded than in the past, and has some very solid depth to try and compete in a tough Eastern Conference. But, there’s only so many minutes to go around, and similar to the Bucks, there’s going to be some veterans and good young talent that fall out of rotation for a bit. It’ll be a tall task for Charles Lee in his third year at the helm to guide this new looking Hornets team to a playoff spot.

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Miami Heat

HC: Erik Spoelstra
19th year as Heat HC
Career/Team record: 830-611, Career Playoff record: 110-83

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#13	Bam Adebayo	6’9 | 260 lbs Kentucky | Age: 29	20.1 ppg, 10 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg 44.2% FG, 31.8% 3P
PF	#7	Giannis Antetokounmpo	6’11 | 243 lbs Greece | Age: 31	27.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 5.4 apg, 0.9 spg 62.4% FG, 33.3% 3P – (MIL)
SF	#22	Andrew Wiggins	6’7 | 210 lbs Kansas | Age: 31	15.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg 47.5% FG, 41.4% 3P
SG	#11	Klay Thompson	6’5 | 220 lbs Washington State | Age: 36	11.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 spg 39.3% FG, 38.3% 3P – (DAL)
PG	#45	Davion Mitchell	6’0 | 210 lbs Baylor | Age: 28	9.3 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1 spg 49% FG, 39.5% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#9	Pelle Larsson	6’5 | 215 lbs Arizona | Age: 25	11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.7 spg 49.6% FG, 32.3% 3P
F	#5	Nikola Jović	6’10 | 240 lbs Serbia | Age: 23	7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.6 spg 36.6% FG, 26.9% 3P
PF/C	#95	Bobby Portis	6’9 | 250 lbs Arkansas | Age: 31	13.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.6 spg 48.8% FG, 45.6% 3P – (MIL)
SG/SF	#10	Tim Hardaway Jr.	6’5 | 205 lbs Michigan | Age: 34	13.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 spg 44.7% FG, 40.7% 3P – (DEN)
PG	#12	Dru Smith	6’2 | 200 lbs Missouri | Age: 28	5.6 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1.4 spg 41.5% FG, 29.5% 3P
F	#0	Simone Fontecchio	6’7 | 220 lbs Italy | Age: 30	8.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 spg 41.2% FG, 37.5% 3P
C	#8	Nick Richards	6’11 | 245 lbs Kentucky | Age: 28	5.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 0.3 apg 51.2% FG, 27.8% 3P – (PHX/CHI)
SF	#15	Myron Gardner	6’5 | 225 lbs UALR | Age: 25	3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1 apg, 0.4 spg 48% FG, 40.6% 3P
G	#4	Ryan Conwell (R)	6’3 | 220 lbs Louisville | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 37th overall by OKC

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#16	Keshad Johnson	6’6 | 230 lbs Arizona | Age: 25	4.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 apg 49% FG, 29.5% 3P
C	#50	Vladislav Goldin	7’0 | 255 lbs Michigan | Age: 25	9 GP, 0.8 ppg, 1 rpg, 0.3 bpg 75% FG
PG	#24	Tre Donaldson (R)	6’2 | 210 lbs Miami | Age: 22	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 46-36, 6th in East
MVP: PF Giannis Antetokounmpo
X-Factor: PF Nikola Jovic
Adds: PF Giannis Antetokounmpo (Traded from Milwaukee), SG Klay Thompson (Signed)
Losses: PG Tyler Herro (Traded to Milwaukee), SF Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Traded to Milwaukee)
Grade: B

One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was Miami landing 2x MVP, Champion, and one of the greatest player’s ever in Giannis. It was a blockbuster that sent away multiple draft picks, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez, Kel’el Ware, and Kasparus Jakucionis. Dealing all this away just for two players (Giannis and Portis) brings star power back to Miami but also keeps them in dire need for depth. They added another Champion in Klay Thompson whom was bought out by the Mavericks. And of course, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins still remain as the veteran presence from the old regime.

Miami never goes too long without finding its way to acquiring a superstar, whether it was the LeBron, Wade, and Bosh “Heatles” or Jimmy Butler’s run to two Finals appearances. Personally, I see some growing pains happening in Giannis’ first year in Miami, especially due to their lack of depth. They’ll be in the playoffs, Giannis can pretty much single-handedly do that himself, but how deep they’ll go will be the question. Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic are going to be two key pieces off the bench for this team, after Jovic had a down year last season, losing a lot of playing time. I see them in the back end of the top 6, probably even winning a series, but not much more than that. At least yet.

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Orlando Magic

HC: Sean Sweeney
1st year as Magic HC
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#34	Wendell Carter Jr.	6’10 | 270 lbs Duke | Age: 27	11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2 apg, 0.8 spg 51.2% FG, 31.9% 3P
PF	#5	Paolo Banchero	6’10 | 250 lbs Duke | Age: 23	22.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 0.7 spg 45.9% FG, 30.5% 3P
F	#22	Franz Wagner	6’10 | 220 lbs Michigan | Age: 25	20.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.9 spg 48.1% FG, 34.5% 3P
G	#3	Desmond Bane	6’6 | 215 lbs TCU | Age: 28	20.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1 spg 48.4% FG, 39.1% 3P
G	#4	Jalen Suggs	6’5 | 205 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 25	13.8 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 spg 43.5% FG, 33.9% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
G	#0	Anthony Black	6’7 | 200 lbs Arkansas | Age: 22	15 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.4 spg 44.7% FG, 33.3% 3P
C	#9	Nikola Vučević	6’9 | 260 lbs USC | Age: 35	15.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.6 bpg 49.3% FG, 36.9% 3P – (CHI/BOS)
F	#23	Tristan da Silva	6’8 | 217 lbs Colorado | Age: 25	9.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.9 spg 45% FG, 37.4% 3P
C	#35	Goga Bitadze	6’11 | 250 lbs Georgia (Cty) | Age: 27	5.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1 bpg 67.6% FG
PG	#2	Jevon Carter	6’0 | 200 lbs West Virginia | Age: 31	6.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.8 spg 40.1% FG, 36.3% 3P – (CHI/ORL)
G	#11	Jase Richardson	6’1 | 180 lbs Michigan State | Age: 20	4.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.4 spg 47.3% FG, 35.4% 3P
F	#1	Jonathan Isaac	6’10 | 230 lbs Florida State | Age: 29	2.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 0.4 spg 42.2% FG, 18.4% 3P
SF	#8	Jamal Cain	6’7 | 191 lbs Oakland | Age: 27	5.4 ppg, 2 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.3 spg 48.7% FG, 38.4% 3P
SF	#93	Noah Penda	6’7 | 215 lbs France | Age: 21	3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.5 spg 40.4% FG, 32.3% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#14	Colin Castleton	6’10 | 250 lbs Florida | Age: 26	4 GP, 1.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 0.3 apg 40% FG
PF	#25	Izaiyah Nelson (R)	6’8 | 219 lbs South Florida | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 51st overall by WAS
PG	#30	Alex Morales	6’6 | 180 lbs Wagner | Age: 28	4 GP, 2 ppg, 1 apg, 0.8 rpg 42.9% FG

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 35-47, 11th in East
MVP: PF Paolo Banchero
X-Factor: SF Franz Wagner
Add: C Nikola Vucevic (Signed)
Loss: SF Jett Howard (Signed with Dallas)
Grade: C+

The Magic had a down year in ’25-’26, leading to the firing of Jamahl Mosley at the helm. They saw a lot of regression from star wing Paolo Banchero who was an all-star in 2025 and didn’t seem to get anything going last year. Franz Wagner also played less than half their games, and the key to competing in 2027 will be having him healthy. This young core still impresses me a lot, and the addition of Desmond Bane fit in well in a backcourt with defensive minded PG Jalen Suggs. Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva also had great years, developing into legitimate role players.

The addition of Sean Sweeney as HC may be just what this young squad needs to get over the top. They’ll need solid veteran presence from Nikola Vucevic and something out of guys like Jonathan Isaac, Jase Richardson, and Jevon Carter off the bench. The East is tough though, in their division alone they have the Hawks, and new look teams like the Heat, Hornets, and Wizards. I don’t anticipate them being a top 6 team, but a back end play-in threat is very likely.

