Welcome back, hoops friends!

This week marks the NBA’s official return after a near five-month absence. And there are no shortage of storylines to sort through and monitor as we finally get to watch the best men’s basketball players in the world again.

Can the reigning league champion Oklahoma City Thunder repeat? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. seem well-equipped to do so, but they won’t have their shortage of worthy comers. Speaking of, after two straight second-round defeats, the Denver Nuggets might possess the best roster of three-time MVP Nikola Jokić’s career. It is (reassuringly) championship or bust in Denver once again. Then there are the Houston Rockets. After adding Kevin Durant, Houston is rightfully thinking about hoisting its first championship trophy in three decades.

NBA Player Rankings: The 25 best players this season

On a lower scale, how will Cooper Flagg fit on a veteran Dallas Mavericks team? Are we about to witness another monstrous leap from Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio? How will Luka Dončić look in a full season with the Los Angeles Lakers? Are teams like the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors simply just treading water? Oh, yeah, and LeBron James and Steph Curry are still playing (for some reason).

I could go on and on. In the interest of brevity and table-setting, here’s the first edition of For The Win’s NBA Power Rankings during the 2025-2026 season. Enjoy the early-season festivities, dearest readers. I have a feeling we’re in for another all-time league campaign over the next eight months or so.

The Nets are entering a season where their No. 1 and No. 2 scorers will likely be Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr., in varying order, every single night. On the league’s otherwise worst roster on paper, this duo will have the greenest light to get shots up. Basketball gods help me, I think the Nets might (sometimes) be appointment viewing.

29. New Orleans Pelicans

A noticeably trim Zion Williamson isn’t enough to quell concerns about the Pelicans’ standing in a tough Western conference. There are promising pieces here like Trey Murphy, Jeremiah Fears, and Derik Queen, to be sure. But it’ll take some time before New Orleans establishes any sort of meaningful identity barring dominant performances from Williamson, of whom I remain very skeptical of as a supposed franchise player.

28. Utah Jazz

Ace Bailey could be a player for the Jazz to build around in due time, but the rest of this roster is in rough shape. Until Utah (inevitably) offloads Lauri Markkanen to a prospective contender for a blockbuster trade package, it’s hard to take Danny Ainge’s team seriously. We’re entering another season, in as many years, where the Jazz are incentivized to lose games for a better draft pick.

Perhaps this year the strategy will finally pay off. Maybe.

Is LaMelo Ball a winning player? Do the Hornets have enough size to, at least, try and compete?

The answers to these two questions will determine whether Charlotte has another bottom-feeding season or shows signs of meaningful progress in an earnest rebuild that should, hopefully, start percolating soon.

26. Washington Wizards

The Wizards weren’t able to draft a bona fide, ready-made, franchise star in this summer’s draft. But that’s OK because Washington is still on the upswing with a young nucleus featuring Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and rookie sharpshooter Tre Johnson. The Wizards remain mid, at best, but they’re going to be a tougher out than expected on many evenings. Overlook them at your own risk.

25. Phoenix Suns

Godspeed to Devin Booker. He went from a stacked Suns team featuring the NBA’s most synergistic lineup at the start of this decade to a group that will now heavily feature Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. How jarring. Heavy is the head that wears the franchise player crown.

24. Chicago Bulls

Josh Giddey seems like a more efficient and effective primary initiator these days. Matas Buzelis might also be a Real Guy. These are promising developments because that is all the woeful Bulls can hang their hat on at the moment. Get ready for another No. 9 or No. 10 play-in seed, Chicago. That’s the Jerry Reinsdorf and Billy Donovan way.

23. Sacramento Kings

After signing Russell Westbrook, the Kings have approximately a gajillion guards and wings. They have exactly one real big, Domantas Sabonis. What wonderfully senseless roster construction. For lack of a better phrase, I’m excited to see how this latest Sacramento experiment blows up in the Kings’ face. I have little doubt it won’t provide significant comedic folly.

22. Toronto Raptors

What is the Raptors’ plan? Trading for a veteran scorer like Brandon Ingram last year signaled that Toronto wasn’t interested in a rebuild from the studs. That makes sense because Scottie Barnes seems like he’s a worthwhile winning player. The rest of the Raptors’ roster remains in such untrustworthy flux, though, that it boggles the mind why Toronto wouldn’t want to take any meaningful step back. A big year for R.J. Barrett could go long way toward feeling better about whatever it is the NBA’s resident dinosaur team wants to accomplish.

