[ESPN] 2026-27赛季NBA：争冠热门球队不容忽视的隐忧

ESPN · 2026 年8 月 11 日 12:04

By NBA insiders, 2026-08-11 19:00:00

距离NBA季前赛还有七个多星期，但现在开始审视那些可能让联盟顶级争冠热门脱轨、却鲜被报道的问题，永远都不算早。

纽约尼克斯一路席卷东部季后赛，夺得了53年来的首个总冠军，但进入下个赛季，他们最大的漏洞是什么？与此同时，圣安东尼奥马刺提前挺进了总决赛，但有什么会阻碍他们在2027年重返总决赛？而俄克拉荷马雷霆需要克服什么，才能夺得队史三年内的第二座总冠军奖杯？

我们的ESPN内幕专家对这些问题及其他疑问进行了深度剖析，揭示了2026-27赛季最有望夺得NBA总冠军的10支球队各自不容忽视的最大隐忧。

赔率由DraftKings 在发布时提供。

圣安东尼奥马刺

NBA夺冠赔率：+270

在自2014年以来首次闯入NBA总决赛后，圣安东尼奥马刺在自由球员市场上聪明地进行了边角修补，以一份两年价值3100万美元的合同签下了托拜厄斯·哈里斯 (Tobias Harris)，并以三年4500万美元的合同续约了朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)。但哈里斯和尚帕尼司职同一位置，这自然引发了人们对主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 下赛季将如何排兵布阵的疑问。

后场也存在类似的情况，那就是老将达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和冉冉升起的二年级新星迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)。

现年33岁的哈里斯上赛季场均得到13.3分，投篮命中率为46.9%，三分命中率为36.8%，并在底特律活塞效力期间在季后赛中打出了8场得分20+的比赛。与此同时，尚帕尼上赛季场均得到11.1分，在季后赛中两次砍下20+。尚帕尼在常规赛中首发了68场，并在马刺全部23场季后赛中均担任首发。哈里斯上赛季为活塞首发了63场常规赛和14场季后赛。

鉴于哈里斯是一位经验丰富、技术全面的老将，看到他力压尚帕尼获得首发席位并不会让人感到意外。

尽管外界有诸多猜测，但福克斯和哈珀的情况要相对明朗一些。尽管福克斯在总决赛中表现挣扎，但他预计仍将在后场与斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 搭档首发，而哈珀则将担任替补。在福克斯于总决赛中表现起伏不定之后，球队依然信任这位老将，他在今年夏天与维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 一起训练，建立了更好的默契。由于福克斯在去年7月初遭遇腘绳肌拉伤，两人上赛季在一起打球的时间并不多。

与此同时，哈珀对自己预计担任替补的角色并无异议，尽管他在季后赛中表现出色，场均能贡献14.1分、2.7次助攻和1次抢断。—— 迈克尔·C·莱特 (Michael C. Wright)

俄克拉荷马雷霆

NBA夺冠赔率：+270

他们略微受损的阵容深度可能会引发担忧。雷霆在过去三个赛季分别赢下了57场、68场和64场比赛，部分原因在于他们的阵容末端拥有大量货真价实的轮换球员。以赛亚·乔 (Isaiah Joe) 凭借其微波炉般的三分投射和聪明的团队防守，在多个夜晚为球队提供了帮助。亚伦·维金斯 (Aaron Wiggins) 有11场比赛砍下25分或以上，在谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 或其他人缺阵时，偶尔充当替代的主要得分手。而卢·多特 (Lu Dort) 则是这支防守强队在外线的防守大闸。

今年夏天，为了大幅降低高昂的奢侈税账单，这三名球员都被交易走了，取而代之的是合同更便宜的年轻球员，这至少会降低雷霆在常规赛的上限。在季后赛中，俄克拉荷马城将需要一个健康的杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams)，像两年前那位入选最佳阵容的侧翼球员一样发挥作用。上赛季，由于手腕手术和四次不同程度的腘绳肌拉伤，他缺席了49场常规赛和10场季后赛。在失去二号球星的情况下，NBA球队通常很难生存，而雷霆在西部决赛对阵马刺时也确实没能挺过来。—— 安东尼·斯莱特 (Anthony Slater)