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Washington Wizards

HC: Brian Keefe
4th year as Wizards HC
Career/Team record: 43-160
AGE: 50

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#20	Alex Sarr	7’0 | 205 lbs France | Age: 21	16.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2 bpg 48.2% FG, 33.3% 3P
PF/C	#23	Anthony Davis	6’10 | 253 lbs Kentucky | Age: 33	20 GP, 20.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.8 apg 50.6% FG, 27% 3P – (DAL)
SF	#4	A.J. Dybantsa (R)	6’9 | 217 lbs BYU | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 1st overall by WAS
SG/SF	#0	Bilal Coulibaly	6’7 | 195 lbs France | Age: 22	11.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg 42.5% FG, 31.9% 3P
PG	#3	Trae Young	6’2 | 164 lbs Oklahoma | Age: 28	15 GP, 17.9 ppg, 8 apg, 2 rpg 45.8% FG, 33.8% 3P – (ATL/WAS)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#18	Kyshawn George	6’8 | 200 lbs Miami | Age: 22	14.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1 spg 43.8% FG, 38.1% 3P
C	#6	Deandre Ayton	7’0 | 252 lbs Arizona | Age: 28	12.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 1 bpg, 0.8 apg 67.1% FG – (LAL)
SG	#12	Tre Johnson	6’5 | 190 lbs Texas | Age: 20	12.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2 apg, 0.6 spg 41.9% FG, 35.8% 3P
G	#7	Bub Carrington	6’4 | 190 lbs Pittsburgh | Age: 21	10.7 ppg, 4.6 apg, 3.4 rpg, 0.6 spg 42.4% FG, 40.8% 3P
SF	#22	Khris Middleton	6’7 | 222 lbs Texas A&M | Age: 35	10.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.7 spg 42% FG, 36% 3P – (WAS/DAL)
PG	#1	Tre Mann	6’4 | 178 lbs Florida | Age: 25	5.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.5 spg 36% FG, 32.3% 3P – (CHA)
SF	#27	Will Riley	6’9 | 180 lbs Illinois | Age: 20	10.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2 apg, 0.7 spg 43.9% FG, 31.6% 3P
SF	#9	Justin Champagnie	6’6 | 206 lbs Pittsburgh | Age: 25	8.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 spg 50.2% FG, 31.9% 3P
C	#00	Tristan Vukčević* (I)	7’0 | 220 lbs Serbia | Age: 23	9 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.7 bpg 47.9% FG, 34.7% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#34	Felix Okpara (R)	6’10 | 237 lbs Tennessee | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 46th overall by ORL
SF	#5	Jamir Watkins** (I)	6’6 | 210 lbs Florida State | Age: 25	7.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg 44.6% FG, 29.7% 3P

*Vukcevic has a hip injury and may return in November
**Watkins continues to rehab a torn ACL and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 32-50, 12th in East
MVP: C Anthony Davis
X-Factor: PG Trae Young
Adds: SF A.J. Dybantsa (Drafted), C Deandre Ayton (Traded from LA Lakers)
Loss: SG Jaden Hardy (Traded to LA Lakers)
Grade: C+

Rounding out the East we have the Wizards who may be the most interesting and highly anticipated team in the entire league entering the new year. After several years of rebuild, they add an all-star in Trae Young, a future Hall-of-Famer in Anthony Davis, and one of the best young prospects in A.J. Dybantsa. A squad like this hasn’t existed in DC since the John Wall and Bradley Beal duo days. Now, any time a group like this is put together there’s always the issue if everyone buys in and the fact that there’s only one ball to go around. It sounds corny, but it’s very true.

Dybantsa is the piece they’ll build around, a young wing with the scoring talent to be a perennial all-star. AD will need to stay healthy and same with Trae, whom both have dealt with their fair share of injury issues. Veterans Deandre Ayton and Khris Middleton will give them solid depth to go along with other young pieces in Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, and Tre Johnson. This has the chance to be a really good team, they have a great mix of talent all around and could be exciting to watch. But growing pains will always be a concern, and we’ll see how good of a coach Brian Keefe really is in his fourth year and first real potential contender.

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Denver Nuggets

HC: David Adelman
3rd year as Nuggets HC
Career/Team record: 57-28, Career Playoff record: 9-11
AGE: 45

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#15	Nikola Jokić	6’11 | 284 lbs Serbia | Age: 31	27.7 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 10.7 apg, 1.4 spg 56.9% FG, 38% 3P
PF	#32	Aaron Gordon	6’8 | 235 lbs Arizona | Age: 31	16.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.6 spg 49.7% FG, 38.9% 3P
F	#23	Cameron Johnson	6’8 | 210 lbs North Carolina | Age: 30	12.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.7 spg 48% FG, 43% 3P
SG/SF	#0	Christian Braun	6’6 | 220 lbs Kansas | Age: 25	12 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.7 spg 51.9% FG, 30.1% 3P
PG	#27	Jamal Murray	6’4 | 215 lbs Kentucky | Age: 29	25.4 ppg, 7.1 apg, 4.4 rpg, 0.9 spg 48.3% FG, 43.5% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#10	DeMar DeRozan	6’6 | 220 lbs USC | Age: 37	18.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1 spg 49.7% FG, 32% 3P – (SAC)
F	#21	Spencer Jones	6’7 | 225 lbs Stanford | Age: 25	5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.8 spg 50.4% FG, 39.6% 3P
PG	#5	Tyus Jones	6’0 | 196 lbs Duke | Age: 30	3 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 rpg, 0.6 spg 34.9% FG, 29.2% 3P – (ORL/DAL/DEN)
SG/SF	#1	Julian Strawther	6’6 | 205 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 24	7.2 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.4 spg 46.7% FG, 38.7% 3P
PF/C	#3	Marvin Bagley III	6’10 | 235 lbs Duke | Age: 27	10.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.7 bpg 61.8% FG, 46.2% 3P – (WAS/DAL)
PF/C	#22	Zeke Nnaji	6’10 | 240 lbs Arizona | Age: 25	3.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.5 bpg 47% FG, 25.9% 3P
PF	#14	DaRon Holmes II	6’9 | 225 lbs Dayton | Age: 24	3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.2 bpg 50.8% FG, 44.4% 3P
PF	#7	Trevon Brazile (R)	6’10 | 220 lbs Arkansas | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 35th overall by SAS
SF	#11	Alpha Diallo (R)	6’7 | 210 lbs Providence | Age: 29	UNDRAFTED in 2020 (Played overseas)

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#00	Cam Whitmore	6’6 | 230 lbs Villanova | Age: 22	9.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.7 spg 45.6% FG, 28.6% 3P – (WAS)
PG	#9	Ryan Nembhard	5’11 | 180 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 23	6.6 ppg, 5.3 apg, 2.2 rpg, 0.4 spg 41.5% FG, 35.6% 3P – (DAL)
PF	#13	Bryce Hopkins (R)	6’7 | 220 lbs St. John’s | Age: 24	DRAFTED: 49th overall by DEN

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 47-35, 5th in West
MVP: C Nikola Jokic
X-Factor: SG DeMar DeRozan
Add: SG DeMar DeRozan (Signed)
Losses: SF Peyton Watson (Signed with Cleveland), SG Tim Hardaway Jr. (Signed with Miami)
Grade: B

The Nuggets haven’t seemed to be able to get back atop the West after their 2023 Championship run. Jokic has still been incredible, but the core around him has raised questions if they’ll ever reach the Finals again. Of course when you have a superstar like Jokic, you’ll be expected to be a Title contender every year, and Denver may lose out on keeping Nikola as he enters his 30s. Jamal Murray had a stellar season and has firmly become a perrenial all-star level guard. They lose another wing this offseason though, with Peyton Watson signing with Cleveland after trading away MPJ last year. A comeback year from Christian Braun and good bench scoring from DeMar DeRozan will be greatly needed.

The development of some of their young talent will also be heavily relied upon, with Julian Strawther, Spencer Jones, and DaRon Holmes looking to have bigger roles off the bench this year. Veterans Marvin Bagley and Tyus Jones also join the mix and should create a deeper team than last year. I like Denver’s depth and overall chances to compete in the West. The Thunder and Spurs are going to be the powerhouses to beat, but that next tier should definitely have the Nuggets firmly in it.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

HC: Chris Finch
7th year as Timberwolves HC
Career/Team record: 258-193, Career Playoff record: 27-27
AGE: 57

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#27	Rudy Gobert	7’1 | 258 lbs France | Age: 34	10.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.6 bpg 68.2% FG
F	#3	Jaden McDaniels	6’9 | 185 lbs Washington | Age: 26	14.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg 51.5% FG, 41.2% 3P
SG/SF	#5	Anthony Edwards	6’4 | 225 lbs Georgia | Age: 25	28.8 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.4 spg 48.9% FG, 39.9% 3P
G	#13	Ayo Dosunmu	6’4 | 200 lbs Illinois | Age: 26	14.8 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 spg 51.7% FG, 43.9% 3P – (CHI/MIN)
PG	#1	LaMelo Ball	6’7 | 180 lbs USA | Age: 25	20.1 ppg, 7.1 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 spg 40.7% FG, 36.8% 3P – (CHA)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF	#24	Jonathan Kuminga	6’7 | 225 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 24	12.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.6 spg 46.3% FG, 33.3% 3P – (ATL)
G	#8	Bones Hyland	6’2 | 169 lbs VCU | Age: 26	8.5 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.8 rpg, 0.6 spg 45.3% FG, 38.8% 3P
F	#9	Cody Williams	6’8 | 190 lbs Colorado | Age: 21	8.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 0.8 spg 46.8% FG, 21.4% 3P – (UTA)
SF	#33	Isaiah Evans (R)	6’6 | 186 lbs Duke | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 33rd overall by BKN
SG	#7	Jaylen Clark	6’5 | 205 lbs UCLA | Age: 24	4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.7 spg, 0.6 apg 43.4% FG, 32.7% 3P
PF	#41	Trey Lyles	6’9 | 234 lbs Kentucky | Age: 30	DNP – Played for Real Madrid
SG/SF	#4	Terrence Shannon Jr.	6’6 | 215 lbs Texas Tech | Age: 26	5.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.3 spg 45% FG, 40.8% 3P
C	#19	Joan Beringer	6’11 | 230 lbs France | Age: 19	3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 0.3 apg 66.3% FG
SG	#0	Donte DiVincenzo* (I)	6’4 | 203 lbs Villanova | Age: 29	12.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg 40.6% FG, 37.9% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#25	Enrique Freeman	6’9 | 220 lbs Akron | Age: 26	4 GP, 3.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg 50% FG, 50% 3P
G	#15	Zyon Pullin	6’4 | 206 lbs Florida | Age: 25	5 GP, 4.6 ppg, 1.8 apg, 0.6 rpg 69.2% FG, 33.3% 3P
C	#44	Rocco Zikarsky	7’3 | 254 lbs Australia | Age: 20	5 GP, 2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1 bpg 62.5% FG