21. San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama remains the Spurs’ sun, moon, and stars. Which, duh.

I can’t say the same for the rest of the Spurs, who are questions mark until proven otherwise. Among others, Dylan Harper will take time to acclimate to the NBA and De’Aaron Fox’s “underrated” reputation probably understates that he’s not really that special. This is all OK, however, provided Wembanyama continues his rapid ascent into superstardom. His Spurs probably aren’t ready to win now, but that’s not part of San Antonio’s long-term vision.

20. Miami Heat

As long as Erik Spoelstra coaches the Heat, I will never count them out from playing coherent, focused basketball. Mind you, this year’s Heat might be the worst on-paper roster Spoelstra has had to work with in years, but my point stands. There’s legitimate intrigue at the potential of Norman Powell and Bam Adebayo as a duo and Miami will still defend like hell. That’s enough to keep at least one eye on whatever is transpiring in South Beach.

19. Indiana Pacers

This Pacers season had a lot more potential when it was presumed Indiana would have a full stable of players. Instead, Tyrese Haliburton is out for the entire season and Myles Turner is in Milwaukee. Alas. Rick Carlisle would never throw in the towel but it’s hard not to wonder about what could have been for the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

18. Boston Celtics

Similarly to the Pacers, the Celtics are in flux without a superstar player recovering from an Achilles tear.

In this case, it’s Jayson Tatum, who may or may not come back at the end of the year (probably not? hopefully not?). Nonetheless, the Celtics are too healthy of an organization to throw out an entire season, so expect Boston to be sneaky competitive in a top-heavy East. A bona fide top-six playoff seed would be a massive win for the Celtics in a transitional year without their best player.

17. Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers traded franchise legend Damian Lillard, built up a competent foundation featuring promising young players like Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan, then brought Lilard back for a well-deserved Portland swan song (that will start next season as he recovers from an Achilles tear). Hey, general manager Joe Cronin might know what he’s doing! Huh.

16. Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia is perhaps the most chaotic team in these rankings if only because of a slimmer Joel Embiid’s health. If the former MVP can play up to his potential again while staying on the floor, a deep playoff run in the East is on the table. Suppose Embiid suffers injury issues similar to that of the last couple of seasons. In that case, it’s probably time to start thinking about rebooting this iteration of the franchise around a different core player.

A different core player like, say, Tyrese Maxey.

15. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies were brimming with potential over a redemptive season. But Ja Morant is already hurt. So is Zach Edey. So is Brandon Clarke. So is Ty Jerome. Such is the Grizzlies’ poor luck after a 2024-2025 that was, you guessed it, derailed by injuries. We’ll check in on Memphis again in a few weeks.

14. Milwaukee Bucks

At the age of 30, it’s scary to think that we’re probably closer to the end of Giannis Antetokounmpo as an NBA superstar than anyone would like to admit. That makes me sad.

With that said, Antetokoummpo remains an unstoppable force of nature in the open floor and at the rim, and he is still a game-changing defender. He is also still at the head of an otherwise mediocre Bucks team. If you wanted to make a dark horse MVP bet this season, there are worse ideas than picking the top-15 all-time player who could drag a middling Milwaukee squad to a firm playoff seed and borderline 50-win status by himself.

13. Dallas Mavericks

In terms of developmental situations, it would have been hard for Cooper Flagg to do worse than playing with Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively, and Klay Thompson (not you, D’Angelo Russell). So, Flagg should get off the ground running. And without Kyrie Irving to start the season, Dallas should still be a strong, defensively-centered team capable of forcing the issue with its athletic forwards and wings.

In other words, it kinda seems like Nico Harrison is going to get away with it. Who would have thought?

Is this the year Luka Dončić finally captures his first career MVP award?

LeBron James is out for the foreseeable future with a back injury and Austin Reaves appears much more amenable to playing second fiddle. At the lead of a flawed Lakers squad that should, at least, be very explosive offensively, MVP opportunity is knocking for Dončić in a way that it never even did in Dallas.

11. Golden State Warriors

What can the Warriors accomplish with a full season of Jimmy Butler?

That’s the question Steve Kerr is trying to answer as Golden State wrings out every last drop of Steph Curry. To be clear, at their best, the Warriors will seem like true championship contenders at times. But the collective age of Butler, Curry, and Draymond Green makes me a little too squeamish to expect anything more than an old team only capable of occasionally delivering haymakers because it doesn’t have enough energy.

10. Atlanta Hawks

Four years ago, Trae Young’s Hawks shocked the NBA world when they made their first conference finals appearance in years. I don’t think anyone will be surprised by that outcome this year as Atlanta has finally surrounded Young with tenacious wing defenders like newcomer Nickeil Alexander-Walker and given him an electric, reliable pick-and-roll partner in Kristaps Porziņģis.

