By ESPN Insiders | ESPN, 2025-11-24 19:30:00
2025-26赛季已开战一个多月，我们得以初步了解各支球队在各自联盟的实力格局。
卫冕NBA总冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆队以近乎完美的 16胜1负战绩 高居西部榜首。与此同时，东部则见证了底特律活塞队的惊艳崛起，而一些被寄予厚望的争冠球队却在赛季初陷入挣扎。
赛季尚处早期，但开局阶段的表现已经揭示了各队的优势与短板。我们的ESPN专家团队审视了东西部怀有争冠雄心的球队，回答了每支球队面临的最大问题，并深入分析了他们需要采取哪些措施才能保持在争冠行列。这些球队是根据篮球实力指数(BPI)预测至少有1.5%几率进入总决赛而选出的。
跳转至球队：
亚特兰大 | 波士顿 | 克利夫兰 | 丹佛
底特律 | 金州 | 休斯顿 | 洛杉矶湖人
迈阿密 | 明尼苏达 | 纽约 | 俄克拉荷马城
奥兰多 | 费城 | 圣安东尼奥 | 多伦多
东部联盟
亚特兰大老鹰
在特雷·杨缺阵期间，老鹰队的表现超出预期。当杨回归后，情况会怎样？
出人意料的是，自从杨在10月29日倒下后，老鹰队打出了主教练奎因·斯奈德 (Quin Snyder) 在训练营中所倡导的风格：转移球、突破分球拉开空间、空切、分享球权、努力防守并保持竞争力。杰伦·约翰逊 (Jalen Johnson) 的表现如同一位冉冉升起的新星，而当有球员缺阵时，总有人能挺身而出。像尼凯尔·亚历山大-沃克 (Nickeil Alexander-Walker) 这样的角色球员表现极为出色，帮助亚特兰大在杨缺阵的情况下取得了9胜4负的战绩。
在杨出战的前五场比赛中，球队仍在努力让他与克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porziņģis)、亚历山大-沃克和卢克·肯纳德 (Luke Kennard) 等球员之间建立化学反应。如今，老鹰队在杨缺阵期间开始形成了自己的风格特点，当他回归时，球队需要时间来重新磨合。好消息是，杨预计将在12月中旬后复出，他们有足够的时间在全员健康时找到自己的节奏。这段没有杨的日子只会让老鹰队变得更强。 – Ohm Youngmisuk
波士顿凯尔特人
本赛季的目标是什么？
任何认为这支凯尔特人队是东部真正威胁的人，在周五主场于NBA杯中输给布鲁克林篮网队的比赛里，都看到了这支队伍的缺陷。话又说回来，在交易走波尔津吉斯和朱·霍勒迪 (Jrue Holiday)，让艾尔·霍福德 (Al Horford) 和卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 在自由市场离队，以及杰森·塔特姆 (Jayson Tatum) 因跟腱撕裂而缺阵之后，无论如何，任何人都不应再对波士顿抱有那样的期望。
波士顿真正的疑问在于，凯尔特人本赛季是会继续坚定地冲击季后赛，还是会转而着眼于未来——并摆脱奢侈税的困扰。对于未来赛季而言，重置奢侈税重复计税周期对波士顿来说是明智之举。目前凯尔特人的薪资总额仍超出奢侈税线约1200万美元，不过他们账面上有一份安芬尼·西蒙斯 (Anfernee Simons) 价值2700万美元的到期合同，只需几笔操作便有可能成功避税。无论如何，这一点——以及我们是否能在赛季结束前某个时刻看到塔特姆复出——将主导从现在到明年春天围绕凯尔特人的所有讨论。 – Tim Bontemps
克利夫兰骑士
克利夫兰能否再次激活其顶级进攻？
骑士队去年能成为东部头号种子，很大程度上得益于其顶级的进攻，进攻效率高居NBA榜首。而今年，克利夫兰的进攻效率排名已跌出前十，虽仍算稳健，但远不及上赛季那支火力强大的进攻强队。
骑士队依旧在大量出手三分，但命中率（35.1%）远低于去年领跑全联盟的水准。他们没能创造出同样多的篮下出手机会，也无法频繁杀入禁区，这导致进攻端的球的转移减少了许多。
多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell) 不得不承担了更多的进攻重任，场均出手20.3次，这一数据更接近他在犹他爵士队时期的水平，而非在克利夫兰的平均水准。由于脚趾伤势，骑士队的首发控卫达里厄斯·加兰 (Darius Garland) 本赛季仅出战了三场比赛。他的回归无疑将对球队有所帮助，但即使没有他，进攻端仍有一些问题可以解决，以期开始恢复到上赛季巅峰时期的流畅状态。 – Jamal Collier
底特律活塞
J.B. 比克斯塔夫将如何把所有回归的球员融入到一个已经运转流畅的轮换阵容中？
这听起来像是幸福的烦恼，但在托拜厄斯·哈里斯 (Tobias Harris)、奥萨尔·汤普森 (Ausar Thompson) 和杰登·艾维 (Jaden Ivey) 长期缺阵的情况下，像丹尼斯·詹金斯 (Daniss Jenkins)、贾文特·格林 (Javonte Green) 和老将保罗·里德 (Paul Reed) 等球员的表现不仅仅是出色地填补了空缺；他们已经融入了球队的文化，并且值得继续获得上场时间。活塞队的防守在许多重要指标（防守效率、防守投篮命中率和最少助攻数）上都位列联盟前三，而比克斯塔夫必须巧妙地把握平衡，既要保持良好的团队氛围，又要让主力球员回归——尤其是艾维，他在周六完成了赛季首秀。
