Thoughts on each team entering 2026

As we hit the New Year, I wanted to present thoughts on each team.

Atlanta Hawks

The Trae Young era is over in Atlanta. With Young on the court this season, The Hawks net rating is -7.5, which would be 28th in the league, and their defensive rating is 129.2, which is 5.9 worse points per 100 possessions than last place Washington. They are 2-8 in games he has played this season and 13-11 without him. This isn’t even Ewing Theory anymore, the Hawks are not only better without Young, they are one of the worst teams in the NBA with him. Would the Kings give you scraps for him?

Boston Celtics

It seems as if a Jayson Tatum return is a matter of when and not if, which makes the already dangerous Celtics a threat in the Eastern Conference. I am not expecting Tatum to be Tatum when he gets back but with big contributions from Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta to go along with the best basketball Jaylen Brown has ever played, the Celtics need to be taken seriously in a weak east. Also shoutout to Derrick White, who has been a monster on defense this season, with 7 blocks on Tuesday night in the Celtics win over the Jazz

Brooklyn Nets

Can you guess who has the best defense in the NBA over the last two weeks? That’s right it is the Brooklyn Nets. They are doing it by not allowing teams to shoot threes, just 33% of opponents shots have been threes which is 2nd lowest in the league. They are giving up a lot of shots at the rim, teams are only converting 60% of those looks, which is the best mark in the league for a defense. I am not sure this is sustainable but this Brooklyn team has been fun to watch on defense over the last few weeks.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are sneaky good with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. They are +10 per 100 possessions in 162 minutes, entering Wednesday’s game against the Warriors. I am not the biggest LaMelo Ball fan ever and I still have lots of questions about him. However, he is an extremely talented basketball player and lifts the Hornets offense in a lot of different ways. No, I don’t think that this is a good team but it is a fun team to watch on League Pass.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are 15-17 and 23rd in net rating, mediocre yet again. After a hot start, Chicago has tailed off and looks like who we thought they were going to be. Josh Giddey is a really good player, averaging 19.2 points, 9.0 assists and 8.9 rebounds but what is your ceiling if he is the best player on your team? He is also going to miss a few weeks due to a hamstring injury. The Bulls being great is great for the NBA but they just haven’t been for so long.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers have been a disappointment this season. They got a good win on Monday night in San Antonio, but at 18-16, they have not been what many of us expected them to be this season. Donovan Mitchell has been exceptional, averaging a career high 29.5 points per game but the rest of the stars have not carried their weight. Darius Garland is not scoring the ball well and Evan Mobley has not taken the offensive leap many people thought he would. Max Strus has yet to take the court but this roster seemingly just does not have enough on it.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are not good, Anthony Davis is hurt again and Kyrie Irving has missed the entire season. However, that does not take away from how good Cooper Flagg has been. Averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists, Flagg has been everything Dallas could have hoped he would be in his young career. He is such a great defensive player, on the ball and as a help defender, great passer, good rebounder and his scoring has been better than I thought it would be this early in his career. This season has not been what Dallas wanted but Flagg has been every bit as good as they were hoping he could be this early in his career.

Denver Nuggets

Despite missing three starters, the Nuggets were chugging along at 22-9 and 3rd in the west. Then, in Monday’s 147-123 loss to the Heat, they lost Nikola Jokic at the end of the first half. He will miss the next 4 weeks with a hyper-extended knee. Not as bad as it could have been but also still hurts them. The goal has to be to stay afloat, hover around .500, which could be tricky considering they are missing 4 starters. However, Denver is hoping to get Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun back before the end of the east coast swing. No matter what, they’ll need a few big Jamal Murray games coming up.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are really good. They blew the door off of the Lakers on Tuesday night and are one of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. Cade Cunningham is every bit as good as advertised, averaging 26.5 points per game, along with 9.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds. I worry about their outside shooting and think they should make a trade but this is a really good team led by one of the best players in the league.

Golden State Warriors

It has been a rocky season for the Dubs. Sitting 18-16, 8th in the Western Conference, they have been a let down this season and not just because I said they were a true title contender a week into the season. Stephen Curry has been Stephen Curry. Entering Wednesday’s game against the Hornets, Curry is averaging 28.8 points per game, leading the league in made threes per game (also attempts). Yet, Al Horford looks old, Jonathan Kuminga is in and out of the rotation and Draymond Green is unplayable offensively without Curry. Jimmy Butler has also been very good, Golden State needs their depth to step up.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets are one of the best teams in the NBA. Alpern Sengun and Amen Thompson have both elevated this season and the addition of Kevin Durant is proving to be a good one, who could have seen that coming? They are crushing teams on the offensive glass again, with a 39.8% offensive rebounding rate, the best in the NBA. Reed Sheppard has also broken out in his 2nd season after having a quiet rookie season that was spent mostly in the G-League. 3rd in offense, 6th in defense and 3rd in overall net rating for the season, at 20-10, the Rockets are proving to be a legit title threat.

Indiana Pacers

Yikes. It has been a tough season for the Pacers after their beautiful Finals run a season ago. Injuries are the primary culprit for this but it has still been a rough season for the Pacers, who have just 6 wins on the season. The good news is, they will have very good odds in the draft to get the first pick in a loaded class.

Los Angeles Clippers

Don’t look now but the Clippers have won 5 games in a row. Over that stretch, Kawhi Leonard is averaging 37.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, including a career high 55 point game against the Pistons. James Harden is also playing good basketball, averaging 26.6 points and 6.8 assists during the winning streak. This is all happening without Ivica Zubac as well. Don’t look now but the Clippers might have turned their season around.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers record of 20-11 doesn’t represent this team well. They are an average team who doesn’t guard anyone. Cleaning the Glass tracks expected wins and for the Lakers, it is 15.2, meaning they are 5 games better than their point differential says they should be. They have a lesser net rating than 18-16 Golden State and 18-16 Cleveland, both of which have been disappointing. This just isn’t a very good basketball team and with the loss of Austin Reaves we could see the Lakers slip up.

