The NBA is Here

After four months of waiting, the NBA is finally back and the players look hungrier than ever to win. It’s only been one week since the 2025-2026 NBA season started yet the league has been on a rampage since. Here is everything you need to know about the new season and the current state of the top teams.

Spurs

Victor Wembenyama and the San Antonio Spurs are now a problem for the league. Wembenyama put on a show against the Dallas Mavericks on opening night, putting up 40 points, 15 rebounds while shooting 71 percent from the field goal, spoiling number one draft pick Cooper Flagg’s debut and giving him a rude welcome to the NBA. Beyond the first game, the Spurs as a team are more cohesive since last season with new pieces like number two lottery pick Dylan Harper and seven foot veteran Luke Kornet filling up previous holes of the Spurs offense last year. The Spurs on defense as a whole has also been moving more pesky and aggressively. This is a result of forward Julian Champagnie and guard Stephon Castle stepping up and guarding the paint more. The team looks great, starting off the season 4-0 and it sparks Wembenyama’s race to become the youngest MVP in league history, as well as chasing defensive player of the year. This is the first time the Spurs have gained a source of life for a playoff run since 2020.

Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proves his MVP status with the Oklahoma City Thunder throughout the past week, securing an undefeated record of 4-0 and dropping career-high numbers. Against the Pacers on Oct. 23, SGA made history, scoring a career high in points in a single game with 55. However, he received online backlash and criticism for the ‘tactics’ that he uses in order to accomplish these phenomenal goals. SGA frequently draws fouls and baits opponents to jump into him in order to receive free throws. Because of this, NBA fans are calling him a “free-throw merchant“ and arguing that he uses exaggerated movements to bait defenders. During his career high game, SGA shot 26 free throws while making 23 of them. Whether fans like it or not, the Oklahoma City Thunder is still winning games and SGA is continuing to push for a second MVP title while leading the young core team to a bright future, that is if they continue to play like this.

Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are in bad shape, starting the season 1-3. There are numerous problems for this state, such as the absence of Kyrie Irving (injured) and how the team is running unorganized without him. Number one pick Cooper Flagg is playing well but suffers a shoulder injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder and is considered to be a “week-to-week” injury. Guard D’Angelo Russell is also a problem for

the team. He is averaging 20.8 minutes per game, averaging 10 points with a concerning 29 percent from field goal. He has been struggling to fit in the team and struggling to land his shots from the arc shooting 1-8 from three against the Thunder and 2-7 against the Raptors. The Mavericks are not looking too good and the hopes for a playoff run are looking unpropitious. The Mavs biggest hope for a turnaround is when Kyrie Irving returns to the team early 2026.

Rockets

The Houston Rockets are learning to adapt without their true point guard, Fred VanVleet, who is out for the season with an ACL injury. Amen Thompson has proven his capability of filling in his role as well as having 6’11 Kevin Durant, who usually plays forward, positioned at shooting guard for the season opener against the Thunder. Alperen Şengün has also continued to be great for the team, averaging 25.7 points, 8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, taking charge as the team’s engine. The Rockets shine a glimmer of hope for this season but still have a lot to prove in order to make a playoff run this year. The team needs to sustain their consistency and prove that players like Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason can step up and play crucial roles for the team in the long run.

Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a rough situation, having their two best players – Lebron James and Luka Doncic –

already injured, giving more pressure to the third option player, Austin Reaves. However, Reaves has been able to hold on his own, averaging 35.8 points, 6.8 and 8.5 assists for the past week as well as scoring a career high of 51 points against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 26. Besides Reaves, Deandre Ayton’s future with the Lakers is looking blurry. His impact on the team has been minimal to say the least; he even claims that the team tends to “troll” him off to court in order to motivate him before games. But for the most part, the Lakers look about the same since last year, although Luka Doncic, with the couple of games he’s played for them, is looking MVP promising. As long as he continues to stay healthy and meet the requirements of games played for the awards, Doncic has a legitimate chance this year.  He will need to prove to the fans that he can remain in shape and finally win the MVP, haunting Mavs owner Nico Harrison and the fans.

Celtics / 76ers

The Boston Celtics feel the void of not having Jayson Tatum while playing against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers took the win with a total score of 117 – 116. Tyrese Maxey stood out having 40 points. Not only that e V.J. Edgecombe put on an outstanding performance during his NBA debut with 76ers, acquiring 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, easily making him a favorite to win rookie of the year ahead of number one draft pick Mavericks Copper Flagg and second pick Dylan Harper. But the biggest thing to note about this game is former MVP Joel Embiid, who shows signs of struggle by having a rough game with 4 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes. Embiid’s future is looking shaky, coming off multiple injuries from the previous season; his return did not look promising for 76ers fans despite the win. Meanwhile, the Celtics have problems of their own with guard Anfernee Simons, a player who was traded to Boston but has yet to prove to be a go-to scorer for the team since the main scorer, Jayson Tatum, will be out for most likely the rest of the season. It will be Jaylen Brown’s job to step up and lead the team throughout the year but if he doesn’t maintain consistency, the Celtics will have to rearrange themselves.

Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have started the season off great with an undefeated record of 4-0. Stephen Curry takes on the spotlight yet again, averaging 29 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for the Warriors and proving that they are capable of contending for a title this year. They defeated many formidable teams like the Lakers and Nuggets and established themselves as a problem in the west despite their average age of the starting players at 36. Forward Jimmy Butler demonstrates why the Warriors need him, being a crucial piece on both the offensive and defensive ends during the past week. Unlike Butler, Jonathan Kuminga remains the Warriors’ biggest mystery. He is slowly shaking up to the player the team needs him to be throughout these games, since last year, he was struggling to fit in the team with his lack of consistency, despite how young and talented he is. If Kuminga doesn’t quickly find a way to fit in with the team, he will most likely end up wearing a New Jersey by the end of the season.