纽约尼克斯

NBA夺冠赔率：+900

尼克斯上赛季倒也谈不上是出其不意，但考虑到他们常规赛的起起伏伏，他们在季后赛中令人惊讶的势如破竹确实震惊了所有人。话虽如此，他们能承受打82场“季后赛级别”的比赛吗？因为作为卫冕冠军，这就是他们将要面对的常态。卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 的合同延长问题会在训练营开始前解决，还是会随着东部竞争对手开始排兵布阵而继续悬而未决？

考虑到尼克斯上赛季防守效率前五的地位，在自由市场上失去米切尔·罗宾逊 (Mitchell Robinson) 迟早会在防守端暴露出问题，不过退步本就在意料之中。为这支老将球队注入新鲜血液以度过常规赛，可能是迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 及其教练组的首要目标。—— 文森特·古德威尔 (Vincent Goodwill)

费城76人

NBA夺冠赔率：+900

76人赢得了勒布朗 (LeBron) 争夺战。现在他们必须想办法让这套堪称联盟最强的首发五人组分享一个球，并培养出冠军化学反应。主教练尼克·纳斯 (Nick Nurse) 面临着艰巨的任务。

虽然詹姆斯 (James) 凭借其顶级的组织能力似乎是完美的人选，但每位76人球员都需要时间来磨合细节。泰瑞斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey) 和杰伦·布朗 (Jaylen Brown) 将不得不适应无球打法，而Klutch体育集团 (Klutch Sports Group) 首席执行官兼詹姆斯的经纪人里奇·保罗 (Rich Paul) 建议，也许纳斯会借鉴泰伦·卢 (Ty Lue) 的战术，在与詹姆斯的挡拆中让马克西担任掩护人。

在布朗身边，乔尔·恩比德 (Joel Embiid) 的触球次数也可能比他习惯的要少。而VJ·艾奇库姆 (VJ Edgecombe) 在他的第二个赛季中，必须充分利用好每一次触球机会，并尽可能多地参与快攻。

牺牲和耐心对76人来说至关重要。

“在任何一个夜晚，任何人都有可能成为核心，”76人篮球运营总裁迈克·甘西 (Mike Gansey) 告诉ESPN的凯文·内甘迪 (Kevin Negandhi)，“所以我觉得牺牲对我们来说非常重要。但乔尔无疑是我身边合作过的最好、最有天赋的大个子。因此，他将是我们成功的关键一环。我们拥有勒布朗和杰伦，但乔尔和他们一样重要。

“勒布朗在整个职业生涯中都有很高的使用率，但去年在湖人，当卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic) 缺阵时，他是绝对的核心。杰伦去年在杰森·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum) 缺阵时也是核心。在恩比德上场或不上场之外，艾奇库姆和马克西也承担了很多。所以，大家在职业生涯中都习惯了这种角色，但我认为把他们聚在一起，在训练营和练习中，他们都会从彼此身上受益。”

76人需要多长时间才能磨合好？这很可能会占据大半个赛季。与此同时，76人必须在季后赛前保证恩比德的健康，并保养好詹姆斯41岁的身体。一路上肯定会有坎坷。当逆境来临时，76人必须团结一致，并着眼于大局。—— 奥姆·永米苏克 (Ohm Youngmisuk)

波士顿凯尔特人

NBA夺冠赔率：+1300

凯尔特人需要想办法弥补布朗场均28.7分的空缺。虽然在上赛季常规赛塔图姆大部分时间缺阵的情况下，布朗场均得分创下了职业生涯新高，但在过去的六个赛季中，他场均得分也至少达到了22.2分。塔图姆预计将保持健康，并且肯定会再次承担起得分重任。

但在塔图姆身边，谁能像布朗那样提供进攻威胁呢？保罗·乔治 (Paul George) 在2023-24赛季效力快船时场均得分超过20分，但在过去的两个赛季中，他单赛季出场次数均未超过41场。佩顿·普里查德 (Payton Pritchard) 可能是凯尔特人这笔布朗交易中的最大赢家。他能否延续自己在进攻端的进步，成为场均20分的得分手？德里克·怀特 (Derrick White) 的得分也可能会有所增加。也许贝勒·希尔曼 (Baylor Scheierman)、乌戈·冈萨雷斯 (Hugo Gonzalez) 和乔丹·沃尔什 (Jordan Walsh) 将利用布朗离去留下的空缺。