在对阵密尔沃基雄鹿队的胶着阶段，比克斯塔夫使用了12人轮换。他能保持这种做法，并为这支三分命中率排名联盟第21的球队在场上部署足够的投射火力吗？ – Vincent C. Goodwill
迈阿密热火
迈阿密焕然一新的进攻体系是否达到了预期效果？
效仿2024-25赛季的孟菲斯灰熊队，热火队彻底改革了他们的进攻方式。他们的打法在NBA中独树一帜：根据GeniusIQ的数据，迈阿密每百回合仅发起15.4次挡拆；作为参考，自数据追踪时代（2013-14赛季）以来，任何球队在任何赛季的最低纪录是2018-19赛季76人队的37.9次。
这种非传统的打法提升了迈阿密的得分能力——但收效甚微。剔除垃圾时间的数据，热火队过去三年的进攻效率分别排在第25、21和21位，而在2025-26赛季，他们提升到了第13位。像诺曼·鲍威尔 (Norman Powell) 和小海梅·哈克斯 (Jaime Jaquez Jr.) 这样的球员在新体系中如鱼得水，但作为一个整体，热火队仍然只是一支平均水准的进攻球队。考虑到迈阿密并非防守巨擘，这样的进攻水平不足以争夺总冠军。
泰勒·希罗 (Tyler Herro) 即将回归或许能带来帮助，前提是他能无缝融入这套无挡拆的进攻体系。（希罗上赛季以每百回合35次挡拆领跑热火队。）巴姆·阿德巴约 (Bam Adebayo) 也缺席了迈阿密近一半的比赛。因此，尽管创新的体系可能帮助迈阿密部分地迈向顶级进攻，但要完成这一征程，似乎还需要更强的球星火力。 – Zach Kram
纽约尼克斯
尼克斯将如何应对OG·阿奴诺比的缺阵？
阿奴诺比的腿筋伤病还需要一周时间才能进行复查，考虑到阿奴诺比的伤病史（八个赛季中仅两次出战超过70场），采取谨慎态度似乎是明智之举。与此同时，主教练迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 必须找到激活卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 的方法。到目前为止，他似乎并未融入球队的进攻体系，数据也证明了这一点。他的投篮命中率比其生涯平均水平低了10个百分点，三分命中率更是创下生涯新低的31.7%。
虽然样本量太小，现在就恐慌可能为时过早，但这个问题非常显眼——尤其是在缺少阿奴诺比的情况下，尼克斯的防守举步维艰。周六，奥兰多魔术队在场上予取予求，而当唐斯和米切尔·罗宾逊 (Mitchell Robinson) 同时在场时，尼克斯的防守看起来很糟糕。纽约是一支防守中游的球队，客场仅取得一场胜利。在“大苹果城”，天似乎黑得有点早了。 – Goodwill
奥兰多魔术
魔术队能否提升投射水平，以匹配其顶级防守，从而在季后赛中走得更远？
在经历赛季初的慢热后，魔术队似乎已经找到了立足之本和防守特性。即便在保罗·班凯罗 (Paolo Banchero) 因腹股沟伤势缺席过去六场比赛的情况下，他们在过去13场比赛中赢下了9场。防守端，魔术队仍在努力重现上赛季的水准，当时他们以联盟第二的防守效率结束赛季。在教练贾马尔·莫斯利 (Jamahl Mosley) 的强调下，魔术队打得更快了，注重防守成功后立刻发动快攻并尽可能推进。但投射能力依然是个问号。
虽然他们的三分命中率略有提升，从上赛季联盟垫底的31.8%提高到本赛季的35.4%，但他们仍需投得更好。为了解决这个问题，奥兰多付出了高昂的代价引进了德斯蒙德·贝恩 (Desmond Bane)，并寄望于他能将三分命中率提升至其生涯平均的40.7%。但他的存在能否为班凯罗和弗朗茨·瓦格纳 (Franz Wagner) 拉开更多操作空间？班凯罗和瓦格纳能否提升自己的三分命中率，帮助魔术队突破首轮？小温德尔·卡特 (Wendell Carter Jr.) 和特里斯坦·达·席尔瓦 (Tristan da Silva) 的三分命中率都超过了40%，这有所帮助。但如果奥兰多想在季后赛中掀起波澜，贝恩、班凯罗和瓦格纳必须提升他们的三分投射，为魔术队的顶级防守提供所需的支持。 – Youngmisuk
费城76人
乔尔·恩比德和保罗·乔治能保持健康吗？
一年前，费城还被视为一支有实力争夺总冠军的球队。但在经历了上赛季的灾难后，这次对于76人队来说，仅仅打进季后赛就将是一个真正的成功故事。本赛季球队开局充满活力，在周四加时战胜密尔沃基雄鹿队后，费城取得了9胜7负的开局。但如果这支球队想在东部季后赛中构成真正的威胁，就需要在赛季末段和季后赛中同时拥有乔治和恩比德。
乔治在休赛期接受膝盖手术后，于上周迎来赛季首秀，其初步表现令人鼓舞，他在密尔沃基的比赛中出场25分钟，得到21分、5个篮板、3次助攻和2次抢断。恩比德在因右膝酸痛缺阵前的表现起伏不定，他在防守端远离篮筐的移动能力是表明他对自己经过手术修复的左膝仍未完全恢复信心的最大迹象。但如果他们两人能够出战并保持合理的效率，与泰瑞斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey)、新秀VJ·埃奇库姆 (VJ Edgecombe) 和昆廷·格莱姆斯 (Quentin Grimes) 组成的外线三人组并肩作战，考虑到东部顶尖球队的实力相对疲软，76人队将有底气认为自己是一支充满变数的球队。 – Bontemps
多伦多猛龙
推动猛龙队取得火热开局的最大因素是什么？
令人惊讶的是，是他们的阵容深度。多伦多拥有五位知名的高薪球员，但由他们组成的首发阵容每百回合仅净胜对手5分——这是一个尚可但并不惊艳的表现。正如预期的那样，猛龙队首发球员的技术特点并非完美契合。
