1 Bold Prediction for Every Team During 2025-26 NBA Season

The 2025-26 NBA season arrives this week. And that means it's time to peer into our crystal ball.

Every year, the league hits us with plenty of surprises between opening night and the NBA Finals. That crystal ball is going to help us find them before they happen.

Each and every team, and a bold prediction for their upcoming campaigns, can be found below.

This may not seem all that bold, considering the fact that Trae Young led the league with 11.6 assists last season, but there are only five players in league history who have cracked 12.0. And no one has hit that threshold since 1994-95.

He was knocking on that door in 2024-25, and his supporting cast should be even better in the coming campaign.

This summer, the front office added Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. The latter two could take a few playmaking opportunities for themselves, but they're also bound to hit some triples off of Young passes. Porziņģis will convert plenty of those dimes both inside and out.

Internal development could help the totals too. Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels are all still years away from their primes. Each could be better in 2025-26.

And the improvements from both within and without will help Young average an extra half an assist per night.

This is another one that may not seem all that bold, especially since Jayson Tatum is already posting videos of himself dunking post-Achilles surgery, but the Boston Celtics star is going to suit up for at least a handful of games at the end of this season.

Typically, the recovery road for this injury is about as long as the following campaign. That seemed an even likelier bet in Tatum's case, since his Achilles ruptured in the playoffs.

But the immediacy of his surgery and the way he seems to be attacking rehab could have him approaching his return like Paul George did in 2014-15.

That season, after spending most of it rehabbing after a compound fracture of his leg, George appeared in six games in April. He didn't do a lot, but the game action may have helped him clear some psychological hurdles. And that, in turn, may have helped him average 23.1 points and be named to both an All-NBA and All-Defense team in 2015-16.

The Celtics don't figure to be good enough for a late Tatum return to spur title contention, but it could set the stage for a big bounce back in 2026-27.

Michael Porter Jr. looks more than ready to assume a bigger, more glamorous offensive role on his new team.

In four preseason contests, he put up 18.8 points and 3.3 threes per game in just 23.6 minutes. Per 75 possessions, he's averaging up a whopping 5.0 triples.

And in the regular season, Porter's playing time should get him to 75 possessions in far more games than it doesn't.

That could mean D'Angelo Russell's Brooklyn (and New Jersey) Nets record of 234 threes in a single campaign is in serious jeopardy.

If MPJ gets starters minutes, produces at anywhere near the level he has in these exhibitions and is as durable as he was for his last couple seasons with the Denver Nuggets, he could push for 300.

The Charlotte Hornets' preseason over-under for wins is a lowly 27.5, but consider this sort of a layered prediction that includes the team smashing those expectations.

LaMelo Ball should now spend plenty of time surrounded by multiple high-end floor spacers on the wings in Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Incoming rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner already looks like a good option for rim-running, and Miles Bridges is still around to finish plays as a cutter or in transition.

All that should translate to a more competitive Charlotte roster. And if Ball's typically gaudy production accompanies that, he'll make the All-Star team.

Over the last three years, Ball has put up 24.3 points, 7.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 threes.

Trying to extrapolate production from exhibition games to regular-season contests can be a bit perilous, but it's hard to watch what Matas Buzelis did this preseason without getting excited.

In just 23.3 minutes, he averaged a team-high 17.6 points. He shot 39.3 percent from deep and looked eager to finish every play set up for him by teammates, whether inside or out.

He'll be challenged a bit more with regular-season scheming and intensity, but we've already seen more than enough to anticipate Buzelis more than doubling his scoring average from last season and maybe even threatening 20 points per game.

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers went 64-18, giving them just the third 60-win campaign in franchise history.

The last two were in 2008-09 and 2009-10, when LeBron James was around. And now, perhaps the best non-LeBron team the Cavs have ever had has a chance to match that accomplishment.

Back-to-back years with 60 wins is no small feat in the NBA, but Cleveland has all of its most important players back for 2025-26. And the already weak Eastern Conference should be even softer without Tatum (for at least much of the campaign) and Tyrese Haliburton.

Barring injury, the Cavs should push for first place and five dozen victories again.

We've seen a handful of do-everything-on-offense rookies over the course of NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks just had one in 2018-19 in Luka Dončić.

The do-everything-on-defense rookie is a bit more rare, but there are occasional examples in that category too.

Those who do it all on both ends are almost nonexistent, but Cooper Flagg has a chance to be exactly that kind of player.

This preseason, he created offense for himself and others, finished plays as a shooter and at the rim, moved well off the ball, ably defended the perimeter, blew up multiple plays as a rim protector and even rebounded well.

By the end of his exhibition slate, an Andrei Kirilenko-like line of 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal feels in play for Flagg. And if he clears those thresholds, he'll be just the second rookie in league history to do so.