*DiVincenzo continues to rehab a torn achilles and may return in April

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 43-39, 6th in West
MVP: SF Anthony Edwards
X-Factor: PG LaMelo Ball
Adds: PG LaMelo Ball (Traded from Charlotte), PF Jonathan Kuminga (Signed)
Losses: PF Julius Randle (Traded to Brooklyn), C Naz Reid (Traded to Charlotte)
Grade: B-

The T-Wolves continue to mix things up, putting new pieces around superstar Anthony Edwards, in hopes something will stick as a true winner. They traded for LaMelo Ball and extended Ayo Dosunmu, creating a lethal scoring duo in the backcourt that are also great facilitators. Ball and Edwards are both outspoken figures, and it’ll be very interesting to see if this works out or if it blows up in their faces. Julius Randle was traded to Brooklyn, leading way to sign disgruntled big man Jonathan Kuminga. Cody Williams was also brought over from Utah and he’ll be an interesting and promising piece that can receive good minutes this year.

Heavy minutes from young pieces like Bones Hyland, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Joan Beringer are likely to come at some point this season, and development of those three will be crucial for Minnesota to compete. This core is interesting and a little reckless in my opinion. I don’t see how Ball will fit in well, despite being a good passer on the pick-and-roll for an aging Gobert who has fallen off in scoring. Ever since trading away Towns, Minnesota has gotten progressively worse, and this may be their toughest task yet. They are a play-in team at the very least, but a deep run is hard to imagine.

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Oklahoma City Thunder

HC: Mark Daigneault
7th year as Thunder HC
Career/Team record: 275-207, Career Playoff record: 33-15
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#55	Isaiah Hartenstein	7’0 | 250 lbs USA | Age: 28	9.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1 spg 62.2% FG
PF/C	#7	Chet Holmgren	7’1 | 208 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 24	17.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.7 apg 55.7% FG, 36.2% 3P
SG/SF	#8	Jalen Williams	6’5 | 211 lbs Santa Clara | Age: 25	17.1 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 spg 48.4% FG, 29.9% 3P
G	#22	Cason Wallace	6’3 | 195 lbs Kentucky | Age: 22	8.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.9 spg 43.2% FG, 35.1% 3P
PG	#2	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	6’6 | 195 lbs Kentucky | Age: 28	31.1 ppg, 6.6 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 spg 55.3% FG, 38.6% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
G	#25	Ajay Mitchell	6’4 | 190 lbs UC-Santa Barbara | Age: 24	13.6 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 spg 48.5% FG, 34.7% 3P
SG	#3	Jared McCain	6’3 | 195 lbs Duke | Age: 22	8.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.5 spg 42.5% FG, 38.5% 3P – (PHI/OKC)
SF	#34	Kenrich Williams	6’7 | 210 lbs TCU | Age: 31	6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg 47.3% FG, 38.8% 3P
C	#15	Aday Mara (R)	7’3 | 262 lbs Michigan | Age: 21	DRAFTED: 12th overall by OKC
SG	#9	Alex Caruso	6’5 | 186 lbs Texas A&M | Age: 32	6.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2 apg, 1.3 spg 42.3% FG, 29.3% 3P
PF/C	#6	Jaylin Williams	6’9 | 240 lbs Arkansas | Age: 24	7.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.6 bpg 42.3% FG, 38.3% 3P
G	#14	Bennett Stirtz (R)	6’4 | 190 lbs Iowa | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 16th overall by MEM
PG	#44	Nikola Topić	6’6 | 200 lbs Serbia | Age: 21	10 GP, 5.2 ppg, 4.4 apg, 1.9 rpg 43.1% FG, 40% 3P
C	#12	Thomas Sorber (R)	6’9 | 250 lbs Georgetown | Age: 20	DNP – Torn ACL

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#23	Brooks Barnhizer	6’6 | 226 lbs Northwestern | Age: 24	1.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.3 spg 38% FG, 29.2% 3P
SG	#21	Josh Dix (R)	6’5 | 206 lbs Creighton | Age: 22	UNDRAFTED in 2026
SF	#13	Otega Oweh* (R/I)	6’4 | 217 lbs Kentucky | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 41st overall by MIA

*Oweh suffered a torn achilles and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 59-23, 2nd in West
MVP: PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
X-Factor: SG Jalen Williams
Add: C Aday Mara (Drafted)
Losses: SF Luguentz Dort (Traded to Atlanta), SG Aaron Wiggins (Traded to Atlanta)
Grade: A-

The Thunder renewed their success last year, making it to the Western Conference Finals where they duked out a hefty 7-game series with the Spurs, falling just short of another Finals appearance. SGA won his second straight MVP award, and OKC proved that they’re one of the best and well rounded cores in the game. With their surplus of draft picks, they had the chance to shed some salary by trading away Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, replacing them with rookie 1st rounders in Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz. Thomas Sorber will also return after missing his entire rookie year, giving them more options off the bench.

Cason Wallace now firmly implements himself in the starting backcourt with SGA, with Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, and Alex Caruso as the depth off the bench. Nikola Topic is an X-Factor that I want to see get more minutes, after battling his way back from a torn ACL and cancer in back-to-back seasons. He can be a breakout depth piece for these contenders. Isaiah Hartenstein was also retained, bringing him back to pair alongside Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt as the main paint presences. The Thunder will be atop the West once again, as it should be them and the Spurs as the heavy favorites to return to the Finals. The rest of the West is young and very raw, and a rematch of Spurs-Thunder in the Western Conference Finals in 2027 is highly likely.

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Portland Trail Blazers

HC: Micah Nori
1st year as Trail Blazers HC
AGE: 52

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#23	Donovan Clingan	7’2 | 280 lbs UConn | Age: 22	12.1 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 bpg 52% FG, 34.1% 3P
F	#33	Toumani Camara	6’7 | 230 lbs Dayton | Age: 26	13.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg 44% FG, 37% 3P
G/SF	#8	Deni Avdija	6’8 | 228 lbs Israel | Age: 25	24.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.7 apg, 0.8 spg 46.2% FG, 31.8% 3P
G	#5	Jrue Holiday	6’4 | 220 lbs UCLA | Age: 36	16.3 ppg, 6.1 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1 spg 45.1% FG, 37.8% 3P
PG	#0	Damian Lillard	6’2 | 200 lbs Weber State | Age: 36	DNP – Torn achilles

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#1	Ja Morant	6’2 | 174 lbs Murray State | Age: 27	20 GP, 19.5 ppg, 8.1 apg, 3.3 rpg 41% FG, 23.5% 3P – (MEM)
G	#00	Scoot Henderson	6’3 | 207 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 22	14.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.7 rpg, 0.9 spg 41.8% FG, 35.2% 3P
C	#35	Robert Williams III	6’9 | 249 lbs Texas A&M | Age: 28	6.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1 apg 70.8% FG, 39.1% 3P
PF/C	#9	Micah Potter	6’9 | 248 lbs Wisconsin | Age: 28	9.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg 51.5% FG, 42.3% 3P – (IND)
SF	#91	Sidy Cissoko	6’6 | 220 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 22	5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg 39.8% FG, 29.8% 3P
SG/SF	#27	Vít Krejčí	6’8 | 195 lbs Czech | Age: 26	8.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg 44.8% FG, 39% 3P – (ATL/POR)
C	#10	Branden Carlson	7’0 | 220 lbs Utah | Age: 27	5.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.6 bpg 52.7% FG, 36% 3P – (OKC)
C	#16	Hansen Yang	7’1 | 270 lbs China | Age: 21	2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 bpg 31% FG, 11.9% 3P
SG/SF	#17	Shaedon Sharpe* (I)	6’5 | 210 lbs Kentucky | Age: 23	20.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg 45.2% FG, 33.7% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#2	John Tonje	6’5 | 225 lbs Wisconsin | Age: 25	6 GP, 2.5 ppg, 1 rpg, 0.3 spg 28.6% FG, 30% 3P – (BOS)
G	#11	Chris Youngblood	6’4 | 221 lbs Alabama | Age: 24	2.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.1 spg 34.9% FG, 33.3% 3P – (OKC/POR)
SG	#29	Jayson Kent	6’8 | 215 lbs Texas | Age: 24	5 GP, 2 ppg, 1 rpg, 0.2 spg 57.1% FG, 25% 3P

*Sharpe has a torn meniscus and may return in February

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 49-33, 4th in West
MVP: SF Deni Avdija
X-Factor: PG Ja Morant
Add: PG Ja Morant (Traded from Memphis)
Losses: SF Kris Murray (Traded to Memphis)
Grade: C+

The Trail Blazers enter the new campaign hungry, coming off a playoff berth and two new pieces. Damian Lillard is fully healthy, and ready to start his second tenure in Portland, hoping to end his career finally winning something with the Blazers. Ja Morant was also added in a blockbuster trade this offseason, as the disgruntled former superstar was sold low by the rebuilding Grizzlies. These two fortify a backcourt with young pieces Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, the last of whom will miss the start of the season due to injury. Veteran Jrue Holiday also remains, giving Dame another former all-star backcourt piece on the first unit. Out of Lillard, Holiday, Morant, Scoot, and Sharpe it’ll be interesting to see how the minutes get dealt out.