凯尔特人主教练乔·马祖拉 (Joe Mazzulla) 是篮球界最聪明的头脑之一，他当然会期待带领凯尔特人在东部保持竞争力的挑战。但交易布朗在凯尔特人球迷中是一个不受欢迎的决定，如果波士顿难以填补这位前总决赛MVP留下的空缺，质疑声只会越来越大。—— 永米苏克

克利夫兰骑士

NBA夺冠赔率：+2500

詹姆斯·哈登 (James Harden) 和多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell) 是联盟中最耐用的两位后场球员。哈登已经连续三个赛季出场达到70场，而米切尔在过去两个赛季中也都达到了70场，这让骑士感到安心，因为他们知道在赛季的大部分时间里，几乎每晚都会有一到两位顶级后卫在场上。

但如果骑士本赛季在竞争预计更加激烈的东部联盟陷入大麻烦，那可能是因为哈登或米切尔不得不缺席较长时间。近年来骑士的阵容深度已经受到了一些打击，而即将进入第14个赛季的丹尼斯·施罗德 (Dennis Schroder) 是他们在季后赛中唯一的主要替补控球手。克利夫兰在季后赛中遇到了一些麻烦，仅仅是为了让哈登和米切尔在替补席上喘口气，而他们两人有时在试图组织进攻时都负担过重。

骑士可能还有更紧迫的担忧——小前锋位置、深度、哈登的季后赛魔咒，以及想知道埃文·莫布里 (Evan Mobley) 的潜力有多少能转化为现实，还是仅仅停留在令人遐想的阶段——但如果施罗德无法胜任分担工作量的任务，他们后场深度的匮乏可能会成为一个致命的隐患。—— 贾马尔·科利尔 (Jamal Collier)

丹佛掘金

NBA夺冠赔率：+2500

掘金上赛季的进攻效率排名联盟第一，但防守端相比之下却惨不忍睹。防守下滑的部分原因在于丹佛的两大球星尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic) 和贾马尔·穆雷 (Jamal Murray)，他们共同展现出的进攻才华总是会掩盖其防守能力的不足。另一部分原因则要归咎于掘金那些更有天赋的防守球员因伤缺席了太长时间——阿隆·戈登 (Aaron Gordon)、克里斯蒂安·布劳恩 (Christian Braun) 和佩顿·沃森 (Peyton Watson) 累计缺席了112场比赛。

要想保持争冠实力，提升防守是必须的，这显而易见。而更不明朗的是，需要达到怎样的争冠力度才能将约基奇留在阵中。当约基奇在2027年夏天成为自由球员时，他有资格与丹佛签下一份为期五年、价值3.595亿美元的超级顶薪合同。

“我的想法和愿望是留在丹佛。我可能会在明年签约，”约基奇在7月的一场国际篮联世界杯预选赛后用塞尔维亚语告诉记者。

然而，自这位三届常规赛MVP得主带领掘金夺得队史首冠，并凭借对阵迈阿密热火时的惊人表现（五场比赛场均30.2分，投篮命中率58.3%，三分命中率42.1%，14.0个篮板，7.2次助攻和1.4次盖帽）荣膺总决赛MVP以来，联盟已经诞生了三位新的总冠军。

从那以后，约基奇在季后赛中几乎统治了赛场——在过去三次季后赛的32场比赛中，他场均贡献27.1分，投篮命中率50.2%（三分命中率30%），13.1个篮板，8.5次助攻和1.6次抢断——但丹佛未能突破第二轮，今年春天在首轮输给明尼苏达后，他们甚至没能打进5月份的比赛。对于整个组织——从管理层、教练组到球员——来说，那种“必须提升，否则后果自负”的压力可能会非常难以应对。—— 戴夫·麦克梅纳明 (Dave McMenamin)