Memphis Grizzlies

Cedric Coward anyone? Averaging 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season, it seems as if the Grizzlies hit big on their trade up for Coward. In Tuesday night's game against the 76ers, he had 28 points and 16 rebounds in front of a national audience on NBC. There are things going on in Memphis that are not great but Coward is not one of them. He is a really good player and an important part of Memphis’ future.

Miami Heat

The Heat have won 3 straight games after a rough stretch in which they lost 8 of 9 games. I am not really sure what to make of this team, they are mediocre but have been very hot and cold all season. Norman Powell has been excellent after coming over in a trade with the Clippers this offseason, averaging a career high 23.8 points per game.

Milwaukee Bucks

It would be so easy for Giannis to put all the trade rumors to bed by just saying he wants to be a Buck. Instead, however, it keeps dragging on and every time he gets asked about it, he gets upset with the media. Either request a trade or don’t but this thing where you keep dragging it out is getting old. He clearly wants to be traded but doesn’t want to be painted as the bad guy in the scenario.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves are very good. 21-12, with the 7th best net rating in the NBA, Minnesota has been as good as we expected them to be coming into the season. They need point guard help, Mike Conley’s breakdown and Rob Dillingham lack of a breakout have left a sizable hole at that spot so expect them to try and address it at the trade deadline. However, this is still a really good team that can compete in the Western Conference.

New Orleans Pelicans

Derik Queen! It doesn’t make the trade better but Queen is really good. He is an elite passer for his size and age, with averages of 13.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, he is headed for an All-Rookie team. The Pelicans had been playing better but losses in their last 4 games have put them right back in the basement of the Western Conference. If they can keep Zion Williamson healthy, the Pelicans could be a tough team to play as the season goes on.

New York Knicks

The Knicks are the best team in the Eastern Conference. They have the 2nd best record right now but they are the best team, in my opinion. Jalen Brunson has been Jalen Brunson but he is not the story right now. Tyler Kolek has broken out since Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet went down with injuries. He had a big game in the NBA Cup Finals and on Christmas Day. Since his big game in the Cup Final, Kolek has averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

Oklahoma City Thunder

From the best team in the east to the best in the west (and the whole league). The Thunder have crushed everyone this season, except the San Antonio Spurs. Do the Thunder have a Spurs problem? They are 0-3 this year against San Antonio and 28-2 against everyone else so the records say yes they do. However, how many times have we seen a team sweep a team during the regular season and then lose a playoff series? The Thunder are so good, I won’t be picking against them in any series, including against the Spurs.

Orlando Magic

I don’t want to Ewing Theory Paolo Banchero but I am going to Ewing Theory Paolo Banchero. This season with Banchero in the lineup the Magic are 11-12, without Banchero they are 7-3. In Banchero’s minutes this season, Orlando is -0.9 points per 100 possessions. When Banchero is on the bench, the Magic are +4.0 points per 100 possessions. The Ewing Theory is that a team is better without their best player and it doesn’t look great for Paolo right now.

Philadelphia 76ers

Even with Joel Embiid and Paul George being in and out of the lineup this season, the Sixers have stayed afloat. That is in large part to Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has been Philly’s best player this season averaging 30.8 points and 7.1 assists per game this season. VJ Edgecombe has also been great in his rookie season, averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this season.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns have been one of the more fun stories in the league this season, especially after last season’s debacle. The Suns are 19-13, 7th in the west and their +3.0 net rating is good enough for 10th in the NBA. Jalen Green has missed most of this season as well, playing in just 2 games for the Suns. Dillon Brooks deserves some respect as well, he just keeps going to new places and impacting winning.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers are missing all of their point guards right now. Scoot Henderson has yet to take the court with a hamstring injury, Damian Lillard won’t take the court with a torn achilles and Jrue Holiday, who was great to start the season, has been out since November 14th with a calf strain. The Blazers have fallen a bit without their guards but have won their last 2 games.

Sacramento Kings

I don’t have much to say about the Kings. It’s all bad right now, they lost by 41 to the Clippers on Tuesday night. With that said, I am a Nique Clifford fan.

San Antonio Spurs

These Spurs guards are fun. De’Aaron Fox is an elite player and Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper look like they can become elite players. Obviously, Victor Wembanyama is the best player on the team and is the best defender in the NBA. Averaging 24.0 points per game, his offense is not too shabby as well. The Spurs are really good and look like a real threat to the Thunder right now.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors continue to hold onto 4th place in the Eastern Conference. At 20-14, the Raptors have been one of the weirder teams this season. Scottie Barnes is having a typical Scottie Barnes season averaging 19.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and Brandon Ingram has a real All-Star case with the way he has carried Toronto’s offense. However, I am just not a believer in this team and don’t think they have a very high ceiling. Yet, Darko Rajakovic is a very good coach.

Utah Jazz

Keyonte George has arrived. Averaging career highs in points (24.5), assists (6.8) and rebounds (4.5), George looks like he is a real building block for Utah to build around as the years go on. I also think that they should hang onto Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is a really good player and the Jazz seem to want to be good sooner rather than later, any Markkanen trade likely makes them worse next season. The arrow is pointing up for the Jazz.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are really bad but Alex Sarr is really good. Averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Sarr looks like he can be a really high level player as the years go on with his skilled offensive game and rim protection skills. The Wizards are very far away but Sarr is not.