Consider this your warning that he's about to join Alvan Adams in this hyper-specific club.

The last time I called my shot for a Denver Nuggets championship in the pages of Bleacher Report was in October 2022. Eight months later, Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and the rest of the Nuggets were crowned.

At the risk of splitting my conversion rate on Denver title predictions in half, I'm doing it again today.

The Nuggets still have the best player in the world. And over the past two seasons that didn't end in glory, they were plus-11.1 points per 100 possessions when Jokić was on the floor.

Now, with new additions such as Jonas Valančiūnas, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., the team should be better equipped to survive without him.

The starting lineup could be better too, with Cameron Johnson providing a bit more versatility than MPJ and Christian Braun still developing as one of the league's top cutters and transition weapons.

This team feels as well-rounded as it has since 2022. And league history tells us that most players of Jokić's caliber win multiple championships. This is the year he gets his second.

There are so many directions we could go with the Detroit Pistons. Cade Cunningham could average a double-double. Jaden Ivey could have a bounce back. Another step forward as a team could put Detroit in the top four in the East.

But I'm going to go with the first of what should be many accolades in Ausar Thompson's career.

He's a real contender for Most Improved Player, but I have that honor going elsewhere. And if that's off the board, a nod to his defense feels in play.

Thompson is a dynamic, multipositional defender who can stack up raw block and steal totals, blow up possessions all over the floor and end them as a rebounder.

And awards voters are going to reward that with an All-Defense selection.

You might read this subheading and scoff. After all, Stephen Curry led the NBA in threes per game last season and has done so in 10 of the last 13 campaigns.

But Anthony Edwards (4.1) and Malik Beasley (3.9) weren't too far behind Curry's 4.4 in 2024-25. And though Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, he is heading into his age-37 campaign. And the all-time record for a player at that age (or older) is LeBron's 2.9 in 2021-22.

A slight step back in 2025-26 wouldn't be shocking, and it may be enough to let someone like Edwards catch him.

However, Curry is about to play a full season with Jimmy Butler, a playmaker who can take some pressure off the superstar and set him up for more catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Even as Curry inches closer to 40, four-plus threes per game feels like a safe bet. And that should be enough to earn him his 11th threes-per-game crown.

Swapping Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks for Kevin Durant gave the Houston Rockets one of the best offseasons in the NBA, but news of Fred VanVleet's torn ACL was deflating.

There's no question, at least in the short term, VanVleet raised the Rockets' championship ceiling. But his absence doesn't necessarily end their 2025-26 pursuit of the title. And it might even prepare the team for its future.

Last season, Reed Sheppard could barely make it onto the floor. Now, he and Amen Thompson both have a chance to prove themselves capable primary playmakers.

On a team with Alperen Şengün and Kevin Durant, they can probably even get by with both being closer to secondary ones.

What makes Sheppard so interesting in that role is his outside shooting ability. He hit a whopping 52.1 percent of his three-point attempts as a freshman at Kentucky. This preseason, he's at 40.7 percent from deep and averaging 15.0 points in just 23.1 minutes.

He looks ready to assume a Jamal Murray-like role alongside a passing 5. And although he may be in and out of the starting five early in the season, he'll have the spot locked down by the end of 2025-26 (and for the long term).

With an over-under set at 36.5, the bookmakers obviously foresee a down year for the Indiana Pacers. And there really wouldn't be much shame in that.

Tyrese Haliburton is going to miss 2025-26 recovering from his ruptured Achilles, and Myles Turner is now with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Those aren't just two starters. Those were key pieces of the team's identity. Haliburton is the offensive engine.

But there's enough talent, institutional know-how and competitiveness here to beat expectations, even without those two.

Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam all played with the intensity necessary to make an unexpected Finals run this past summer. Now, their backs will be against the wall throughout the regular season.

Rick Carlisle will have them coming out swinging. And in the East, that and breakouts for Nesmith, Mathurin and Nembhard, all of whom will have more responsibility without Haliburton around, will get the Pacers to at least 41 wins.

As tempting as it is to use this space for further ranting about Kawhi Leonard and his "no-show" deal with Aspiration, let's focus instead on the depth the front office built this offseason.

When healthy, the Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best starting lineups in the league. And with the additions of Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez and Chris Paul to holdovers like Bogdan Bogdanović, Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr., they have the ability to shapeshift that first five to take on all kinds of different teams.

And regardless of who's on the floor for the opening tip, there should always be three or four high-end bench players ready to dominate opposing second units. The rotation being as old as it is should mean lots of minutes for backups too.

And by the end of the season, L.A. will lead the league in total points scored by reserves.