然而，当替补球员格雷迪·迪克 (Gradey Dick)、奥凯·阿巴吉 (Ochai Agbaji)、贾马尔·希德 (Jamal Shead) 和桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利 (Sandro Mamukelashvili) 在场时，猛龙队却能大放异彩，因为主教练达尔科·拉亚科维奇 (Darko Rajaković) 可以灵活调配阵容，确保在任何时候都能保持攻防两端的平衡。在所有共同出场时间超过100分钟的27对猛龙队双人组合中，排名前十的组合都包含迪克或马穆克拉什维利，而像布兰登·英格拉姆 (Brandon Ingram) 和斯科蒂·巴恩斯 (Scottie Barnes)，以及英格拉姆和RJ·巴雷特 (RJ Barrett) 这样星光熠熠的组合，本赛季在场时实际上是输分的。
这种动态引发了人们对猛龙队在季后赛中上限的疑问，因为季后赛的轮换阵容通常会缩减。但至少目前来看，没有理由认为猛龙队的角色球员会停止为球队带来胜利。 – Kram
西部联盟
丹佛掘金
卡梅伦·约翰逊能融入球队的进攻盛宴吗？
尽管掘金队休赛期最大引援在赛季初经历了持续的低迷状态，但他们仍展现出作为卫冕冠军雷霆队最大威胁之一的实力。
即便在卡梅伦·约翰逊 (Cameron Johnson) 场均仅得9.4分，三分命中率仅为33.3%（比其生涯平均水平低近10个百分点）的情况下，丹佛的进攻效率（每百回合121.9分）仍高居联盟第二，净效率值（+9.7）排名第三。约翰逊在因右臂肱二头肌拉伤休战一场后的表现令人鼓舞。他在过去两场比赛中场均得到14.5分，投篮17中9，三分8中5。尤其是在克里斯蒂安·布劳恩 (Christian Braun) 因脚踝扭伤至少缺阵六周的情况下，掘金队更需要约翰逊发挥出他的正常水平。 – Tim MacMahon
金州勇士
更轻松的赛程能否带来更稳定的表现？
史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 最近一直在追踪并引用一项数据。在18场比赛中，当勇士队的失误数少于对手时，他们战绩为8胜1负；而当失误数多于对手时，战绩为1胜8负。科尔认为，如果勇士队想重现去年二月吉米·巴特勒三世 (Jimmy Butler III) 交易后那支冲刺进入季后赛、打出23胜8负的球队风采，最大的关键就是更持续地保护好球权。
勇士队希望，更宽松的赛程和更多的训练能带来更集中的注意力、得到休息的身体，从而减少失误。在开赛第一个月里，他们打了全联盟最多的17场比赛、12个客场和5次背靠背。但付出总有回报。他们接下来的四场比赛都在主场，并且在一月份有连续八个主场。西部联盟的底部竞争格局出人意料地宽松。他们9胜9负的战绩排在第八位。但这支年龄偏大的球队志在获得前六的种子席位。为了爬升到安全区，他们不能整个赛季都在50%胜率附近徘徊。 – Anthony Slater
休斯顿火箭
休斯顿能否在进攻端保持当前的水准？
火箭队不仅能保持其进攻水准，甚至还有很大可能继续提升，因为他们的首发阵容磨合时间并不长，而且角色球员阵容仍在适应与明星前锋凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 一同打球。别忘了，休斯顿在训练营开始前就因赛季报销的伤病失去了首发控卫弗雷德·范弗利特 (Fred VanVleet)，这迫使火箭队采用集体组织进攻的方式。这种方式效果很好，由阿尔佩伦·申京 (Alperen Şengün)、阿门·汤普森 (Amen Thompson) 和杜兰特承担主要的持球责任。
更重要的是，杜兰特赋予了队友们寻找各自角色的权力。申京正在转变为一个超级巨星级别的进攻轴心。汤普森在篮下无人区肆虐。小贾巴里·史密斯 (Jabari Smith Jr.) 的三分命中率达到生涯新高的39.5%，而里德·谢泼德 (Reed Sheppard) 则继续证明他是大家所期待的远程神射手，三分命中率高达48.8%。
休斯顿的内线球员需要保持健康，以维持球队的篮板统治力。根据ESPN Research的数据，休斯顿已经打出过两波5连胜，并且在8场比赛中二次进攻得分超过20分，领跑全联盟。基本上，火箭队凭借其强硬的风格打造了联盟最佳的进攻，而这种风格在季后赛中应该同样有效。 – Michael C. Wright
洛杉矶湖人
湖人强大的进攻火力能否掩盖其防守缺陷？
洛杉矶湖人队在上赛季的一月和二月找到了节奏，取得了19胜7负的战绩，并且防守效率排在联盟前五。当时球队不仅经历了卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić) 与安东尼·戴维斯 (Anthony Davis) 交易带来的阵容巨变，还在实战中迅速形成了一种以防守为核心的球队特质。本赛季到目前为止，他们的防守大幅下滑，场均防守效率排名第14位——每百回合失分比联盟领先的俄克拉荷马城雷霆队多出惊人的10.1分。
然而，由东契奇、奥斯汀·里夫斯 (Austin Reaves) 以及现在的勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 这三位具备三重威胁的侧翼球员所组织的进攻，可能成为湖人本赛季赖以生存的法宝。至少目前是这样。湖人队的真实投篮命中率（61.5%）位列联盟第二，场均罚球次数（29次）和关键时刻的罚球命中率（87.5%）也均排在联盟第二——这些都表明他们在需要时能够随心所欲地在进攻端得分。在周二战胜犹他爵士队的比赛中——这是本赛季湖人14人名单上所有球员首次全员健康出战——湖人队得到了赛季新高的140分，全队投篮命中率高达60%，并送出了31次助攻。