底特律活塞

NBA夺冠赔率：+2500

活塞的进攻将是整个赛季值得密切关注的看点，尤其是当杰伦·杜伦 (Jalen Duren) 和奥萨尔·汤普森 (Ausar Thompson) 同时在场时，因为对手在季后赛中针对了他们两人的空间弱点。但对活塞来说，容易被忽略的是两位关键且长期效力的角色球员——以赛亚·斯图尔特 (Isaiah Stewart) 和哈里斯的离队。斯图尔特是底特律护筐的强力保障，作为球队的铁血悍将，他赋予了球队与昔日“坏孩子军团”相契合的铁血风骨。

在过去的两个赛季中，哈里斯一直是底特律稳定的老将领袖，在常规赛和季后赛中都表现得十分稳定，而他年轻的队友们则经常起伏不定。活塞的球星和核心球员依然在阵，但在失去两位最重要的角色球员后，他们的球队特质将发生微妙的变化。—— 科利尔

明尼苏达森林狼

NBA夺冠赔率：+2500

在2024年和2025年连续两年中，森林狼的赛季都在西部决赛的第五场宣告结束——距离夺得队史首个总冠军还差7场胜利。今年春天，他们在第二轮被马刺淘汰，仅拿到了夺冠所需的16场胜利中的6场。

明尼苏达篮球运营总裁蒂姆·康奈利 (Tim Connelly) 没有选择一两处小修小补，而是决定进行彻底的重组。从交易截止日开始，森林狼将罗伯·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham)、莱纳德·米勒 (Leonard Miller) 和四个次轮签送至芝加哥公牛，换来了阿约·多苏姆 (Ayo Dosunmu)。随后，他们又完成了休赛期最令人震惊的引援之一，在一笔四方交易中从夏洛特黄蜂得到了拉梅洛·鲍尔 (LaMelo Ball)，为此他们不得不送走核心球员朱利叶斯·兰德尔 (Julius Randle) 和纳兹·里德 (Naz Reid)。明尼苏达的阵容重组堪称天翻地覆。

显而易见的担忧是鲍尔和安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards)——分别是2020年选秀的探花和状元——将如何磨合。成千上万的文章将对此大做文章，无数的播客节目也将为此展开讨论。他们可能会互相成就，也可能会两败俱伤。

而不那么显而易见的担忧是，那些曾打进西决的留队核心成员——爱德华兹、Jaden McDaniels (杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯)、Rudy Gobert (鲁迪·戈贝尔) 以及主教练克里斯·芬奇 (Chris Finch)——在得知球队为了转型而将原有阵容拆散后，会对这个新方向保持多大的耐心。现年25岁的爱德华兹在进入联盟相对较短的时间内已经取得了如此多的成就，如果森林狼在实现飞跃之前不得不先退一步，他会感到有多舒心？尤其是当他看到22岁的维克托·文班亚马突然插队，先他一步向总决赛发起冲击时。—— 麦克梅纳明

多伦多猛龙

NBA夺冠赔率：+2500

显而易见，猛龙最大的担忧是他们交易科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 的方案是否会因为NBA目前对洛杉矶快船涉嫌规避工资帽的调查而流产。但即使交易按计划进行，多伦多也必须做好准备，迎接一位处于职业生涯不同阶段的球员，这与他当年作为总决赛MVP带领猛龙夺得2019年总冠军时已不可同日而语。

现年35岁的伦纳德上赛季在快船入选了最佳阵容第二阵，但他已经很久没能在季后赛中接管比赛了。在效力快船的七年里，伦纳德总共只参与了17场季后赛胜利，且自2021年以来就再未能在季后赛中晋级。事实上，过去这五年是伦纳德职业生涯中没有打过任何高强度关键比赛的最长时期。

在2019年季后赛中，伦纳德场均得到30.5分，使用率高达32.2%，而在2025年首轮输给掘金的系列赛（这也是他最近一次在季后赛亮相）中，他的数据下滑到了场均25分，使用率为26.9%。虽然他依然是一名高效的得分手，但他对阵掘金时主导比赛的能力出现了起伏，并且在第七场惨败的比赛中几乎毫无存在感。为了打破赔率预测并夺得2027年总冠军，多伦多必须做好准备，在季后赛中更加依赖伦纳德身边的配角。猛龙最理想的剧本？斯科蒂·巴恩斯 (Scottie Barnes) 挺身而出成为季后赛的支柱，让伦纳德能够大量得分，而无需承担扛着球队前进的重担。—— 本·戈利弗 (Ben Golliver)

由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

查看原文：2026-27 NBA season: Under-the-radar concerns for title contenders

2026-27 NBA season: Under-the-radar concerns for title contenders

The NBA preseason is still more than seven weeks away, but it’s never too early to examine underreported issues that could derail the league’s top title contenders.