After leading the league in scoring in 2023-24 with 33.9 points per game, Luka's average tumbled to 28.2 last season. And in a full campaign with Austin Reaves and LeBron James, it's fair to expect him to come in around that second number again.

All three are capable of managing an offense on their own. And splitting the usage between the trio could prove difficult.

But LeBron is set to miss the first month of the season, and Dončić should be motivated to dominate in his absence.

The trade that sent him to L.A. is already likely to go down as one of the worst (or at least, most inexplicable) deals in NBA history, but Luka can cement that with an MVP-like campaign in 2025-26.

With his competitiveness, that's exactly what will happen. And his aggression will turn Reaves and James more toward distributing than scoring.

Between suspensions and a variety of injuries, Ja Morant has averaged just 48 appearances per season over the last five years. The only time he cleared 65 games (the new minimum threshold for postseason award consideration) was during his rookie campaign.

Thinking he may play that much might blow past bold and right into delusion, but let's keep choosing to be optimistic.

A sprained ankle prevented him from playing a single preseason minute, but there's a chance he could still be ready for the regular-season debut. And his stated goal for 2025-26 is to play all 82 games.

It takes more than positive thinking to pull that off, but the law of averages would suggest a multi-time All-Star would hit that 65-game mark more than once in his career.

Kel'el Ware averaged 9.3 points as a rookie in 2024-25, but he looks ready to smash that number this season.

This preseason, he led the Miami Heat in both points per game (17.8) and points per 75 possessions (25.1). He shot 50.6 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep.

And it already looks like he has a more natural inclination toward scoring than Bam Adebayo, who's often happy to distribute to teammates.

In 2025-26, with a more aggressive frontcourt mate, Bam will lean even more into that part of his game, and Ware might even threaten Tyler Herro for the team lead in points per game.

In 2024-25, Giannis tied a career high with 6.5 assists per game, but we didn't get a great look at how this coming campaign will go until Damian Lillard went down with a ruptured Achilles.

Over the 11 games he played after that, Giannis averaged 8.6 dimes. Over the last six, he put up 11.8 and even totaled 20 in one contest.

Now, in 2025-26, we're going to see that version of Giannis for an entire campaign. And eight-plus assists is in play. That old career high might get crushed.

Though not in quite the same situation as Giannis, Anthony Edwards' starting point guard is 38-year-old Mike Conley.

And while Julius Randle, Rob Dillingham and Donte DiVincenzo could certainly take on some of whatever responsibilities Conley gives up in 2025-26, Edwards should officially become the team's primary playmaker.

That means his career high of 5.1 assists could be going down.

FanDuel has the New Orleans Pelicans finishing with a win total in the low 30s, which would likely put them well shy of the West's play-in tournament, but the best-case scenario for this team looks a lot better than that.

When Zion cleared the 65-game threshold in 2023-24, they went 49-33. He looks in as good a shape as he's been since his time at Duke, and now, he has a more developed version of Trey Murphy III playing alongside him.

Those two alone give New Orleans one of the most talented forward duos in the league. With decent health and a solid campaign from Jordan Poole, the Pelicans could clear 40 wins again.

There has been a lot of talk of Mike Brown implementing a more egalitarian, team-first offense this season.

It was supposed to be a significant departure from the heliocentric attack piloted by Jalen Brunson over the last few years. And it may still be.

But the preseason suggests Brunson is every bit as aggressive as he's always been.

In four exhibition appearances, Brunson averaged a team-high 14.3 field-goal attempts in 23.8 minutes.

And while a little more time in this new system could lead to a bit more passing from Brunson, he'll still have his fingers on the controls at the start of most possessions. At this point, he has himself pretty well programmed as a score-first point guard.

This past season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't just win MVP. He set the Oklahoma City Thunder (and Seattle SuperSonics) franchise record for points per game in a single season.

In 2025-26, he's going to raise the bar even higher, going from the 32.7 he just averaged to somewhere north of 33.

Beyond the fact that SGA is still just 27 and presumably still on an upward trajectory, his team's second option, Jalen Williams, is still recovering from a wrist surgery. At least early in the season, Gilgeous-Alexander may have to push the envelope even more as a scorer.

That'll get him into a high-volume rhythm, set the tone for the season and help him top the career high he just set.

It's not in line with popular thinking, but for the much of the last two seasons, Franz Wagner has been the best player on the Orlando Magic.

While plenty of fans and analysts have focused almost exclusively on a disappointing three-point percentage, Franz has quietly been one of the league's best slashers, played solid perimeter defense and even taken on some point forward duties.

And if he continues to play as well into 2025-26, he has a good shot at being rewarded with an All-Star appearance.