随着詹姆斯在因坐骨神经痛长期休战后努力找回比赛体能，以及主教练JJ·雷迪克 (JJ Redick) 在全员可用的情况下调整其最佳轮换阵容，依靠进攻或许是湖人队继续赢球的最佳选择。 – Dave McMenamin
明尼苏达森林狼
森林狼能否在内部找到尼凯尔·亚历山大-沃克的替代者？
在连续两次杀入分区决赛的征程中，阵容深度曾是明尼苏达的优势，但失去亚历山大-沃克已将其变为一个弱点。根据NBA Advanced Stats的数据，尽管前最佳第六人奖得主纳兹·里德 (Naz Reid) 能从板凳席上贡献场均13.1分，但明尼苏达替补球员的场均上场时间和得分均排在联盟第28位。
考虑到森林狼队 depleted 的选秀资产，培养亚历山大-沃克的替代者至关重要。到目前为止，2024年的首轮秀罗伯·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham) 和小特伦斯·香农 (Terrence Shannon Jr.)（目前因左脚骨挫伤休战）的有效投篮命中率都低于40%，这限制了他们的上场时间。
森林狼队最接近内部解决方案的是2023年的二轮秀杰伦·克拉克 (Jaylen Clark)，他是一位强壮的外线防守者，在森林狼的年轻后卫中出场时间最多（场均16.5分钟），三分球25投9中（命中率36%）。如果对手不重视克拉克的投射能力，那么在季后赛的严酷考验中，将很难让他留在场上。 – Kevin Pelton
俄克拉荷马城雷霆
我们是否正在见证NBA历史上最伟大的球队之一？
很难对卫冕冠军挑出毛病，尽管全NBA阵容的前锋杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams) 本赛季至今一秒未上，他们仍取得了17胜1负的开局。俄克拉荷马城有望打破赛季场均净胜分纪录……而且是连续第二个赛季。他们场均净胜对手16.3分，这比上赛季创纪录的+12.9分净胜分有了惊人的提升。
雷霆队拥有联盟最佳的防守（再次），并且优势大得惊人。俄克拉荷马城将对手的得分限制在每百回合103.1分，比排名第二的活塞队少了7.1分。为了让大家理解这个差距，这几乎相当于第二名活塞队和第22名爵士队之间的差距。雷霆队有多么统治力？卫冕MVP谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在俄克拉荷马城超过一半的比赛中，第四节都作壁上观。 – MacMahon
圣安东尼奥马刺
圣安东尼奥赛季初的伤病潮是否会削弱其真正争冠的前景？
有可能。维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 成为了这支球队伤病名单上的最新成员，队中已有多名球员因伤缺席了本赛季至今的大部分比赛。在2024-25赛季仅与文班亚马并肩作战五场之后，老将迪阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 本赛季也只与这位法国天才一同出战了四次，因为这名后卫因腿筋拉伤错过了前八场比赛。二号秀迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)（小腿）自11月2日以来一直没有出场，而像杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan)、卢克·科内特和凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk) 等前场球员也错过了部分比赛。对圣安东尼奥来说幸运的是，所有伤病都发生得较早，且被认为是轻微伤势，同时也为替补球员提供了积累经验的机会。
但所有的缺阵正在减缓这支球队培养默契的速度，而他们深知这种默契是现实地在季后赛中竞争所必需的。马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 已多次谈到，在众多球员缺阵的情况下，要建立必需的化学反应所面临的挑战。我们已经看到了文班亚马和卡斯尔通过夏天的共同训练，作为二人组所取得的进步。但考虑到福克斯和文班亚马都是能够接管比赛的明星球员，文班亚马与福克斯之间的默契对圣安东尼奥的成功更为重要。 – Wright
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：NBA contender questions: How East, West leaders can reach playoffs
NBA contender questions: How East, West leaders can reach playoffs
