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As the season begins to take form, it’s time to look back through all the moves and see who actually improved this offseason (and who believes they have). The biggest thing to take from this summer as whole is the belief of ‘contending’. Due to the lottery rules valuing middle-of-the-road teams rather than the teams already resting their starters by February, it’s created a slog in who’s who.

Going into the season, there has to be at least 14 teams that believe that if everything goes right, they can win it all. The real test will be between what teams are actually equipped to back that up or were they just optimistic about their offseason.

Houston TUrns Into A True COntender

Though Houston has been close to that moniker of ‘contender’ for a couple seasons, it feels like they’ve been one move away from becoming a full fledged member. Now with Fred VanVleet, Marcus Smart, and a healthy Steven Adams all returning, Houston has all the pieces to make it happen.

Last season, while relatively successful regular-season wise, was clouded by a team playing above their weight. Due to the VanVleet injury before the season even started, everyone quickly had to do a little more, but without the experience to do it. From Kevin Durant constantly having to bring up the ball to Reed Sheppard’s high and lows in a far more elevated role to even Amen taking a step back due to his heavy use on offense, everyone wasn’t prepared for what they needed to do. Now with VanVleet and Smart especially, the burden of Sengun, Durant, and Thompson to make something out of nothing has disappeared. VanVleet can add a needed calming force to the offense and Smart can add another trustworthy vet to bring balance to the starting lineup and to Reed Sheppard’s role off the bench.

Those needed additions to the team combined with Steven Adams back gives Houston the offensive stability that was distant for weeks at a time. With this team fully healthy, they now look closer to the team looking to rival OKC and less like the team that couldn’t put the ball in the basket against LA.

Pacers Start Slow, But Bring Enough Firepower To Make The Finals

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During preseason, Haliburton has turned back into the Haliburton that hit three three-point shots to start game seven of an NBA Finals. Though he has looked closer to his old self with every passing preseason game, there is still plenty of newness to this team, not only for Haliburton going back to his old form, but with Indiana’s style of play. Even with that newness, Haliburton is going into a better team that he left with, but that team will still need to find itself under Haliburton.

For the beginning of the season, a combination of a new way of offense with Ivica Zubac, along with a question marks on who will be the people to step up on the bench will leave Indiana with some growing pains early in the year. But once in the groove, the overwhelming talent on this team feels too good to ignore. The defense from Nembhard and Nesmith with the offensive power from Haliburton back together will look like no time was lost. One wrinkle to what could be the player that could make this team even better than the 2025 team is Jarace Walker. Though not really a factor once they got deeper into the playoffs, Walker has shown signs of life over the past two years that feel too good to ignore. Having Walker, Toppin, and Jay Huff as the bench along with a hopefully revitalized TJ McConnell feels like a return to the great second unit tat helped boost their finals run.

Indiana similar to the year they went to the finals, will get comfortable and find their stride as the season goes along. And fast forward to June, Indiana will be right back where they were just two years earlier, on the biggest stage in basketball.

No Team Wins 60+ Games

Though not due to the level of talent in the league, far from it, a lot is going against any team gunning for 60. Due to the new tanking rules, favoring the middle of the league over the bottom-feeders, teams are now incentivized to remain competitive all through the season. That now leaves teams like OKC, San Antonio, and the Bostons of the world not getting two easy wins against the Bub Carrington-led Wizards or the Malachi Smith Brooklyn Nets of yesteryear. Now, while those teams will more than likely lose those games, it now takes away eight-to-ten easy wins throughout an 82 game season.

For the East especially, Many of the Nets, Bucks, and Bulls of the world by March have nothing to play for, but now under the new lottery, need to play spoiler for some other teams hopes. There are right now eight teams that could hypothetically believe they have a team good enough to make a run. Now combine those eight teams with the Wizards, Nets, and even the Chicago Bulls at least under the veil of competitive basketball, games like these could become the difference between a locked playoff spot and missing the playoffs entirely.

LA Is A Regular Season Machine

Though I wasn’t a fan of the moves LA made when it comes to competing with San Antonio or OKC, they have enough to be a regular-season juggernaut. Even with a team that hasn’t been fit together for the past two seasons with LeBron and Luka, LA won 50+ games both years. Now, Reddick, Luka, and Reaves now have a team built around the strengths of Luka and Reaves.

Though LA needs to figure out their issues with perimeter defense, LA has enough to look competent on that side in the regular season. Over Reddick’s tenure in LA, they have found times in the season where, despite having a 40+-year-old LeBron, Luka, and Reaves, their pure effort on that side of the ball in the regular season has made up for the talent disparity.

