By Adeniyi Latinwo, October 28, 2025
The 2025-26 NBA season is upon us, and the Oklahoma City Thunder look to defend their title as reigning champions, while the other 29 teams are seeking to dethrone the reigning champions.
2024-25 Season Recap
The 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder were the second youngest team in NBA history to win a championship. Whether it was blowing the first game in the second round against the Denver Nuggets or losing, the Thunder placed adversity in their championship run.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of the most featured seasons in NBA history, winning the scoring title and the NBA Championship. He was also named MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, Finals MVP, and made All-NBA First-Team honors.
Forward Jalen Williams, was also named an All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team and scored 40 points in the NBA Finals en route to becoming a champion.
Non-Thunder Title Favorites
While everything is set in place for the Thunder to go back-to-back, there are a few teams that can give them a run for their money.
While some may consider this a hot take, the Los Angeles Clippers had as good an offseason as any team in the NBA. They won 50 games last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets in seven games.
They also added potential key contributors to their roster, while the only rotational player they lost was Norman Powell. The additions of Bradley Beal, John Collins, Chris Paul and Brook Lopez have instantly raised the ceiling, and it will pay dividends throughout the duration of the season.
The Denver Nuggets are another threat. Despite turnovers, including firing longtime head coach Mike Malone,a week before the conclusion of the regular season and general manager Calvin Booth, the Nuggets’ major moves this offseason were acquiring depth and talent to surround three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
They traded for Cam Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets and signed free agents Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas. Under a new regime, the Nuggets have addressed many of the issues with their roster: a secondary ball handler, a serviceable center to back up Jokic and more perimeter shooting.
The Orlando Magic are a team to pay close attention to in the Eastern Conference. The Magic are a young but promising team and are led by their two rising stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. They have displayed real potential to be franchise cornerstones. However, the Achilles’ heel of the Magic in recent years has been bad perimeter shooting and lack of offensive spacing. While the Magic have been elite defensively in years prior, the lack of offensive weapons outside of Banchero and Wagner has been their downfall.
They added premier shooting guard Desmond Bane via trade who brings instant offense to any team he’s on. They also drafted point guard Jase Richardson from Michigan State, who has the potential to be the first on-ball creator guard on the Magic since Banchero arrived in Orlando in 2022. If Richardson can carve out a role in the Magic offense, the sky is the limit for what the Magic can achieve.
Playoff Pictures
In the Western Conference, the Thunder, Clippers, Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are most likely to make the playoffs.
I have the Spurs taking the final playoff spot as we are entering year three of center Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs also had a full offseason with point guard De’Aaron Fox and drafted guard Dylan Harper from the Rutgers with the second overall pick in the most recent draft. The Spurs are a young team primed to show the league what they are truly capable of.
The four teams I see playing in the Play-In Tournament this year are the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks and Trail Blazers.
If one team were to sneak into the playoffs as an underdog, that would be the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers have a combination of young aspiring talent with players like Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan and Scoot Henderson. This season, k they will commit to the defensive side of the ball while still growing offense.
I believe the Eastern Conference will play out to the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.
The East was much more difficult to analyze in comparison to the West due to the number of injuries and turmoil the teams in that conference experienced. The four teams in the Play-In Tournament from the East will be the Bucks, Heat, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.
The Indiana Pacers lost guard Tyrese Haliburton for the season, and the Celtics lost guard Jayson Tatum for the season due to both players suffering a torn Achilles. The Knicks are poised to establish their dominance in the East coming off of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance last season. With point guard Jalen Brunson and forward Karl-Anthony Towns returning along with added depth, the Knicks should be able to reach the finals.
Feature graphic courtesy of Cael Cross