It’s been more than a month since the 2025-26 season started, giving us an early idea of where teams stack up in their respective conferences.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions, are at the top of the Western Conference with a nearly perfect16-1 record**.** Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference has seen the surprising rise of the Detroit Pistons, while teams expected to contend for the conference faced early struggles.
The season is still in its infancy, but early play is already revealing strengths and weaknesses. Our ESPN insiders took a look at teams with title aspirations in both conferences, answered the biggest question facing each team and weighed in on what each team needs to do to stay among the contenders. These teams were selected based on having at least a 1.5% chance of reaching the finals per BPI.
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | CLE | DEN
DET | GS | HOU | LAL
MIA | MIN | NY |OKC
ORL | PHI | SA | TOR
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have played above expectations with Trae Young out. What happens when Young returns?
Surprisingly, since Young went down on Oct. 29, the Hawks have played the style head coach Quin Snyder preached during camp: moving the ball, drive and space, cutting, sharing the ball, defending and being competitive. Jalen Johnson has played like an emerging star and players are stepping up when others are out. Role players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker have been terrific as Atlanta has gone 9-4 without Young.
The team was trying to develop chemistry during the first five games Young played in with players like Kristaps Porzingis, Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. Now, the Hawks have begun forming an identity in Young’s absence, and it will take time to develop cohesion when he returns. The good thing is Young is expected back after mid-December, and they have plenty of time to find their stride at full strength. This period without Young will only make the Hawks stronger. – Ohm Youngmisuk
Boston Celtics
What is the goal for this season?
Anyone believing this Celtics team is a real threat in the East saw the flaws in this group in Friday’s NBA Cup loss at home to the Brooklyn Nets. Then again, after trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, letting Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk in free agency and having Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles, no one should be expecting that from Boston, anyway.