Though the issues that make them a worrying team in the postseason are still there, LA has enough of their strengths on offense and consistent output over Reddick’s tenure to prove they will be a beast in the regular season

Philadelphia Doesn’t Even Touch The COnference Finals

Though seeing this group together in the finals feels like a dream, too much is going against it. Besides the obvious injury history of Embiid, combined with a 42-year-old LeBron, where every new injury is just a reminder to dads that players are just like us, this team has a lot going against its success. Though injuries are the most obvious trait to go against them, that leaves Philly at a disadvantage in a competitive East. With a team as stacked with all-stars as Philly is, you need time to find the right identity on offense and especially defense, where the age and injury history become even more of a talking point.

Though this is Philly’s best team since Jimmy was fighting with Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons, chemistry might ruin that chance to prove that.

Awards Predictions

Rookie Of The Year: Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies)

I think I’m finally able to admit, I wasn't high on Boozer originally. Coming out of Duke, I was worried about someone who has built their game on being bigger and stronger than everybody else can adapt to a league built with people who are bigger and stronger than him. I was very much wrong.

Even through only preseason, Boozer has shown to still be a massive human being despite his clear age gap and experience. Since high school, Boozer has shown to be ahead of everyone, playing like a veteran in a room full of rookies. Combine that with his innate passing ability, the runway for Rookie Of The Year is all but set. With Memphis, he fits right in for coach Tuomas Iisalo’s brand of offense built on the team and the ball being on a string. Boozer’s ability to fit as not only a connective passer but good enough to run the offense also brings another part of his game that can give voters of a showcase to how impactful Boozer is.

Most Improved Player: Walker Kessler (Los Angeles Lakers)

A lot of attention can come just from being in the purple and gold. For years, Kessler has shown to be one of the best rim protectors in the league, but what voters were watching Utah? Now in LA and with Luka Doncic, one of the best things to happen to a center since Kareem’s skyhook, Kessler is gonna be manufactured eight to ten points a game just off of Luka.

Combine that with a team who is very much in the playoff hunt, and the new spotlight on the Lakers newest center, Kessler has the perfect runway to make a leap into the Most Improved Player conversation.

Coach Of The Year: Will Hardy (Utah Jazz)

For the first time in what feels like a millennium, we’ll see Utah give Will Hardy the green light.

For years under Will Hardy, it has been the same song and dance. The team starts out respectable and the offense looks shot out of a cannon, and then they start tanking 20 games in. Through no fault of his own despite Utah’s goal of wanting to get a better pick, Hardy has had to put his offense on the backburner, now combined with Utah’s move for Jaren Jackson and the new lottery rules, Utah is in full position to showcase Will Hardy.

Over his time in Utah, Hardy has shown to adapt to roster that are either not good at all or is being forced to be bad to appease the Utah front office. No longer are Bez Meng’s of the world being forced to be in for 30 minutes to appease their Tankathon standings. Hardy with a roster comprised of Darryn Peterson, Keyonte George following a breakout year, Jaren Jackson, and Lauri Markkanen gives Hardy the chance to put on display what he hasn’t been able to show for long stretches of time: winning games. The difference from blatant tanking to being competitive night in and out might just be enough to get him this award.

Clutch Player Of The Year: Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)

For Clutch Player of the Year, the award has become less of a showing of the most reliable guy, but the person who is always in close games and will have to do everything for the team to win. No one fits that better than Nikola Jokic.

Denver’s entire offseason has been built around cost-cutting and trusting the goodwill of Jokic. Going into the season behind one of the better starting fives in the league, comes Tyus Jones, who hasn’t been impactful since Washington, Marvin Bagley, who might be the best player on their entire bench (which says alot), and Alpha Diallo who has been in the EuroLeague for years. A team with as depth-deprived as Denver will inevitably lead to Jamal Murray and primarily Jokic heroics to have a chance at the end of the game.

Will his clutch performances be incredible to watch? Yes. Will it be somewhat sad watching him have to do this for Denver to even have a shot? Very much yes.

Defensive Player Of The Year: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

Out of every prediction this is the one that barring health seems inevitable.

No matter how you put it, no one in basketball affects the other team’s ability to score more than Victor Wembanyama. Outside of the obvious length, he is just a deterrent to the rim for nearly any player on the court. His unanimous win last year only shows that. Now this season, following a heartbreaking finals loss, Wemby feels built to wreak havoc once again on defense. Though the answer seems obvious that he’s the best defender in all of basketball, the real story lies in how impactful he is as a whole.

The level of impact that Wembanyama has brought to defense is the same that Steph Curry brought to offenses over 10 years before. Just like Curry’s range bended how defenses move around the floor, offenses do the same for Wemby, but instead of bending to where he’s at, they try to avoid where he will go.

The next few seasons feel like Wembanyama’s award to lose, but what becomes of that is how offenses find something, if any, to stop someone of this magnitude.