The frontcourt is also looking tough, with all-Defensive Toumani Camara, first time all-star Deni Avdija, and big man Donovan Clingan as the starters. Robert Williams and veteran Micah Potter should give them more depth off the bench. Overall, this is an incredibly deep team when fully healthy, led by first year HC Micah Nori. In the West, any type of consistent play will lead to a top 6 spot in the playoffs, and the Blazers should easily land one of those spots. They aren’t quite at the same level as the Spurs or Thunder, but I do like them to take a big step this year and being a playoff leader.

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Utah Jazz

HC: Will Hardy
5th year as Jazz HC
Career/Team record: 107-221
AGE: 39

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#30	Jusuf Nurkić	6’11 | 290 lbs Bosnia | Age: 32	10.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.3 spg 50.3% FG, 35.2% 3P
PF	#20	Jaren Jackson Jr.	6’10 | 242 lbs Michigan State | Age: 27	19.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2 apg, 1.4 bpg 47.6% FG, 35.7% 3P – (MEM/UTA)
F	#23	Lauri Markkanen	7’1 | 240 lbs Arizona | Age: 29	26.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1 spg 47.7% FG, 35.5% 3P
SG	#22	Darryn Peterson (R)	6’5 | 199 lbs Kansas | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 2nd overall by UTA
G	#3	Keyonte George	6’4 | 185 lbs Baylor | Age: 22	23.6 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 spg 45.6% FG, 37.1% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#19	Ace Bailey	6’9 | 200 lbs Rutgers | Age: 20	13.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 spg 44.3% FG, 34.4% 3P
PG	#8	Isaiah Collier	6’4 | 210 lbs USC | Age: 22	11.7 ppg, 7.2 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1.1 spg 49.5% FG, 27% 3P
SF	#28	Brice Sensabaugh	6’6 | 235 lbs Ohio State | Age: 22	14.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.7 spg 46% FG, 36.7% 3P
SG	#5	Josh Green	6’6 | 200 lbs Arizona | Age: 25	4.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg 45.9% FG, 42% 3P – (CHA)
SG/SF	#21	Josh Okogie	6’4 | 213 lbs Georgia Tech | Age: 28	4.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.8 spg 42.5% FG, 38.5% 3P – (HOU)
C	#11	Jaxson Hayes	7’0 | 220 lbs Texas | Age: 26	7.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.8 bpg 75.6% FG – (LAL)
C	#44	Mo Bamba	7’0 | 231 lbs Texas | Age: 28	4 GP, 2.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg 45.5% FG – (UTA/TOR)
SG	#10	Svi Mykhailiuk	6’7 | 205 lbs Kansas | Age: 29	9.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.5 spg 47.8% FG, 40.8% 3P
PF/C	#2	Kyle Filipowski* (I)	6’11 | 250 lbs Duke | Age: 22	11.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 spg 49.2% FG, 32.5% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#15	Trey Alexander	6’5 | 185 lbs Creighton | Age: 23	9 GP, 5.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1 apg 51.4% FG, 50% 3P – (NOP)
F	#25	Blake Hinson	6’8 | 230 lbs Pittsburgh | Age: 26	14 GP, 11.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg 51.3% FG, 46.8% 3P

*Filipowski had back surgery and may return in December

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 39-43, 10th in West
MVP: SF Lauri Markkanen
X-Factor: PF Jaren Jackson Jr.
Add: SG Darryn Peterson (Drafted)
Losses: C Walker Kessler (Traded to LA Lakers), SF Cody Williams (Traded to Minnesota)
Grade: C

The Jazz enter year 5 of the Will Hardy era still yet to make a playoff appearance since trading away Donovan Mitchell and entering a rebuild. A couple of big moves may put them in the mix to break that streak this season. Lauri Markkanen is the star, having another stellar year despite missing the majority of the season due to injury. Two-way star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will enter his first full year in Utah and veteran Jusuf Nurkic will replace Walker Kessler who was traded away this offseason. Keyonte George was also extender after a breakout 24/6/4 season as the starting PG last year.

But the big incoming piece is Darryn Peterson who was drafted 2nd overall and is one of the most highly anticipated incoming rookies this season. He has the potential to become a superstar scorer, giving Utah three capable 20+ ppg scorers in Markkanen, George, and Peterson. Ace Bailey and Isaiah Collier were key starters last year that will likely be relegated to the bench with the new additions. Veterans Josh Green, Jaxson Hayes, and Josh Okogie will all add depth off the bench as well, giving them valuable experienced minutes. In a wide open West, this Jazz team is, at the very least, a play-in team. I think Utah takes a big step this season and begins to build a solid foundation.

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Golden State Warriors

HC: Steve Kerr
13th year as Warriors HC
Career/Team record: 604-353, Career Playoff record: 104-48
AGE: 61

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF	#23	Draymond Green	6’6 | 230 lbs Michigan State | Age: 36	8.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 0.9 spg 41.8% FG, 32.6% 3P
PF	#1	Yaxel Lendeborg (R)	6’9 | 241 lbs Michigan | Age: 24	DRAFTED: 11th overall by GSW
SG/SF	#4	Moses Moody	6’5 | 211 lbs Arkansas | Age: 24	12.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1 spg 44% FG, 40.1% 3P
SG	#2	Brandin Podziemski	6’4 | 205 lbs Santa Clara | Age: 23	13.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 spg 45.5% FG, 37.1% 3P
PG	#30	Stephen Curry	6’2 | 185 lbs Davidson | Age: 38	26.6 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 spg 46.8% FG, 39.3% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#20	Al Horford	6’8 | 240 lbs Florida | Age: 40	8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 bpg 42.6% FG, 36.1% 3P
G	#8	De’Anthony Melton	6’2 | 200 lbs USC | Age: 28	12.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg 40.7% FG, 29.4% 3P
F	#15	Gui Santos	6’7 | 185 lbs Brazil | Age: 24	9.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.9 spg 50% FG, 35.1% 3P
SF	#32	Georges Niang	6’6 | 230 lbs Iowa State | Age: 33	DNP – Foot injury – (UTA/MEM)
SG/SF	#3	Will Richard	6’3 | 206 lbs Florida | Age: 23	6.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg 46.8% FG, 33.5% 3P
PG	#0	Gary Payton II	6’2 | 195 lbs Oregon State | Age: 33	7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 spg 58.3% FG, 29.1% 3P
PG	#12	Brandon Williams	6’1 | 190 lbs Arizona | Age: 26	13 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.9 rpg, 0.9 spg 47.2% FG, 23.2% 3P – (DAL)
C	#28	Charles Bassey	6’10 | 230 lbs Western Kentucky | Age: 25	13 GP, 5.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.8 bpg 66% FG – (MEM/PHI/BOS/GSW)
PF	#7	Kristaps Porzingis* (I)	7’2 | 240 lbs Latvia | Age: 31	16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 bpg 44.6% FG, 33.8% 3P – (ATL/GSW)
SF	#10	Jimmy Butler III** (I)	6’6 | 230 lbs Marquette | Age: 37	20 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.4 spg 51.9% FG, 37.9% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#33	Malevy Lyons	6’9 | 203 lbs Bradley | Age: 27	3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.6 spg 44.4% FG, 25% 3P
PG	#18	L.J. Cryer	6’0 | 200 lbs Houston | Age: 25	18 GP, 8.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1 apg 40.2% FG, 39.4% 3P
PF	#45	Graham Ike (R)	6’9 | 250 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 24	UNDRAFTED in 2026

*Porzingis is dealing with an illness and is out indefinitely
**Butler continues to rehab a torn ACL and may return in January

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 30-52, 12th in West
MVP: PG Stephen Curry
X-Factor: SG Brandin Podziemski
Add: PF Yaxel Lendeborg (Drafted)
Loss: SG Pat Spencer (Signed with Phoenix)
Grade: C+

The Warriors enter the new season with one of the oldest cores in the league, after doubling down on retaining Draymond Green and Steve Kerr as HC. Kerr enters his 13th year at the helm in Golden State, with 4 championships in 5 appearances. There’s much less fire power in this core than those championship teams, but Steph is still the leader and looks as good as ever entering his age-38 season. Jimmy Butler won’t be back until midseason at 37, Porzingis has health issues at 31, Draymond is entering his age-36 season, and Horford has entered his 40s. Clearly, the youth are going to have to carry a big workload for this team to compete.

There’s plenty of high hopes around National Champion Yaxel Lendeborg and recently extended Brandin Podziemski. Guys like Moses Moody, Gui Santos, and Will Richard all had solid seasons last year and will look to play their roles in the core. It’s tough to see this team making a ton of noise this year, as a top 6 playoff spot seems a little out of reach. They should, once again, be a play-in team that hovers around .500 as it’ll be interesting to see what 2027 holds for this core that is past their prime.