The real question in Boston is if the Celtics will remain truly committed to trying to make the playoffs this season, or if they’ll instead pivot to the future – and getting out of the luxury tax. For future seasons, resetting the repeater clock would be a wise move for Boston, and the Celtics currently remain about $12 million over it, although with a $27 million expiring salary in Anfernee Simons on the books they are a couple of moves away from potentially ducking it. Either way, that – plus whether or not we see Tatum at some point before the season ends – will dominate the discussion around the Celtics from now until next spring. – Tim Bontemps
Cleveland Cavaliers
Can Cleveland unlock its elite offense again?
The Cavs were the No.1 seed in the East last year in large part because of an elite offense that was the best in the NBA in efficiency. This year, Cleveland ranks outside the top 10 offenses, still solid, but far from the prolific offense that carried the team last season.
The Cavs are still launching 3s but making them at a much lower clip (35.1%) from their league-leading pace last year. They haven’t been able to generate as many shots at the rim or get in the paint as often, which has led to an offense with much less ball movement.
Donovan Mitchell has had to take on a greater share of the offense, averaging 20.3 field goal attempts per game, numbers more in line with his days in Utah than averages in Cleveland. The Cavs have had Darius Garland, their starting point guard, for only three games this season because of a toe injury. His addition to the rotation will certainly help, but the offense still has a few issues it can iron out without him to start flowing the way it was at its peak last season. – Jamal Collier
Detroit Pistons
How will J.B. Bickerstaff incorporate all his returning players into a rotation that has been rolling?
It sounds like rich people problems, but with Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey out for long stretches, players such as Daniss Jenkins, Javonte Green and veteran Paul Reed have done more than fill in admirably; they’ve woven themselves into the culture and have warranted playing time to continue. The Pistons’ defense is top three in so many important metrics (defensive rating, defensive field goal percentage and fewest assists), and Bickerstaff has to walk the fine line of keeping the good vibes going while bringing back his mainstays – especially Ivey, who made his season debut on Saturday.
Bickerstaff played 12 when the game was in contention against Milwaukee. Can he keep that up and put enough shooting on the floor for a team that’s 21st in 3-point shooting? – Vincent C. Goodwill
Miami Heat
Is Miami’s new-look offense working as intended?
Following in the footsteps of the 2024-25 Memphis Grizzlies, the Heat have overhauled their offensive approach. They don’t look like any other team in the NBA: Miami is setting just 15.4 picks per 100 possessions, per GeniusIQ; for context, the previous low for any team in any season in the tracking era (since 2013-14) was 37.9 picks by the 2018-19 76ers.
This unorthodox style has boosted Miami’s scoring – but only slightly. Stripping out garbage time, the Heat ranked 25th, 21st and 21st in offensive efficiency, and they’re up to 13th in 2025-26. Individual players like Norman Powell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have taken to the new system with aplomb, but as a whole, the Heat are still only an average offensive team, which isn’t good enough to compete for a title when Miami is not a defensive juggernaut.
The impending return of Tyler Herro could help, if he’s able to slot seamlessly into the no-picks offense. (Herro led the Heat with 35 picks per 100 possessions last season.) Bam Adebayo has also missed nearly half of Miami’s games. So while the innovative system might get Miami part of the way to a top-tier offense, more star power appears necessary to complete that journey. – Zach Kram
New York Knicks
How will the Knicks handle the absence of OG Anunoby?
It’ll be another week before Anunoby is evaluated for his hamstring injury, and given Anunoby’s injury history (playing 70-plus games only twice in eight seasons), it seems being cautious will be the smart play here. In the meantime, head coach Mike Brown has to find a way to unlock Karl-Anthony Towns. He doesn’t seem to fit in the offense so far, and the numbers bear it out. He’s shooting 10 percentage points below his career average and a career-low 31.7% from 3-point range.
It’s such a small sample size that perhaps it’s too early to panic, but it’s noticeable – especially with how the Knicks struggle defensively without Anunoby. On Saturday, Orlando feasted all over the floor, and the Knicks didn’t look good on defense when playing Towns and Mitchell Robinson together. New York is a middle-of-the-pack team on defense with one win on the road. It’s getting late a bit early in Gotham. – Goodwill
Orlando Magic
Can the Magic raise their shooting to match their elite defense for a deep playoff run?
After a slow start to the season, the Magic have seemingly found their footing and defensive identity. They’ve won 9 of their last 13, even with Paolo Banchero missing the past six games because of a groin injury. Defensively, the Magic are still trying to recapture the level they defended at last season when they finished with the second-best defensive rating. And the Magic are playing faster with coach Jamahl Mosley emphasizing running off stops and pushing when they can. But shooting remains a question mark.
