The Athletic has live coverage of Rockets vs. Thunder and Warriors vs. Lakers from 2025-26 NBA Season Tip-Off.

In making its bold predictions for the 2024-25 NBA season, The Athletic’s staff connected only eight out of 30 times. Two of those predictions concerned the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks, with writers correctly forecasting that those teams would and would not finish in the top four of their conferences, respectively.

Advertisement

This should not be construed as self-congratulatory, because those predictions, as it turned out, were not bold enough. Instead, we should have gone with:

• The Indiana Pacers will finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference, and then make a magical run in the playoffs, propelled by multiple 20-plus-point comebacks, to make Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

• The Dallas Mavericks will finish outside the top four of the Western Conference and, what the heck, trade Luka Dončić?

That’s the thing about predictions: You never know when you’re being unrealistic, but you also don’t know when you’re playing it too safe.

Coming into 2025-26, it seems like the NBA is heading for a new dynasty, with the Oklahoma City Thunder young and flexible enough to stay in the title picture for years. Any year now, Victor Wembanyama should start a nine-season streak of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Obviously, Cooper Flagg’s road to NBA stardom will begin by winning Rookie of the Year.

While all three of those items received better than 50 percent of the vote among our staff, here’s a bet: At least one won’t happen. The unforeseen always makes its presence felt in the NBA. — Eric Koreen

Thunder will continue to roll

Surprise: this staff didn’t reach for any scorching hot takes concerning the Thunder’s projected reign. The defending NBA champions have retained an indisputable blend of youth, talent, maximized development, and a claustrophobic, blood-drawing defense. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a meticulous scorer who racked up virtually every accolade imaginable last season, is 27 and potentially some seasons away from his peak.

If his nightly point total ever dips below 30 at this point, it’s because he went home early. His touch, midrange prowess and ability to reach his spots at will has convinced much of the hoop-watching world that he’s the NBA’s scoring king. A 70 point game might be out of reach, but if last season showed anything, it’s that he’s ready to drop 50 whenever.

Advertisement

Beyond SGA, young pillars Jalen Williams and Chet Hol