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Los Angeles Clippers

HC: Tyronn Lue
7th year as Clippers HC, 11th year as a HC (Cleveland ’15-’18)
Career record: 404-289, Clippers record: 276-206, Career Playoff record: 57-41
AGE: 49

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#23	Isaiah Jackson	6’8 | 205 lbs Kentucky | Age: 24	6.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 0.9 apg 63.7% FG – (IND/LAC)
F	#28	Rui Hachimura	6’8 | 230 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 28	11.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg 51.4% FG, 44.3% 3P – (LAL)
SF	#7	Brandon Ingram	6’8 | 190 lbs Duke | Age: 29	21.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.8 spg 47.7% FG, 38.2% 3P – (TOR)
SG	#1	Keaton Wagler (R)	6’5 | 188 lbs Illinois | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 5th overall by LAC
PG	#10	Darius Garland	6’1 | 192 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 26	18.8 ppg, 6.7 apg, 2.4 rpg, 1 spg 46% FG, 39.6% 3P – (CLE/LAC)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#5	Derrick Jones Jr.	6’6 | 210 lbs UNLV | Age: 29	10.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1 bpg 49.9% FG, 35.9% 3P
PG	#8	Kris Dunn	6’3 | 205 lbs Providence | Age: 32	7.3 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 spg 47.6% FG, 37.4% 3P
C	#11	Brook Lopez	7’1 | 282 lbs Stanford | Age: 38	8.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 bpg 42.8% FG, 36% 3P
SG	#3	Bradley Beal	6’4 | 207 lbs Florida | Age: 33	6 GP, 8.2 ppg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 rpg 37.5% FG, 36.8% 3P
SG/SF	#9	Gradey Dick	6’7 | 200 lbs Kansas | Age: 22	6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.6 spg 41.9% FG, 30.1% 3P – (TOR)
C	#14	Yanic Konan Niederhäuser	6’11 | 242 lbs Penn State | Age: 23	4.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 0.3 apg 64% FG
SG	#31	Max Strus	6’5 | 215 lbs DePaul | Age: 30	11.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2 apg, 0.3 spg 44.3% FG, 40.2% 3P – (CLE)
SG/SF	#4	Kobe Sanders	6’8 | 207 lbs Nevada | Age: 24	7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.7 spg 46.6% FG, 40.8% 3P
C	#18	Baba Miller (R)	6’11 | 208 lbs Cincinnati | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 36th overall by LAC
SG	#22	Jordan Miller* (I)	6’5 | 194 lbs Miami | Age: 26	10 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.8 spg 53.1% FG, 34.5% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#21	Jalen Pickett	6’2 | 202 lbs Penn State | Age: 26	5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.3 spg 42.2% FG, 38.6% 3P – (DEN)
SF	#12	Nick Martinelli (R)	6’7 | 224 lbs Northwestern | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 55th overall by NYK

*Miller had shoulder surgery an may return in March

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 40-42, 8th in West
MVP: SF Brandon Ingram
X-Factor: PG Darius Garland
Adds: SF Brandon Ingram (Traded from Toronto), SF Rui Hachimura (Signed), SG Keaton Wagler (Drafted)
Losses: SF Kawhi Leonard (Traded to Toronto), PF John Collins (Sign-and-trade with Detroit)
Grade: B-

The Clippers entered partial rebuilding mode last season and after the chaos with Kawhi this offseason, they were able to retain assets to be in the mix this year. The Clippers front office was busted for years of under the table payments to Kawhi Leonard and his family during the 7 seasons he was playing for the Clippers. Owner Steve Ballmer and executive Lawrence Frank were both suspended for a year, while Kawhi was dealt off to Toronto in exchange of draft picks, Brandon Ingram, and Gradey Dick. But now, after adding Darius Garland at last year’s deadline, Rui Hachimura in free agency, and drafting Keaton Wagler, they can easily be a contender in a wide open West.

Ingram, Hachimura, and Garland give you solid scoring in the first unit, with former all-stars Brook Lopez and Bradley Beal off the bench. This Clippers team will be very interesting and Tyronn Lue has a chance to play around with a lot of different weapons this season. They’re not the most polished team, and will likely have to be a play-in, but they do hold some hope to flip the script and give LA a second contender in the league.

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Los Angeles Lakers

HC: J.J. Redick
3rd year as Lakers HC
Career/Team record: 103-61, Career Playoff record: 5-10
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#14	Walker Kessler	7’2 | 245 lbs Auburn | Age: 25	5 GP, 14.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 3 apg 70.3% FG – (UTA)
PF/C	#54	Sandro Mamukelashvili	6’9 | 240 lbs Seton Hall | Age: 27	11.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.8 spg 52.3% FG, 38.9% 3P – (TOR)
SG/SF	#5	Quentin Grimes	6’4 | 210 lbs Houston | Age: 26	13.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.9 spg 45% FG, 33.4% 3P – (PHI)
SG	#15	Austin Reaves	6’5 | 197 lbs Oklahoma | Age: 28	23.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 spg 49% FG, 36% 3P
G	#77	Luka Dončić	6’8 | 230 lbs Slovenia | Age: 27	33.5 ppg, 8.3 apg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 spg 47.6% FG, 36.6% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#12	Jake LaRavia	6’7 | 235 lbs Wake Forest | Age: 24	8.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 spg 45.9% FG, 32.1% 3P
PG	#10	Collin Sexton	6’3 | 190 lbs Alabama | Age: 27	15.4 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 spg 48.5% FG, 40.1% 3P – (CHA/CHI)
SG	#7	Jaden Hardy	6’3 | 198 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 24	9.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1 apg, 0.3 spg 42.4% FG, 39.7% 3P – (DAL/WAS)
F	#2	Jarred Vanderbilt	6’8 | 214 lbs Kentucky | Age: 27	4.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.8 spg 47.1% FG, 29.3% 3P
SG/SF	#26	Matisse Thybulle	6’5 | 202 lbs Washington | Age: 29	5.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 spg, 0.9 apg 43.3% FG, 39.8% 3P – (POR)
C	#55	Kevon Looney	6’9 | 222 lbs UCLA | Age: 30	2.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.5 bpg 41.7% FG – (NOP)
F	#11	Ziaire Williams	6’9 | 185 lbs Stanford | Age: 25	10.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 apg 42.5% FG, 34.3% 3P – (BKN)
SG	#43	Cameron Carr (R)	6’5 | 184 lbs Baylor | Age: 21	DRAFTED: 24th overall by NYK
F	#1	Adou Thiero	6’8 | 220 lbs Arkansas | Age: 22	1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.3 spg 51.6% FG
SG	#9	Bronny James Jr.	6’2 | 210 lbs USC | Age: 22	2.9 ppg, 1.2 apg, 0.5 rpg, 0.5 spg 40.9% FG, 38.6% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#30	Chris Mañon	6’4 | 209 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 24	9 GP, 0.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.6 spg 33.3% FG
F	#47	Arthur Kaluma (R)	6’6 | 223 lbs Texas | Age: 24	UNDRAFTED in 2025
F	#31	AK Okereke (R)	6’7 | 244 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 23	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 55-27, 3rd in West
MVP: PG Luka Doncic
X-Factor: C Walker Kessler
Adds: C Walker Kessler (Traded from Utah), PF Sandro Mamukelashvili (Signed)
Losses: SF LeBron James (Signed with Philadelphia), SF Rui Hachimura (Signed with LA Clippers)
Grade: B

The Lakers enter the post-LeBron era in arguably a better spot than they have been in years with the King. There’s no doubt that this team would be in shambles right now if Luka Doncic didn’t fall straight into their laps, a move that will haunt the Mavericks franchise for generations. Now, Luka is the undoubted face of the franchise, and holds the keys to the kingdom for a storied franchise. Besides losing LeBron, the Lakers were very busy when they heard from him that he would not return early on in the process. They traded for defensive star big man Walker Kessler and signed a surplus of role players in Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, and Ziaire Williams.

Coach Redick will have a fun time mixing and matching the lineups, centered around Luka, Reaves, and Kessler as the big three. It’s an overall solid mix of role players and a great second scoring option behind Luka in Austin Reaves. In the East, this team wouldn’t compete very well, but in the West they should easily be a top contender. Luka is still hunting for his first career MVP, and this would be the perfect year to do it and set up the Lakers for a promising future. It’s a failure of a season if they don’t land at least top 5 in the West.