While they’ve improved their 3-point shooting slightly, from a last-place 31.8% last season to 35.4% this season, they need to shoot better. Orlando paid a steep price to get Desmond Bane to address this area, betting he will raise his 3-point shooting percentage to his career 40.7% average. But will his presence open more space for Banchero and Franz Wagner to operate in? And can Banchero and Wagner improve their 3-point shooting to get the Magic out of the first round? Wendell Carter Jr. and Tristan da Silva have shot above 40% from 3, which helps. But if Orlando wants to make noise in the postseason, Bane, Banchero and Wagner have to raise their 3-point shooting to give Orlando’s elite defense the help it needs. – Youngmisuk
Philadelphia 76ers
Can Joel Embiid and Paul George stay healthy?
It was a year ago that Philadelphia was seen as a team worthy of being a title contender. But after the disaster that last season was, just making the playoffs will be a true success story for the 76ers this time around. It’s been a frisky start to the season, with Philadelphia jumping out to a 9-7 start after Thursday’s overtime win in Milwaukee. But for this team to have any chance of being a real threat to make playoff noise in the Eastern Conference, it’s going to need both George and Embiid available down the stretch and in the playoffs.
The early returns on George, who made his season debut last week after offseason knee surgery, are encouraging after he had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes in Milwaukee. Embiid’s play had been up and down before he missed time with right knee soreness, with his mobility away from the basket defensively the biggest sign that he still isn’t fully confident on his surgically repaired left knee. But if the two of them can play and be reasonably effective alongside the perimeter trio of Tyrese Maxey, rookie VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes, the Sixers will be able to talk themselves into being frisky given the soft nature of the top of the conference. – Bontemps
Toronto Raptors
What’s the biggest factor propelling the Raptors to their hot start?
Surprisingly, it’s their depth. Toronto has five well-known, highly paid players, but the starting lineup they comprise has outscored opponents by only 5 points per 100 possessions – a decent but unspectacular showing. As expected, the skill sets of Toronto’s starters don’t make for a perfect fit.
However, the Raptors are thriving when reserves Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Jamal Shead and Sandro Mamukelashvili are on the floor, as coach Darko Rajakovic can mix and match his lineups to ensure a proper two-way balance at all times. Out of 27 Raptors duos with at least 100 minutes together, the top 10 all involve either Dick or Mamukelashvili, while the starrier pairings of Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, and Ingram and RJ Barrett, have actually been outscored on the year.
That dynamic raises questions about Toronto’s ceiling in the playoffs, when rotations generally shrink. But for now, at least, there’s no reason to expect the Raptors’ role players to stop powering wins. – Kram
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets
Can Cameron Johnson join the party?
The Nuggets profile as one of the biggest threats to the defending champion Thunder despite their biggest offseason addition dealing with an extended slump to start the season.
Denver ranks second in the league in offensive efficiency (121.9 points per 100 possessions) and third in net rating (plus-9.7) even though Johnson is averaging only 9.4 points per game while shooting 33.3% from 3-point range, which is almost 10% points lower than his career norm. Johnson’s production since a one-game absence to rest a right biceps strain has been encouraging. He averaged 14.5 points in his last two games, going 9-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from 3-point range. The Nuggets especially need Johnson to perform up to his standard with Christian Braun out at least six weeks because of an ankle sprain. – Tim MacMahon
Golden State Warriors
Will a softer travel schedule produce more consistent results?
Steve Kerr has a statistic he has been continually tracking and citing recently. In 18 games, the Warriors are 8-1 when they win the turnover battle and 1-8 when they lose it. Kerr is of the belief that if the Warriors want to get back to the 23-8 version that sprinted to the playoffs following the Jimmy Butler III trade last February, the largest key is better ball security more consistently.
The Warriors are hopeful that a lighter schedule and more practices will produce sharper focus, rested bodies and, thus, lower turnovers. They’ve played an NBA-high 17 total games, 12 road games and five back-to-backs in the opening month. But there’s always a reward for that. Their next four are at home and they have eight straight in San Francisco in January. The bottom of the Western Conference has been surprisingly forgiving. Their 9-9 record has them eighth. But this is an older team that is intent on a top-six seed. To climb into safety, they can’t hover around .500 all season. – Anthony Slater
Houston Rockets
Can Houston keep up this level of production offensively?
Not only can the Rockets maintain their level of offensive production, but there’s a decent chance they’ll improve because the starting group hasn’t been together very long, and the supporting cast is still adjusting to playing alongside star forward Kevin Durant. Remember, Houston lost starting point guard Fred VanVleet just before the start of training camp to a season-ending injury, forcing the Rockets to use a committee approach to facilitating offense. It has worked well with Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Durant handling the main ballhandling responsibilities.