The NBA's new "USA vs. the world" format ensures that 16 Americans will get the nod, while eight non-Americans will get the remaining spots. Five of those are almost certainly spoken for by Jokić, SGA, Luka, Giannis and Victor Wembanyama, but Franz is near the top of the next tier of hopefuls with Alperen Şengün and maybe Jamal Murray.

If he stays healthy, Orlando meets expectations and Franz is once again around 24 points, six boards and five assists, he should get one of those final three nods.

It's risky to make any prediction that depends on the health of the Philadelphia 76ers, but Joel Embiid made a somewhat surprising preseason appearance last week and looks lighter and more spry than he did at any point in 2025-26.

And even if we assume he misses 20-plus games, the East is weak enough (and Philadelphia is talented enough) to finish above the play-in range.

Tyrese Maxey is one of the most explosive backcourt scorers in the league. V.J. Edgecombe looks ready to contribute right away. Quentin Grimes could be one of this season's top bench scorers. And if Paul George gives them anything, 2025-26 should be a quick and dramatic bounce-back from their 24-58 campaign.

After jettisoning KD, Beal and Tyus Jones this summer, the Phoenix Suns have a serious dearth of playmaking beyond Devin Booker.

And that means he's going to pile up dimes in a way he never has before. Despite setting a career high in assists per game in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, he's going to do so again this coming season by inching closer to eight per game.

And while there probably isn't enough talent around him for the Suns to buck team expectations, Booker will individually have a monster season.

There's a temptation to predict another international All-Star here. Deni Avdija averaged 26.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists over his last 13 games in 2024-25. And if the Portland Trail Blazers are around .500 in January, he could be in the mix.

But Franz, Şengün, Jamal Murray and maybe even Ivica Zubac could make an Avdija call more than bold.

Instead, we'll zero in on a potential breakout for Shaedon Sharpe.

After averaging 18.5 points in 31.3 minutes last season, Sharpe is up to 19.3 in 27.7 minutes this preseason. With a regular minutes load and the volume of shots Sharpe is getting up now, he should be able to clear 20.

The Sacramento Kings have a fair bit of talent on the roster, but none of it fits particularly well.

The Chicago Bulls already tried (and failed with) the Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan pairing. And adding Domantas Sabonis, Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook to lineups with DeRozan could make them painfully cramped.

By around January, Sacramento's front office will have to accept the fact that these puzzle pieces just aren't locking together, and it'll finally make everyone older than Keegan Murray available.

The Kings may not be able to tip off a full-scale rebuild in the next few months, but one of DeRozan, LaVine or Sabonis will be on a different team before the trade deadline.

Victor Wembanyama is still just 21 years old. And his San Antonio Spurs are almost entirely unproven, at least as a playoff team.

But Wemby just put up genuinely eye-popping numbers in the preseason: 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in just 20.4 minutes.

If he stays healthy and plays like this over 35-36 minutes per game, the Spurs are going to smash their over-under. They might even get to 50 wins.

And while Jokić, Giannis, SGA and Luka perennially put up the kind of video game numbers that might make it impossible for Wemby to snag an MVP, he can absolutely get a handful of third- and fourth-place votes and finish in the top five.

The Toronto Raptors went 30-52 last season, but there's more than enough talent here to add 15 wins this season.

Assuming everyone can stay healthy, a top five that includes Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett includes playmaking, defensive length and switchability and scoring at all three levels.

Ideally, the roster would boast a bit more three-point shooting and at least one superstar, but simply having solid, well-fitting puzzle pieces in the East should be enough to finish above .500.

Longtime Utah Jazz beat writer Tony Jones has been pouring cold water on Lauri Markkanen trade rumors for months (maybe even years).

According to Jones, Utah's front office remains high on Markkanen and believes he'll still be playing at a high level whenever the Jazz are ready to compete again.

But Markkanen is 28, nine years older than Ace Bailey and well clear of the rest of the young core too.

And this season, some team is going to be desperate enough for Markkanen's finishing ability to offer Utah a trade package it simply can't refuse.

Giving up talent is often hard, but unloading Markkanen will give him a chance to make the playoffs earlier and open up developmental opportunities for players like Bailey, Taylor Hendricks and Kyle Filipowski.

He struggled through the preseason (where he averaged just 6.7 points), but more scoring opportunities will open up for Tre Johnson after the Washington Wizards trade CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton (moves that seem almost inevitable).

And when you consider how much veteran talent is surrounding Flagg in Dallas, the rookie scoring crown should be attainable for other members of the class.

Bailey could be in that mix too, but Johnson's position means he could have a little more control of the ball.

And after he averaged 19.9 points and 2.7 threes as a freshman at Texas, we know Johnson has the scoring chops to lead this class in points.