Sixth Man Of The Year: Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder)

If Mitchell was even somewhat healthy last season, he was the easy winner for Sixth Man of the Year. Mitchell last season truly broke out as another shot-creator for OKC. Even in their championship season, OKC once Shai got off the floor relied heavily on Jalen Williams to keep that offense rolling. Now with a healthy Ajay Mitchell and a healthy Jalen Williams giving Mitchell less of a workload offensively, Mitchell can just go out and put on a show.

Most Valuable Player: Victor Wembanyama

Just as Wembanyama’s DPOY case seems pretty clear cut, his case for MVP feels even clearer. For going on five years now, the MVP race was dominated between Jokic vs Shai, and it feels more than likely, voter fatigue will set in for those two players, waiting for a new person to enter the fray. Wemby had a chance to win it last year, but a mix of limited playing time and Shai’s greatness just wasn’t enough to win it.

This season, Wemby not only has the motivation to win it, but for the NBA, an even better storyline to win it. The NBA has been waiting for someone to follow Steph Curry and LeBron as the next face of basketball and Wemby has become the closest to it. Now with a finals appearance under his belt and his impact defensively, there’s no one more detrimental to an opposing team’s chance to win than Victor Wembanyama.

All-NBA Teams

All NBA 1st Team

-Shai-Gilgeous Alexander

-Luka Doncic

-Anthony Edwards

-Nikola Jokic

-Victor Wembanyama

All NBA 2nd Team

-Cade Cunningham

-Jalen Brunson

-Jayson Tatum

-Donovan Mitchell

-Karl-Anthony Towns

All NBA 3rd Team

-Stephon Castle

-LaMelo Ball

-Scottie Barnes

-Tyrese Haliburton

-Cooper Flagg

All Defensive Teams

All-Defensive 1st Team

-Victor Wembanyama

-Chet Holmgren

-Dyson Daniels

-Ausar Thompson

-Scottie Barnes

All-Defensive 2nd Team

-Bam Adebayo

-Jaden McDaniels

-Cason Wallace

-Donovan Clingan

-Amen Thompson

Standings Predictions

Eastern Conference

1- Boston Celtics

2- Cleveland Cavaliers

3- New York Knicks

4- Indiana Pacers

5- Toronto Raptors

6- Philadelphia 76ers

7- Detroit Pistons

8- Miami Heat

9- Orlando Magic

10- Atlanta Hawks

11- Washington Wizards

12- Charlotte Hornets

13- Brooklyn Nets

14- Milwaukee Bucks

15- Chicago Bulls

Western Conference

1- San Antonio Spurs

2- Oklahoma City Thunder

3- Los Angeles Lakers

4- Houston Rockets

5- Minnesota Timberwolves

6- Denver Nuggets

7- Phoenix Suns

8- Utah Jazz

9- Portland TrailBlazers

10- Memphis Grizzlies

11- Golden State Warriors

12- Dallas Mavericks

13- Los Angeles Clippers

14- New Orleans Pelicans

15- Sacramento Kings

The Oklahoma City Thunder are Your NBA Champions!

Just a season ago, despite losing all of their reliable shot creators outside of Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC was just a couple plays away from another NBA finals appearance. Now a season later, OKC not only still has the depth and defense that has made them a dominant team since 2023, but now has a multitude of shot makers to take the load off of Gilgeous-Alexander. The biggest piece for OKC this year though, isn’t the depth and defense that has defined this era, but one player: J-Dub. In the starting lineup, the return of a healthy Jalen Williams feels invaluable. His shot-making will take pressure off of Holmgren coming off a rough series against Victor Wembanyama and Shai, who while great, was forced to shoulder a lot of the offense. Players like Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, Jaylin Williams who have blossomed into important roles for OKC since the title combined with new talent like Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara to help adjust this team from the losses of Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, and Lu Dort.

Even with the new talent, there is room for concern with losing players like Joe and Wiggins. Both were invaluable to long playoff runs for OKC giving them people who can just wreck the game. The positive is that OKC has guys like Mitchell and McCain who have proven to step up in big playoff moments and can bring that same energy, but also even bigger impact. Along with that, even rookies like Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara could come in at times and hold their own, that’s just how well OKC has built their roster to help adjust this team from the losses of Wiggins, Joe, and Lu Dort. For long stretches of the playoffs, while Wiggins and co. were good they didn’t have the consistency that players like Mitchell could bring, now with him back and a full offseason with McCain, this team is way more balanced across the board compared to what they dealt with last season.

The only thing that stopped OKC from making the finals a second year in a row was something out of their hands: injuries. Now OKC, has a fully healthy rotation filled with the same mix of depth and defensive pests that have made them such a dominant force for most of this decade, is more than enough to bring another title back to Oklahoma City.

Kruse Line’s Official 2026 NBA Predictions