The New York Knicks ran through the East playoffs on their way to their first championship in 53 years, but what’s their biggest hole heading into next season? Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs made the Finals ahead of schedule, but what could stop them from making a return trip in 2027? And what will the Oklahoma City Thunder need to overcome to claim the franchise’s second title in three seasons?

Our ESPN insiders broke down these questions and others, revealing the biggest under-the-radar concerns for the 10 teams with the best chances of winning the 2026-27 NBA championship.

Odds provided by DraftKings at time of publication.

San Antonio Spurs

NBA championship odds: +270

Coming off its first NBA Finals appearance since 2014, San Antonio smartly added around the edges in free agency, bringing aboard Tobias Harris with a two-year deal worth $31 million in addition to re-signing Julian Champagnie to a three-year, $45 million contract. But Harris and Champagnie play the same position, which naturally leads to questions about how coach Mitch Johnson might deploy lineups next season.

A similar situation exists in the backcourt with veteran De’Aaron Fox and rising second-year man Dylan Harper.

Harris, 33, averaged 13.3 points last season, shooting 46.9% from the field and 36.8% from 3, and produced eight postseason outings for Detroit with 20 points or more. Champagnie, meanwhile, averaged 11.1 points per game last season with two 20-point performances in the playoffs. Champagnie started 68 games in the regular season and all 23 of San Antonio’s postseason contests. Harris started 63 regular-season games for the Pistons last season and 14 playoff outings.

Given that Harris is an experienced, versatile veteran, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get the nod in the starting lineup over Champagnie.

Fox and Harper’s situation is a little more settled despite speculation to the contrary. Despite his struggles in the NBA Finals, Fox is expected to start opposite Stephon Castle in the backcourt with Harper coming off the bench. After Fox’s up-and-down performances during the NBA Finals, the team remains committed to the veteran, who has gained more chemistry over the summer working with Victor Wembanyama. The two didn’t spend much time together last season due to Fox suffering a hamstring injury in early July.

Harper, meanwhile, is fine with his expected role as a reserve despite a brilliant postseason in which he averaged 14.1 points, 2.7 assists and a steal per game. – Michael C. Wright

Oklahoma City Thunder

NBA championship odds: +270

Their slightly eroded depth could cause concern. The Thunder won 57, 68 and 64 games the previous three seasons in part because the back end of their roster was loaded with legit rotation players. Isaiah Joe helped them on several nights with his microwave 3-point shooting and smart team defense. Aaron Wiggins had 11 games of 25 or more points, occasionally serving as a replacement primary scorer when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or others missed time. Lu Dort was the perimeter grinder for a defensive juggernaut.

This summer, to significantly reduce a sky-high tax bill, all three were traded and replaced with younger options on cheaper contracts, which at minimum will lower the Thunder’s regular-season ceiling. In the playoffs, Oklahoma City will need a healthy Jalen Williams operating like the All-NBA wing from two years ago. Last season, he missed 49 regular-season games and 10 playoff games because of wrist surgery and four separate hamstring strains. NBA teams generally can’t survive without their second-best player, and the Thunder didn’t against the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. – Anthony Slater

New York Knicks

NBA championship odds: +900

The Knicks didn’t exactly sneak up on anyone last season, but their surprising romp through the playoffs took everyone by shock because of the up-and-down nature of their regular season. That said, can they handle playing 82 playoff games? Because that’s what it’s like being the champions. Will the issue of Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract extension be settled before training camp, or will it linger as the contenders in the East start to line up?

Losing Mitchell Robinson in free agency will rear its head on defense at some point, considering the unit’s top-five status last season, but regression was expected. Bringing in fresh blood for a veteran team to get through the regular season could be objective No. 1 for Mike Brown and his staff. – Vincent Goodwill

Philadelphia 76ers

NBA championship odds: +900

The Sixers won the LeBron sweepstakes. Now they have to figure out how to get perhaps the best starting five in the league to share one ball and develop championship chemistry. Coach Nick Nurse has his work cut out for him.