What’s more is that Durant has empowered teammates to find their individual roles. Sengun is transforming into a superstar offensive hub. Thompson is wreaking havoc from the dunker spot. Jabari Smith Jr. is hitting a career-high 39.5% from 3-point range, while Reed Sheppard continues to prove he’s the long-range marksman everyone expected, connecting on 48.8% from range.
Houston’s bigs need to stay healthy to maintain the team’s rebounding dominance. Houston has reeled off two 5-game winning streaks, and it has scored 20-plus second-chance points in an NBA-best eight games, according to ESPN Research. Essentially, the Rockets have bullied their way to the league’s best offense, and that style should be effective in the postseason. – Michael C. Wright
Los Angeles Lakers
Can the Lakers’ high-powered offense mask their defensive deficiencies?
L.A. hit its stride last season in January and February, going 19-7 and ranking in the top five in the league in defensive efficiency as the team not only went through a franchise transformation with the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap, but developed a defensive-minded identity on the fly. So far this season, they’ve slipped significantly, ranked 14th in defensive rating per game – allowing a whopping 10.1 points more per 100 possessions than the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, the offense – orchestrated by three triple-threat wings in Doncic, Austin Reaves and now, LeBron James – could be what the Lakers hang their hats on this season. At least for now. The Lakers are second in the league in true shooting percentage (61.5%) and are second in both free throw attempts per game (29) and free throw percentage in clutch situations (87.5%) this season – all signs that they can get what they want on offense when they want it. In Tuesday’s win over Utah, the first game all season in which L.A. had every player on its 14-man roster healthy and available, the Lakers scored a season-high 140 points and shot 60% as a team while racking up 31 assists.
As James works to get his wind back after a long layoff because of sciatica and coach JJ Redick tinkers with his optimal rotation now that he has every player at his disposal, leaning on the offense might be the Lakers’ best option to keep winning. – Dave McMenamin
Minnesota Timberwolves
Can the Timberwolves replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker in-house?
Depth was an edge for Minnesota en route to back-to-back conference finals appearances, but losing Alexander-Walker has turned it into a weakness. Despite getting 13.1 PPG off the bench from former Sixth Man award winner Naz Reid, Minnesota ranks 28th in both minutes and points per game by reserves, according to NBA Advanced Stats.
Given the Timberwolves’ depleted draft assets, developing a replacement for Alexander-Walker is critical. Thus far, 2024 first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. (currently sidelined by a bone bruise in his left foot) are both shooting under 40% effective field goal percentage, limiting their playing time.
The closest thing Minnesota has to an in-house solution is 2023 second-round pick Jaylen Clark, a strong perimeter defender who has played the most minutes of the Wolves’ young guards (16.5 per game) and has shot 9-of-25 (36%) from 3. If opponents don’t respect Clark’s shooting, it will be tough to keep him on the court in the playoff crucible. – Kevin Pelton
Oklahoma City Thunder
Are we watching one of the best teams in NBA history?
It’s hard to find nits to pick with the defending champs, who are off to 17-1 start despite All-NBA forward Jalen Williams having yet to play a second this season. Oklahoma City is on pace to smash the record for point differential in a season … for the second consecutive season. Oklahoma City is outscoring opponents by an average of 16.3 points per game, a jaw-dropping improvement from last season’s record-breaking plus-12.9 point differential.
The Thunder have the league’s best defense (again) by a laughable margin. Oklahoma City is holding foes to 103.1 points per 100 possessions, 7.1 points fewer than the second-ranked Pistons. To put that gap into perspective, it’s about the same as the margin between Detroit and the 22nd-ranked Jazz. How dominant are the Thunder? Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sat out the fourth quarter in more than half of Oklahoma City’s games. – MacMahon
San Antonio Spurs
Will San Antonio’s early rash of injuries diminish its prospects to truly contend?
It’s possible. Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle became the latest casualties on a team featuring multiple players missing chunks of the season so far because of injuries. After playing just five games with Wembanyama in 2024-25, veteran De’Aaron Fox has played alongside the Frenchman just four times this season, as the guard missed the first eight outings because of a strained hamstring. No. 2 pick Dylan Harper (calf) hasn’t played since Nov. 2, while frontcourt players such as Jeremy Sochan, Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk have also missed time. Luckily for San Antonio, all the injuries came early and were deemed minor, while also providing opportunities for reserves to gain experience.
But all the missed time is slowing this team’s ability to develop the cohesion it knows it needs to realistically compete in the postseason. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has discussed on multiple occasions the challenges of gaining the requisite chemistry in the face of so many players missing time. We’ve seen the improvements Wembanyama and Castle made as a duo through their work together over the summer. But Wembanyama’s cohesion with Fox is more important to San Antonio’s success, considering both are star players capable of taking over games. – Wright
By ESPN Insiders | ESPN, via ESPN