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Phoenix Suns

HC: Jordan Ott
2nd year as Suns HC
Career/Team record: 45-37, Career Playoff record: 0-4
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#11	Oso Ighodaro	6’11 | 235 lbs Marquette | Age: 24	6.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.9 spg 65.3% FG
F	#3	Dillon Brooks	6’7 | 225 lbs Oregon | Age: 30	20.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg 43.5% FG, 34.4% 3P
F	#22	Miles Bridges	6’7 | 225 lbs Michigan State | Age: 28	17.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.2 rpg, 0.6 spg 46% FG, 33.3% 3P – (CHA)
SG	#15	Devin Booker	6’5 | 206 lbs Kentucky | Age: 29	26.1 ppg, 6 apg, 3.9 rpg, 0.8 spg 45.6% FG, 33% 3P
SG	#4	Jalen Green	6’4 | 186 lbs G-League Ignite | Age: 24	17.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg 42.2% FG, 31.3% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#12	Collin Gillespie	6’1 | 195 lbs Villanova | Age: 27	12.7 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 spg 41.8% FG, 40.1% 3P
SG	#8	Luke Kennard	6’5 | 206 lbs Duke | Age: 30	8.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.7 spg 53.3% FG, 47.8% 3P – (ATL/LAL)
C	#10	Khaman Maluach	7’2 | 250 lbs Duke | Age: 20	3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 0.1 spg 53.3% FG, 23.8% 3P
PG	#23	Jordan Goodwin	6’3 | 215 lbs St. Louis | Age: 27	8.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg 41.3% FG, 37.1% 3P
F	#0	Ryan Dunn	6’7 | 216 lbs Virginia | Age: 23	5.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.9 spg 45.3% FG, 33.1% 3P
PF/C	#18	Koa Peat (R)	6’8 | 245 lbs Arizona | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 30th overall by DAL
PF	#20	Rasheer Fleming	6’9 | 240 lbs St. Joseph’s | Age: 22	4.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.4 bpg, 0.4 spg 40.5% FG, 34.6% 3P
PG	#17	Jamaree Bouyea	6’2 | 180 lbs San Francisco | Age: 27	5.7 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 rpg, 0.6 spg 45.8% FG, 29.5% 3P
C		Drew Timme	6’9 | 235 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 26	3.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.2 spg 57.6% FG, 44% 3P – (LAL)
C	#25	Mark Williams* (I)	7’1 | 240 lbs Duke | Age: 24	11.7 ppg, 8 rpg, 1 apg, 0.9 bpg 64.4% FG

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#61	Pat Spencer	6’2 | 205 lbs Northwestern | Age: 30	7.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.4 rpg, 0.7 spg 42.7% FG, 35.7% 3P – (GSW)
C	#26	Duop Reath	6’9 | 245 lbs LSU | Age: 30	2.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.3 bpg, 0.3 apg 44.6% FG, 41.8% 3P – (POR)
PF	#21	C.J. Huntley	6’10 | 230 lbs Appalachian State | Age: 24	4 GP, 3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.5 apg 54.5% FG

*Williams had shoulder surgery and will be out indefinitely

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 39-43, 9th in West
MVP: SG Devin Booker
X-Factor: C Khaman Maluach
Adds: SF Miles Bridges (Traded from Charlotte), SG Luke Kennard (Signed)
Losses: SG Grayson Allen (Traded to Charlotte), SF Royce O’Neale (Traded to Charlotte)
Grade: C

The Suns looked to be going towards a rebuild after dealing away KD before last season, but ended up with a 45-37 record, but getting swept in the 1st round. It was a success that they even made the playoffs, and this year, they return most of their roster. The one big move they made was dealing Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to Charlotte for Miles Bridges, giving them a fortified big man who can reliably score. They have plenty of score first guards in Booker and Jalen Green with Luke Kennard and Jordan Goodwin off the bench.

My biggest interest in Phoenix this season is what they’ll get out of the 5 with Mark Williams out indefinitely. They just extended Oso Ighodaro as he enters year 3 and Khaman Maluach was a lottery pick just last year. It’s a golden opportunity for either of those two to break out, and personally, I love the upside on Maluach. I always thought he was an Embiid type of talent, crafty, and needs a bit of a bigger role. This is probably a play-in team, but they do have the opportunity to surprise some people in the West. A lot of injury concerns surround their star players though.

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Sacramento Kings

HC: Doug Christie
3rd year as Kings HC
Career/Team record: 49-84
AGE: 56

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#11	Domantas Sabonis	6’10 | 240 lbs Gonzaga | Age: 30	19 GP, 15.8 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 4.1 apg 54.3% FG, 18.5% 3P
PF	#13	Keegan Murray	6’8 | 225 lbs Iowa | Age: 26	14 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.6 bpg 42% FG, 27.7% 3P
SF	#15	De’Andre Hunter	6’7 | 221 lbs Virginia | Age: 28	13.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2 apg, 0.7 spg 41.5% FG, 30.5% 3P – (ATL/SAC)
SG	#8	Zach LaVine	6’5 | 200 lbs UCLA | Age: 31	19.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.7 spg 47.9% FG, 39% 3P
PG	#5	Darius Acuff Jr. (R)	6’2 | 186 lbs Arkansas | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 7th overall by SAC

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG	#0	Malik Monk	6’3 | 200 lbs Kentucky | Age: 28	12.5 ppg, 3 apg, 1.5 rpg, 0.6 spg 43.8% FG, 39.5% 3P
SG/SF	#10	Nique Clifford	6’5 | 175 lbs Colorado State | Age: 24	8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.9 spg 41.8% FG, 33.3% 3P
C	#42	Maxime Raynaud	7’1 | 250 lbs Stanford | Age: 23	12.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 bpg 57.1% FG, 32.4% 3P
PF/C	#9	Precious Achiuwa	6’8 | 243 lbs Memphis | Age: 27	10.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.9 spg 52.8% FG, 27.8% 3P
SG	#29	Daeqwon Plowden	6’6 | 216 lbs Bowling Green | Age: 28	10.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.7 spg 43% FG, 33.3% 3P
C	#32	Dylan Cardwell	6’10 | 255 lbs Auburn | Age: 24	5.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.4 apg 58.7% FG
SF	#33	Alex Karaban (R)	6’7 | 225 lbs UConn | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 29th overall by CLE
PG	#34	Emanuel Sharp (R)	6’3 | 208 lbs Houston | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 45th overall by SAC
PG	#25	Ben Simmons* (I)	6’10 | 240 lbs LSU | Age: 30	DNP – Free agent

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#22	Jonathan Mogbo	6’9 | 225 lbs San Francisco | Age: 24	1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.3 spg 59.1% FG – (TOR)
SF	#19	Leaky Black	6’6 | 209 lbs North Carolina | Age: 27	15 GP, 7.1 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.5 apg 38.8% FG, 34.5% 3P – (WAS)

*Simmons suffered a torn achilles in practice and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 28-54, 13th in West
MVP: C Domantas Sabonis
X-Factor: PF Keegan Murray
Add: PG Darius Acuff Jr. (Drafted)
Losses: SG DeMar DeRozan (Released), PG Russell Westbrook (Retired)
Grade: C-

The last 15 years of Kings basketball has been a disaster, and after their 2023 run that saw them starting to become a solid core, three years later the watch Mike Brown win a ring in his first year after leaving. It’s a good thing I don’t know any Kings fans, as especially on the East coast, I tend to think they don’t exist. They enter the new season with the same centerpiece in Domantas Sabonis and the first full season of De’Andre Hunter in the purple and white. Darius Acuff was a fantastic pick at #7 as the franchise hopes he will become their next 20+ ppg scoring guard right off the bat. After releasing veteran DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine becomes the leader in the backcourt.

The starting 5 isn’t awful, but doesn’t have much of a defensive presence to it. Youngsters Daeqwon Plowder, Maxime Raynaud, and Nique Clifford should help off the bench on that end of the court. Rookies Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp should see opportunities to win minutes in a wide open second unit. The signing of Ben Simmons after being sidelined all of last year basically because no one wanted him, came to a screeching halt when he tore his achilles last week. Simmons’ career may be over, and the Kings don’t have much to play for this year. Maybe they’ll be able to showcase Sabonis for some draft capital at the deadline.

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Dallas Mavericks

HC: Dusty May
1st year as Mavericks HC
AGE: 50

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#2	Dereck Lively II	7’1 | 230 lbs Duke | Age: 22	7 GP, 4.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.9 apg 61.1% FG
PF	#25	P.J. Washington	6’7 | 230 lbs Kentucky | Age: 28	14.2 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 bpg 45% FG, 32.5% 3P
F	#32	Cooper Flagg	6’9 | 205 lbs Duke | Age: 19	21 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg 46.8% FG, 29.5% 3P
SG	#0	Max Christie	6’5 | 190 lbs Michigan State | Age: 23	12.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2 apg, 0.6 spg 44.1% FG, 40.4% 3P
PG	#11	Kyrie Irving	6’2 | 195 lbs Duke | Age: 34	DNP – Torn ACL

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#3	Naji Marshall	6’6 | 220 lbs Xavier | Age: 28	15.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 spg 51% FG, 29.1% 3P
PF/C	#34	Santi Aldama	7’0 | 215 lbs Loyola | Age: 25	14 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.9 spg 47.9% FG, 35% 3P – (MEM)
C	#21	Daniel Gafford	6’10 | 265 lbs Arkansas | Age: 28	9.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 1.1 apg 65.5% FG
PG	#8	Marcus Sasser	6’1 | 195 lbs Houston | Age: 26	5.2 ppg, 2 apg, 1 rpg, 0.5 spg 39% FG, 41.5% 3P – (DET)
F	#10	Zaccharie Risacher	6’8 | 200 lbs Spain | Age: 21	9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.9 spg 45.5% FG, 36.8% 3P – (ATL)
PF	#14	Morez Johnson Jr. (R)	6’9 | 250 lbs Michigan | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 9th overall by DAL
SG/SF	#16	Caleb Martin	6’5 | 205 lbs Nevada | Age: 31	3.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.7 spg 45% FG, 35.1% 3P
C	#30	Moussa Cisse	6’11 | 220 lbs Memphis | Age: 24	4.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 0.5 spg 57.4% FG
SF	#13	Tarik Biberović (R)	6’7 | 218 lbs Bosnia | Age: 25	DRAFTED in 2023 by MEM
G	#55	Sergio de Larrea (R)	6’7 | 202 lbs Spain | Age: 20	DRAFTED: 25th overall by LAL