While James seems to be a perfect fit because of his elite playmaking skills, every Sixer will need time to iron out the details. Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown will have to adjust to playing off ball, and Rich Paul, Klutch Sports Group CEO and James’ agent, suggested that maybe Nurse will take a page out of Ty Lue’s playbook and use Maxey as the screener in pick-and-rolls with James.

Joel Embiid could also be looking at fewer touches than he is used to with Brown at his side. And VJ Edgecombe will have to make the most of his touches and get out and run as much as possible in his second season.

Sacrifice and patience will be vital for the Sixers.

“Any given night, anyone can be the guy,” Mike Gansey, Sixers president of basketball operations, told ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi. "So I think sacrifice will be big for us. But Joel is arguably the best and most talented big I’ve ever been around. So he’s going to be a huge piece to our success. We have LeBron and Jaylen, but Joel’s going to be as important as those guys.

“LeBron’s had a lot of usage his whole career, but last year [with] the Lakers with Luka [Doncic] out, he was the guy. Jaylen last year with [Jayson] Tatum out, he was the guy. VJ and Tyrese did a lot outside of when Joel plays or doesn’t play. So, everyone’s been used to that for their career, but I think getting them all together, in camp, in practice, they’re all going to benefit from each other.”

How long could it take the Sixers to mesh? It very well could take much of the season. All the while, the Sixers will have to maintain Embiid’s health and James’ 41-year-old body for the playoffs. There surely will be bumps on the road. The Sixers will have to stay together when adversity hits and keep an eye on the big picture. – Ohm Youngmisuk

Boston Celtics

NBA championship odds: +1300

The Celtics need to find a way to replace Brown’s 28.7 points per game. Although Brown averaged a career high in points with Tatum out for much of last regular season, he also still averaged at least 22.2 points per game over the past six seasons. Tatum is expected to be healthy and will certainly pick up the scoring load again.

But who will be the offensive threat that Brown was alongside Tatum? Paul George averaged more than 20 points per game in 2023-24 with the Clippers, but he hasn’t played more than 41 games in either of the past two seasons. Payton Pritchard could be the biggest winner of the Brown trade for the Celtics. Can he continue his offensive progression and become a 20-point-per-game scorer? Derrick White also could see an uptick in scoring. And perhaps Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh will take advantage of the void left by Brown.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is one of the brightest minds in the game and certainly will be looking forward to the challenge of keeping the Celtics in contention in the East. But trading Brown was an unpopular decision with Celtics fans, and the noise will only get louder if Boston struggles to fill the void left behind by its former Finals MVP. – Youngmisuk

Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA championship odds: +2500

James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are two of the most durable backcourt players in the league. Harden has played 70 games in three straight seasons, and Mitchell has reached 70 in each of the past two seasons, which gives the Cavs the luxury of knowing they’ll have an elite guard, or two, on the floor almost every night for most of the season.

But if the Cavs are going to run into major trouble this season in an Eastern Conference that is expected to be even better, it could be because Harden or Mitchell has to miss extended time. The Cavs’ depth has already taken some hits in recent years, and Dennis Schroder, who is entering his 14th season, was their only primary backup ballhandler during the postseason. Cleveland ran into some trouble during the playoffs just trying to give Harden and Mitchell a breather on the bench, and they were each overburdened at times trying to orchestrate the offense.

The Cavs might have more pressing concerns – the small forward position, depth, Harden’s playoff woes and wondering how much of Evan Mobley’s potential will be real or just tantalizing – but their lack of backcourt depth could be a sneaky undoing if Schroder is not up to the task of sharing the workload. – Jamal Collier

Denver Nuggets

NBA championship odds: +2500

The Nuggets ranked No. 1 in offensive efficiency last season but were comparatively woeful on the defensive end. Some of the drop-off can be linked to Denver’s two stars in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, whose shared offensive brilliance will always outshine their defensive capabilities. Some of the drop-off can be blamed on how much time the Nuggets’ more talented defenders were sidelined because of injuries – Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson combined to miss 112 games.

Improving the defense is a must in order to contend; that’s obvious. What is murkier is how much contending will be needed to keep Jokic on the roster. Jokic is eligible to sign a five-year, $359.5 million contract with Denver when he reaches free agency in the summer of 2027.