The Hawks are deep and slightly overlooked. That makes them dangerous in an East that may often feel like it’s up for grabs.

9. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have arrived. There’s no denying that after watching Cade Cunningham become a bona fide superstar last year. The question for the 2025 Pistons will be whether they have enough complementary talent around Cunningham to truly challenge the East’s heavyweights. Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, and newcomer Duncan Robinson are nice pieces but they’re not sidekick material.

All of this paints the picture of Detroit potentially finding a real co-star for Cunningham by making a monster trade deadline addition.

8. Orlando Magic

The Magic are rightfully expecting big things this season. On paper, Orlando’s big four featuring Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Desmond Bane is easily one of the NBA’s best. Bane’s perimeter scoring, healthy seasons from each of Wagner, Banchero, and Suggs, and the Magic’s overarching commitment to defensive excellence could propel them to stratospheric heights in the East.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves

Coming off two consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances, the Timberwolves are in stasis. It feels like the only way Minnesota takes the next step as a franchise is through Anthony Edwards. The sixth-year shooting guard is already the best at his position, but he could still grow as a more willing playmaker when he gets double (and triple) teamed. If Edwards shows more meaningful progress here, the Timberwolves are plenty capable of hoisting their first Larry O’Brien Trophy.

6. Houston Rockets

Houston was considered a prime contender for the 2026 NBA title, but Fred VanVleet’s season-ending injury has taken the wind out of its sails for now. As it stands, the Rockets remain extremely deep at center, forward, and on the wing with the addition of Kevin Durant, which should give them a high floor. But until the Rockets figure out a consistently dynamic solution at point guard in VanVleet’s stead, which was a problem area for the roster before he got hurt, there’s likely a cap on what they can achieve.

Have the Knicks “solved” their defensive issues? No, because a team that starts Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will likely never be elite on defense.

But the Knicks don’t have to be a dynamite defensive squad. Their renewed depth featuring Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson stacked on top of what was already an offensive juggernaut makes the Knickerbockers a potent contender in the title picture. (Besides, Mikal Bridges, O.G. Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson are enough to get clutch-time stops, as necessary.) Factor in Mike Brown’s bona fide New Coach Energy and the New York faithful could be in for a special season.

4. L.A. Clippers

Kawhi Leonard’s offseason drama related to potential salary cap circumvention aside … the Clippers look GREAT. The additions of Brook Lopez, John Collins, and Bradley Beal make L.A. one of the league’s deepest teams. And the combined star power of James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Leonard is more than enough firepower to stand with the NBA’s other titans. I’m not worried about the Clippers having a fantastic regular season. That seems inevitable.

Where this Clippers’ season ultimately goes hinges on whether their biggest leaders (Harden and Leonard) rise to the occasion in the spring or wilt once again.

Don’t sleep on the Cavaliers. This team won 64 games last year and was a rash of injuries away from maximizing a deep playoff run. In that mentioned down year for the East, no one is in better position to take advantage of being overlooked and more or less replicate the exact same regular season success, while hoping for better injury luck, than the Cavaliers. This season could finally be Donovan Mitchell’s real coming-out party in terms of meaningful team success.

There’s no denying a smooth path with minimal resistance might be there.

2. Denver Nuggets

Jamal Murray looks like he’s in All-Star shape. Aaron Gordon has reached his final form as a paint and perimeter scorer and playmaker. Cam Johnson and Christian Braun are two of the smarter “winning” role players in the league. With restocked depth, the Nuggets also might have their best bench in years. Oh, right. Silly me. They still employ Nikola Jokić, too, the best player in the world, who now has the keys to another legitimate championship pursuit where his Nuggets might be the only team that can actually take down the top squad in these rankings.

Make no mistake: Doing so en route to a second title win in four seasons would probably be Jokić’s magnum opus.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The reigning champion Thunder won nearly 70 regular-season games last year. But even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed a transcendent season, it still felt like the Thunder left some meat on the bone. Chet Holmgren might have another all-around offensive leap in him. Jalen Williams, too, particularly as a more dependable initiator. Throw in exciting rookies like Nikola Topić and the Thunder appear better positioned to repeat than any champion in recent memory.

But saying that on paper and watching it in practice are two very different things. There hasn’t been a repeat NBA champion in seven seasons, the longest stretch of different champions in league history, for a good reason. Outside of the motivated elite competition to their throne, it is that history the Thunder are battling most.