Looking at NBA 2025-26 win totals, the forever haunted Phoenix Suns jump out as a team to show some love to, with Devin Booker serving as the primary scorer once again in this offense.
On the other side of the league, we keep doubting Indiana, and if the last two years have shown us anything, that is the wrong idea.
Devin Booker will have an MVP-caliber season. One of, if not the best shooting guard in basketball, Booker is good enough to will this team to around the 35–40-win mark and compete for a play-in spot.
While there is cause for concern on the Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks front as they try to mesh and gel, I’m expecting breakouts from Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, while a front court of Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, and Rasheer Fleming is extremely enticing in a fast-paced Western Conference.
In this ultra-competitive Western Conference, it is difficult to envision the Kings making a playoff push with their current roster. The team finished 40-42 last season, unable to string together much-needed victories after the Fox move to San Antonio.
Moving forward, this roster doesn’t have the pace or defensive firepower to compete with the top teams in both conferences, especially with a bench that leaves a lot to be desired.
The team shot 35.7% on the year from 3-point range last season on just 12.6 makes per game; both sitting in the bottom half of the league. Without many additions this offseason, this is a major cause for concern.
Moving to the Eastern Conference, Tyrese Haliburton will be done for the year with that brutal Achilles injury suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
With that being said, Rick Carlisle is the best coach in basketball at the moment and has the depth to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference without Jayson Tatum for the majority of the season and teams that are either finding their chemistry or lack the same depth and offensive firepower that Indiana has.
We keep doubting these Indy teams, and they keep overperforming year in and year out. We will not make the same mistake this year, especially with the offensive emergence of guys like Benn Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Ben Sheppard on tap.