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#9	Jett Howard	6’8 | 215 lbs Michigan | Age: 23	5.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.2 spg 41.8% FG, 37.2% 3P – (ORL)
F	#33	Tobi Lawal (R)	6’8 | 215 lbs Virginia Tech | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 48th overall by DAL

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 32-50, 11th in West
MVP: PG Kyrie Irving
X-Factor: SF Cooper Flagg
Adds: PF Santi Aldama (Traded from Memphis), SF Zaccharie Risacher (Traded from Atlanta)
Losses: SG Klay Thompson (Released), SF Khris Middleton (Sign-and-trade with Washington)
Grade: C-

The Mavericks don’t really have much hope heading into the new year outside of their star 19-year-old Cooper Flagg. Jason Kidd left, the front office cleaned house after the debacle of a trade that will go down in history as the worst move in franchise history, Klay was released, and AD was dealt off at the deadline. So this team only retains Kyrie Irving who is coming back of a season sidelined by a torn ACL. They bring in a fresh, first time NBA head coach in Dusty May who became a household name on the college ranks in 2023 after leading Florida Atlantic to the Final 4. He then spent two seasons at Michigan, winning the National Championship last year. He will now try his luck on the big stage leading a franchise that is in the doghouse left behind by the old regime.

Don’t get me wrong, this team will compete a bit, with Flagg stepping in as the leading scorer and Kyrie who, if he’s not traded, will be a great veteran influence. They added from 1st pick Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, and lottery big man Morez Johnson whom was coached by May at Michigan last year. P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Max Christie all still remain as well. This team won’t be above .500, but they should see a battle for a play-in appearance. Anytime type of playoff experience for Flagg would be huge for his development.

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Houston Rockets

HC: Ime Udoka
4th year as Rockets HC, 5th year as a HC (Boston ’22-’23)
Career record: 196-132, Rockets record: 145-101, Career Playoff record: 19-18
AGE: 49

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#28	Alperen Sengün	6’11 | 243 lbs Turkey | Age: 24	20.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.2 spg 51.9% FG, 30.5% 3P
PF	#10	Jabari Smith Jr.	6’11 | 220 lbs Auburn | Age: 23	15.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 bpg 45% FG, 36.3% 3P
F	#7	Kevin Durant	6’11 | 240 lbs Texas | Age: 38	26 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.9 bpg 52% FG, 41.3% 3P
SG/SF	#1	Amen Thompson	6’7 | 200 lbs Overtime Elite | Age: 23	18.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.5 spg 53.4% FG, 21.6% 3P
PG	#5	Fred VanVleet	6’0 | 197 lbs Wichita State | Age: 32	DNP – Torn ACL

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#17	Tari Eason	6’8 | 215 lbs LSU | Age: 25	10.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 spg 41.6% FG, 35.8% 3P
C	#12	Steven Adams	6’11 | 265 lbs Pittsburgh | Age: 33	5.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg 50.4% FG
G	#15	Reed Sheppard	6’2 | 185 lbs Kentucky | Age: 22	13.5 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 spg 43% FG, 39.4% 3P
PG	#36	Marcus Smart	6’3 | 220 lbs Oklahoma State | Age: 32	9.3 ppg, 3 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 spg 39.5% FG, 33.1% 3P – (LAL)
SG	#31	Bogdan Bogdanović	6’5 | 225 lbs Serbia | Age: 34	7.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.4 spg 38.8% FG, 34.7% 3P – (LAC)
C	#30	Clint Capela	6’10 | 256 lbs Switzerland | Age: 32	3.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.8 bpg, 0.7 apg 52% FG
SF	#8	Jae’Sean Tate	6’4 | 230 lbs Ohio State | Age: 30	2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 spg 51.4% FG, 31.3% 3P
SG	#27	Isaiah Crawford	6’6 | 220 lbs Louisiana Tech | Age: 24	14 GP, 2 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.4 apg 41.7% FG, 23.1% 3P
G	#2	Bruce Thornton (R)	6’0 | 223 lbs Ohio State | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 31st overall by NYK

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#3	Julian Phillips	6’6 | 198 lbs Tennessee | Age: 22	2.9 ppg, 1 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.2 apg 42.1% FG, 30.8% 3P – (CHI/MIN)
C	#9	Oscar Tshiebwe	6’8 | 255 lbs Kentucky | Age: 26	7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.6 spg 63.4% FG – (UTA)
SG	#25	Quadir Copeland (R)	6’6 | 220 lbs NC State | Age: 23	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 42-40, 7th in West
MVP: SF Kevin Durant
X-Factor: PG Fred VanVleet
Adds: PG Marcus Smart (Signed), SG Bogdan Bogdanovic (Signed)
Losses: SG Josh Okogie (Signed with Utah), SF Dorian Finney-Smith (Traded to Atlanta)
Grade: B

The Rockets enter year 2 of the KD era, running back practically the same roster as the one that fell short last year. Durant has shown he’s still an all-star even at his age, but that wasn’t good enough to get Houston over the hump. Now, Fred VanVleet returns from injury, and veterans Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic aid the bench. Alperen Sengun had another stellar season for a lethal scoring and ball handling big man. Amen Thompson is arguably the best pure defender in the league, and will look to add on to a much improved scoring season with better 3-point numbers. He, at least, is now a much more capable scorer inside of 15 feet.

Jabari Smith still remains as a stagnant big with all the potential in the world, yet hasn’t seemed to develop much over the past couple of years. This team definitely has a good mix of veteran star power with some promising rookies. They’re going to be a contender, but at the top of the West will be a tough feat to climb. It relies heavily on a few things, how VanVleet looks coming off injury, Thompson’s offense, and what you can get out of Jabari Smith on a consistent basis.

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Memphis Grizzlies

HC: Tuomas Iisalo
3rd year as Grizzlies HC
Career/Team record: 29-62, Career Playoff record: 0-4
AGE: 44

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#14	Zach Edey	7’3 | 305 lbs Purdue | Age: 24	11 GP, 13.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg 63.3% FG, 20% 3P
PF	#27	Cameron Boozer (R)	6’8 | 253 lbs Duke | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 3rd overall by MEM
F	#3	Jerami Grant	6’7 | 213 lbs Syracuse | Age: 32	18.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.7 spg 45.3% FG, 38.9% 3P – (POR)
SG/SF	#23	Cedric Coward	6’5 | 206 lbs Washington State | Age: 23	13.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.6 spg 47.1% FG, 33.8% 3P
G	#2	Ty Jerome	6’5 | 195 lbs Virginia | Age: 29	15 GP, 19.7 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.8 rpg 47.4% FG, 42% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PF/C	#28	Isaiah Stewart	6’8 | 250 lbs Washington | Age: 25	10 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 1.1 apg 55% FG, 33.3% 3P – (DET)
SF	#0	Jaylen Wells	6’7 | 206 lbs Washington State | Age: 23	12.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.9 spg 43.1% FG, 35.3% 3P
G	#1	Scotty Pippen Jr.	6’2 | 170 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 25	10 GP, 11.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 1.9 spg 44.8% FG, 31.3% 3P
C	#41	Quinten Post	7’0 | 238 lbs Boston College | Age: 26	7.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 bpg 44% FG, 33.6% 3P – (GSW)
F	#22	Taylor Hendricks	6’9 | 215 lbs UCF | Age: 22	7.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.8 spg 45.9% FG, 34.2% 3P – (UTA/MEM)
PF	#45	GG Jackson	6’9 | 210 lbs South Carolina | Age: 21	12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 bpg 49.6% FG, 33.2% 3P
SG	#24	Cam Spencer	6’3 | 205 lbs UConn | Age: 26	11.1 ppg, 5.6 apg, 2.5 rpg, 0.7 spg 47.3% FG, 44.9% 3P
F	#17	Kris Murray	6’8 | 218 lbs Iowa | Age: 26	5.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.9 spg 46.7% FG, 27.9% 3P – (POR)
SF	#35	Karim Lopez (R)	6’8 | 222 lbs Mexico | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 21st overall by DET
F	#18	Olivier-Maxence Prosper	6’7 | 230 lbs Marquette | Age: 24	10 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1 apg, 0.8 spg 54.9% FG, 40.5% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
PG	#10	Javon Small	6’1 | 190 lbs West Virginia | Age: 23	9.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 spg 46.5% FG, 42.3% 3P
PG	#21	Jahmai Mashack	6’3 | 197 lbs Tennessee | Age: 23	6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg 39.5% FG, 25.3% 3P
C	#20	Carson Cooper (R)	6’11 | 245 lbs Michigan State | Age: 22	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 20-62, 15th in West
MVP: SF Jerami Grant
X-Factor: PF Cameron Boozer
Adds: PF Cameron Boozer (Drafted), SF Jerami Grant (Traded from Portland), C Isaiah Stewart (Traded from Detroit)
Losses: PG Ja Morant (Traded to Portland), PF Santi Aldama (Traded to Dallas)
Grade: D

The Grizzlies opted to clean house and start over in the middle of last season after trading away JJJ and they doubled down by dealing Ja Morant to Portland. Now they enter the new season with a brand new building block, selecting big man Cameron Boozer with the 3rd pick. He joins a young core with Cedric Coward and Zach Edey as the only other two promising recent draft picks. They took on the contract of veteran Jerami Grant in the Morant trade, and also bring in pounding big man Isaiah Stewart from Detroit. Ty Jerome landed a huge contract last offseason and will now be their leader in the backcourt.

