The NBA 2025-26 season kicks off on Tuesday, October 21 with a bang, showcasing 4 of the top teams of the league. It will be the reigning NBA champs Oklahoma City Thunder doing the honors in opening the season by hosting the Houston Rockets; followed by the fan favorites Golden State Warriors clashing with the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA Basketball is back, after the ladies’ side celebrated the coronation of the Las Vegas Aces as their newest Queens of the Hardcourt.
The Thunder remain as top favorites to retain the crown, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren leading a healthy and supremely confident team. Their strength lie in their versatility and their depth. They are the youngest team in the NBA, quite unusual for a champion team. Their oldest member is 31-yr old Alex Caruso, with the team’s average age at 25.6 years. They can play fast or slow, play big or small, play finesse ball outside or rough it up inside. They have all the makings of another basketball dynasty, just like the Golden State Warriors of a decade ago. That is, if they can stay together and continue to develop their game as a team.
But the reinforced Houston Rockets should be there to challenge them. The retooled Rockets beefed up an already playoff-contending roster by signing superstar Kevin Durant in the off-season. Durant joins equally versatile Turkish star, Alperen Sengun, to make the Rockets an even bigger threat. The Rockets will challenge the Thunder with their bigs, having the tallest starting line-up in the league; but they do not have the full package that the Thunder have at this time.
The Golden State Warriors, last decades darlings of the cage crowd, will win or lose, depending on the volatility of 2 of the team’s biggest stars, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. With Steph Curry continuing to weave his magic on the court, the team should be a cinch for the playoffs. The team also recruited veteran big, Al Horford, to stabilize their perennially weak center slot. Come crunchtime, it will be the performance of Green and Butler which will move the team’s trajectory. With the team’s aging leadership (Curry at 36, Butler at 35, Green at 34, Horford at 39, the oldest starting line-up in the league), this could be their last chance to pick up another crown before the team is finally reshuffled to rebuild. Expect management to try to make deals to plug their weakest links.
The other crowd darlings, Los Angeles Lakers, will be opening their season minus resident superstar, Lebron James, who is out with sciatica till November. Newcomers DeAndre Ayton and Maxi Kleber should be able to bolster the team’s anemic frontcourt; while Marcus Smart, a pug-nosed former All-Defensive selection, provides depth in the backcourt. The Lakers have the oldest active player in the league in superstar Lebron James, at 40 years old. Having his son, Bronny, in the team makes the Lakers the only multi-generational team ever in the NBA. Luka Doncic will lead this team, with Lebron soon to transition out of the playing court.
The Western Conference will see the reigning champs OKC Thunder trying to fend off the likes of the Rockets, the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves in their drive for a repeat. Over in the east, last year’s underachieving regular season leader, the Cleveland Cavs, is expected to do battle with the New York Knicks, the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks.
The Cavs finished a mile ahead of the Knicks in the eastern conference regular season last year. They missed advancing in the eastern playoffs only on account of injuries to key players. They should be the favorite to win the conference again, having retained all their key personnel. The Knicks, on the other hand, added veteran guard Jordan Clarkson to bolster their backcourt further. The steady maturation of Paolo Banchero and Moritz Wagner will make the Magic even more dangerous. As for the Atlanta Hawks, the team has been made more lethal with the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard, both being 3-point assasins.
This year, the Oklahoma City Thunder are overwhelming favorites to win another title. I have the Denver Nuggets, led by the 3-time MVP NIkola Jokic, crowding out the Thunder, for the crown. In the East, the Cleveland Cavs should finally win it, if they remain healthy for the playoffs. Victor Wenbamyama will continue maturing with the San Antonio Spurs, while we get excited with rookie Cooper Flagg. Move over, Lebron. Watch out, Steph and Kevin. The next generation stars are here!
Cover pic courtesy of Basketball Forever.
Color My World 
Charly, so nice to be back here following your NBA thoughts. I actually thought about the season starting this week…and was wondering if this post was coming…and here it is! I am a bit sad about Tatum and Halliburton both not being available for at least most of the season, although it does sound like Jayson is doing well. Of course, in Philly we are wondering whether or not Joel E is really going to last an entire season (as we usually do). It is going to be very hard for the Thunder to be derailed. I do think if they survive the Western Conference they’ll win it all again. I agree the Rockets might be the team to challenge them for the West. Enjoy the start of the new season!
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Yes, both the Celtics and the Pacers lose a lot with Tatum and Halliburton sidelined for a time. I thought Philly would be a strong contender with George coming in, but it seems the uncertainty of Joel’s condition is a preconditio to the Sixers’ success in the season. Good luck to your team, Brian, and here’s to a great season ahead.
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