“My idea and desire is to stay in Denver. I’ll probably sign next year,” Jokic told reporters in Serbian following a FIBA World Cup qualifying game in July.

Still, three new champions have been crowned since Jokic, a three-time league MVP, lifted the Nuggets to the first title in team history and won NBA Finals MVP for his incredible showing against the Miami Heat (30.2 points on 58.3% shooting, including 42.1% from 3, 14.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game over five games).

Since then, Jokic has been nearly dominant in the postseason – averaging 27.1 points on 50.2% shooting (30% from 3), 13.1 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.6 steals over 32 games in the past three playoffs – but Denver hasn’t advanced past the second round and didn’t even play into May this spring after losing to Minnesota in the first round. The pressure to improve or else could be tough for the organization – from the front office and coaching staff down to the players – to navigate. – Dave McMenamin

Detroit Pistons

NBA championship odds: +2500

The Pistons’ offense is going to be something to watch closely all season, especially when Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson share the floor together, as teams exploited them both during the playoffs. But flying under the radar for the Pistons will be the departure of two key, long-standing role players – Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris. Stewart was a force protecting the rim for Detroit, and as the team’s enforcer, he gave it an identity that matched the Bad Boys teams of old.

Harris had been Detroit’s steady veteran presence the past two seasons and was consistent in both the regular season and playoffs as his younger teammates often rode waves of inconsistency. The Pistons still have their stars and core players in place, but their identity will be slightly altered without two of their most important role players. – Collier

Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA championship odds: +2500

In back-to-back years, 2024 and 2025, the Wolves’ season ended in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals – seven wins short of the first championship in franchise history. This spring they were bounced out of the second round by the Spurs and secured only six of the 16 wins that it takes to win it all.

Rather than a minor tweak or two, Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly opted for wholesale changes. Starting at the trade deadline, the Wolves sent Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks to the Chicago Bulls to pick up Ayo Dosunmu. They continued with one of the most shocking acquisitions of the offseason by landing LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team deal that meant parting with core players Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Minnesota’s makeover was dramatic.

The obvious concern is how Ball and Anthony Edwards – the No. 3 and No. 1 picks in the 2020 draft, respectively – mesh. Thousands and thousands of article words will be written about it, and countless podcast hours will be devoted to it. They could ignite one another. They could combust.

The less obvious concern is how patient the remaining core from those West finalist teams – Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert and coach Chris Finch – will be with the new direction, knowing the team was dismantled in order to pivot toward it. How comfortable will the 25-year-old Edwards, who has already achieved so much in his relatively short time in the league, be if the Wolves have to take a step back before they can leap forward? Especially when he sees 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama suddenly jumping him in line for a Finals run. – McMenamin

Toronto Raptors

NBA championship odds: +2500

Obviously, the Raptors’ biggest concern is whether their trade for Kawhi Leonard will be scuttled by the NBA’s ongoing investigation into the LA Clippers for alleged salary cap circumvention. But even if the trade goes through as planned, Toronto must be prepared to welcome back a player who is at a different stage of his career than he was when he led the Raptors to the 2019 championship as Finals MVP.

Leonard, 35, earned All-NBA second-team honors with the Clippers last season, but it’s been quite a while since he was able to take over in the playoffs. Leonard appeared in a total of 17 playoff wins during his seven-year run with the Clippers, and he hasn’t advanced in the postseason since 2021. In fact, the past half-decade represents the longest stretch of Leonard’s career without any high-stakes games.

After averaging 30.5 points per game and posting a 32.2 usage rate during the 2019 playoffs, Leonard’s numbers dropped to 25 points per game on a 26.9 usage rate during a 2025 first-round series loss to the Nuggets – his most recent playoff appearance. While he was still an efficient scorer, his ability to dictate the action against Denver fluctuated and he was a nonfactor in a Game 7 blowout loss. To beat the odds and win the 2027 championship, Toronto must prepare to lean more heavily on Leonard’s supporting cast in the playoffs. The Raptors’ ideal scenario? Scottie Barnes steps forward as the playoff backbone, enabling Leonard to score in volume without feeling the burden of carrying the team on his back. – Ben Golliver

By NBA insiders, via ESPN