Kris Murray, Taylor Hendricks, and GG Jackson will be three interesting bigs that should see a major increase in minutes. All former top draft picks, they’ll like to fill out their future frontcourt with one of these guys alongside Boozer and Edey. Bottom line is that the Grizzlies won’t compete much this year, and will be looking to establish a future and another top draft pick.

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New Orleans Pelicans

HC: Jamahl Mosley
1st year as Pelicans HC, 6th year as a HC (Orlando ’21-’26)
Career record: 189-221, Career Playoff record: 7-12
AGE: 48

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#22	Derik Queen	6’9 | 250 lbs Maryland | Age: 21	11.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1 spg 47.3% FG, 26.1% 3P
PF	#1	Zion Williamson	6’6 | 284 lbs Duke | Age: 26	21 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1 spg 60% FG
F	#25	Trey Murphy III	6’8 | 206 lbs Virginia | Age: 26	21.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg 47% FG, 37.9% 3P
G	#5	Dejounte Murray	6’4 | 180 lbs Washington | Age: 30	14 GP, 16.7 ppg, 6.4 apg, 5.4 rpg 48.4% FG, 30.6% 3P
PG	#0	Jeremiah Fears	6’3 | 190 lbs Oklahoma | Age: 20	14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg 43.4% FG, 33% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SG/SF	#41	Saddiq Bey	6’8 | 215 lbs Villanova | Age: 27	17.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.9 spg 45.1% FG, 36.7% 3P
F	#2	Herbert Jones	6’7 | 206 lbs Alabama | Age: 28	8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg 38.3% FG, 30.9% 3P
G	#3	Jordan Poole	6’4 | 194 lbs Michigan | Age: 27	13.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2 rpg, 0.6 spg 37.2% FG, 33.3% 3P
C	#21	Yves Missi	6’11 | 235 lbs Baylor | Age: 22	5.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.3 apg 54.4% FG
SG	#24	Bennedict Mathurin	6’5 | 210 lbs Arizona | Age: 24	17.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.8 spg 43% FG, 31.5% 3P – (IND)
PF	#9	Trendon Watford	6’8 | 237 lbs LSU | Age: 25	6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.4 bpg 51.5% FG, 20% 3P – (PHI)
G	#14	A.J. Johnson	6’5 | 160 lbs USA | Age: 21	3.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1 apg, 0.2 spg 32.4% FG, 21.1% 3P – (WAS/DAL)
F	#17	Karlo Matković	6’10 | 231 lbs Bosnia | Age: 25	5.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 0.8 apg 60.4% FG, 42.2% 3P
C	#6	DeAndre Jordan	6’11 | 265 lbs Texas A&M | Age: 38	12 GP, 4.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 0.9 apg 65.6% FG
SG/SF	#11	Bryce McGowens	6’6 | 190 lbs Nebraska | Age: 23	8.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.6 spg 48.1% FG, 40.9% 3P

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#13	Julian Reese	6’9 | 252 lbs Maryland | Age: 23	13 GP, 11.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.8 apg 52.9% FG – (WAS)
PG	#10	Jaron Pierre Jr. (R)	6’6 | 210 lbs SMU | Age: 24	DRAFTED: 58th overall by NOP
PF	#8	Malik Dia (R)	6’9 | 250 lbs Ole Miss | Age: 22	UNDRAFTED in 2026

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 28-54, 14th in West
MVP: SF Trey Murphy III
X-Factor: PG Dejounte Murray
Add: SG Bennedict Mathurin (Signed)
Loss: C Kevon Looney (Signed with LA Lakers)
Grade: D+

The Pels didn’t do much this offseason after a failure of a year, doubling down on their core. They parted ways with Willie Green and bring in former Magic HC Jamahl Mosley who was let go in a somewhat surprising move in Orlando. He’ll look to right the ship of a core that, on paper, is not bad but hasn’t seemed to get a winning culture together in New Orleans. Zion, Trey Murphy, and Dejounte are the cornerstones, with a couple of promising rookies from a year ago in Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. Veterans Saddiq Bey, Bennedict Mathurin, and Jordan Poole will provide plenty of offseason and very little defense.

The main issue with the Pelicans is that their core is strangely shaped. They have way too many ball dominant players, and guys that have not truly embraced smaller roles for the betterment of the team. The Pelicans have an outside chance of making a play-in spot this year, but I don’t see them as a real threat. I think another down year could result in a blow up, where Zion, Murray, and maybe even Trey Murphy get shopped around. They’ll need to embrace the future, similar to what Memphis did last year, if they have another bottom of the West year.

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San Antonio Spurs

HC: Mitch Johnson
3rd year as Spurs HC
Career/Team record: 94-65, Career Playoff record: 13-10
AGE: 40

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
C	#1	Victor Wembanyama	7’4 | 240 lbs France | Age: 22	25 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.1 bpg, 3.1 apg 51.2% FG, 34.9% 3P
SF	#24	Devin Vassell	6’5 | 205 lbs Florida State | Age: 26	13.9 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.9 spg 43.7% FG, 38.4% 3P
G	#2	Dylan Harper	6’5 | 220 lbs Rutgers | Age: 20	11.8 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 spg 50.5% FG, 34.3% 3P
G	#5	Stephon Castle	6’6 | 220 lbs UConn | Age: 21	16.7 ppg, 7.4 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 spg 47.1% FG, 33.2% 3P
PG	#4	De’Aaron Fox	6’3 | 190 lbs Kentucky | Age: 28	18.6 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 spg 48.6% FG, 33.2% 3P

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
F	#3	Keldon Johnson	6’6 | 215 lbs Kentucky | Age: 27	13.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg 51.9% FG, 36.3% 3P
SF	#23	Tobias Harris	6’8 | 230 lbs Tennessee | Age: 34	13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.9 spg 46.9% FG, 36.8% 3P – (DET)
SG/SF	#30	Julian Champagnie	6’7 | 215 lbs St. John’s | Age: 25	11.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 spg 43.7% FG, 38.1% 3P
C	#7	Luke Kornet	7’1 | 270 lbs Vanderbilt | Age: 31	6.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1 bpg 64.3% FG
F	#11	Carter Bryant	6’7 | 230 lbs Arizona | Age: 20	4.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.3 bpg 40.8% FG, 33.5% 3P
F	#40	Harrison Barnes	6’8 | 225 lbs North Carolina | Age: 34	9.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.6 spg 45.6% FG, 38.8% 3P
PF/C	#22	Jayden Quaintance (R)	6’10 | 255 lbs Kentucky | Age: 19	DRAFTED: 20th overall by SAS
PG	#0	Jordan McLaughlin	6’0 | 180 lbs USC | Age: 30	2 ppg, 0.9 apg, 0.7 rpg, 0.5 spg 41.8% FG, 42.5% 3P
C	#10	Tarris Reed Jr. (R)	6’10 | 270 lbs UConn | Age: 23	DRAFTED: 26th overall by DEN

POS.	NO.	TWO-WAY CONTRACTS	Ht./Wt./From/Age	2025-26 Season Stats
SF	#25	David Jones Garcia	6’4 | 215 lbs Memphis | Age: 24	11 GP, 2.9 ppg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 rpg 52% FG, 60% 3P
PG	#17	Ja’Kobi Gillespie (R)	6’1 | 180 lbs Tennessee | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 42nd overall by SAS
F	#15	Maliq Brown (R)	6’9 | 235 lbs Duke | Age: 22	DRAFTED: 44th overall by SAS

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
Projected Record: 61-21, 1st in West
MVP: C Victor Wembanyama
X-Factor: PG De’Aaron Fox
Add: SF Tobias Harris (Signed)
Loss: C Kelly Olynyk (Signed overseas)
Grade: A-

After several straight years of being a lottery team, the Spurs took as big a step as you can in this league, making it all the way to the Finals while falling short to the Knicks in 5 games. Wemby established himself as the future best player in the league for years to come, and the added depth that this team has accumulated over several lottery picks is loading up. Dylan Harper was a breakout rookie who came up huge in the playoffs, while Stephon Castle has become one of the best two-way guards in the league and a future all-star. De’Aaron Fox is the contemplating piece now as he enters his 9th year in the league.

They return practically the same team, while adding veteran Tobias Harris and extending Julian Champagnie who is their lethal three-point sniper. They still held 2 1st round picks from all of the rebuilding trades they’ve made and were able to replace Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, and Bismack Biyombo with two young bigs in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. In my mind, it’s a two man race in the West between these boys and the mighty Thunder. They still have the most to prove as they look to hoist their first championship in the new Wemby era. OKC’s well oiled machine should make for a cinematic 7-game WCF again this year.