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The 2026-27 regular season is underway. We're less than a week into things, but there have been some notable results and storylines that have blossomed. The next six months should be jam-packed with basketball as we figure out who the real contenders and pretenders are.
The Oklahoma City Thunder look like they belong in the former camp. They picked up right where they left off as a regular-season win machine. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers are off to a hot start. NBA podcasters are salivating over that.
On the flip side, both the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks are off to slow starts. The 2026 NBA Finals put a target on their respective backs. That's going to take some time to get used to.
Throughout the 2026-27 regular season, Thunder Wire will post weekly NBA Power Rankings. Here is the latest edition from the Oct. 20-25 week:
Well, expect the Kings to remain here or near the bottom all year. Things are pretty bad. Some of it is by design. Some of it is accidental. The only saving grace is Darius Acuff Jr. He's already had a sizzling start to his NBA career. In his second game, he scored 33 points in a loss to the Kings. That included 12 free-throw attempts. Oh wow. OK. That definitely stands out for the right reasons. Sacramento is pinning all of its future hopes on him.
Man, is it really going to be another year like this? The Magic have already been bitten by the injury bug. Paolo Banchero is out for four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain he sustained in their loss to the Timberwolves. They just can't stay healthy. Ever. That's been the running theme for years now with this group. Orlando can't afford to go through another slow start. Or risk a similar up-and-down season as last year. Just a stomach-dropping injury update to get.
The new-look Bucks are embarking on an NBA rebuild. Another sign of that? Moving on from Kevin Porter Jr. He was a key piece over the last couple of seasons. Now, he's gone. No point in keeping him around knowing you're about to lose a ton of games. Instead, it's about figuring out if Tyler Herro is a long-term piece of your next trade candidate. He scored 34 points in a loss to the Bulls.
The Nets are another team that should be in the NBA basement. They're still in a rebuild and filled with several young pieces. Mixed in there, though, are a bunch of high-priced veterans hoping to punch their ticket elsewhere. Julius Randle is the latest of that bunch. He scored 33 points in a season-opening loss to the Hornets. Let's see if he can play his way into being traded elsewhere. We've seen him help out contenders before. But his playstyle certainly requires an acquired taste.
Well, we have our first piece of NBA drama of the 2026-27 regular season. It didn't take long for Yaxel Lendeborg to introduce himself to the pro basketball world. After jawing with Luka Doncic in a loss to the Lakers, he voiced some pretty strong opinions about the perennial MVP candidate. As a rookie. He said he lost respect for him and a bunch of other stuff that went viral on social media. The Warriors are excited about his arrival. They think he can bring some youthful energy to the grizzled and cynical veteran roster.
You can't hit the panic button one week into the regular season, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's stubbornness to force his way to the Heat is facing questions. Yada, yada, caveats about it being extremely early. But man, Miami looks a long way away from being an actual contender. Three straight losses to get things going. Two were blowouts to the Timberwolves and Hornets. The two-time MVP winner has played like a two-time MVP winner, but the rest of the crew leaves a lot to be desired.
It took a little bit to get going, but Caleb Wilson has been must-watch TV. He absolutely torched the nets in the summer. He's finally doing the same in the regular season. He dropped 30 points and 14 rebounds in a loss to the Wizards. Chicago is pinning its long-term hopes on his shoulders. He'll be afforded the luxury to learn on the job and put up monster scoring numbers. Everybody else on the roster is secondary to him, no offense to guys like Norman Powell, who've been stellar to start his tenure there.
All things considered, the Pelicans haven't looked half bad. Sure, they've lost their first two games to the Pacers and Jazz. Both were within one possession. And then they went to Denver and absolutely blew out the Nuggets. It's still early in the year. But this group has worked out well so far. Zion Williamson has been their best player. Let's see if this is just some early-season noise or something sustainable.
Well, you literally can't start a season worse than the Suns did. Down 21-0 from the jump to the Trail Blazers in an eye-popping 41-point home loss. Wow. Not much to write home about in that one. Phoenix is hoping to repeat its magic from last year. It doubled down across the board. The most likely scenario, though? A bunch of their role players crash back down to Earth.
The vibes may already be cooked. The Mavericks are another team that saw their best player go down with an injury. Cooper Flagg sustained a shoulder sprain in their win over the Pacers. It's going to be a week-to-week injury. Yikes. Dallas is already dealing with a long list of injuries. I picked them to be a wildcard team in the West. But a lot of that hinged on his breakout as one of the best players in the league. At least Kyrie Irving has looked good. The 34-year-old is playing with a pep in his step.
No such thing as spoiling a Ring Night. Those happen a couple of times in a lifetime. The result is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But the Knicks have had two noteworthy losses to the Sixers and Celtics. Those are two East heavyweights expected to fight New York for their NBA championship crown. And I guess this first week was a reminder that things won't go smoothly. Even if all of the NBA analysts picked them as the top team in their conference.
Results don't sound the alarm at the infancy stages of the regular season. But the way the Nuggets have carried themselves certainly does. It's one thing to look out of your depth at OKC. It happens. Denver is no longer in the same stratosphere as the Thunder. But to need a historic comeback to get past the Pelicans? Sheesh. Nikola Jokic hasn't looked that great at times, either. Jamal Murray has been up and down and has yet to figure out OKC. Just like the rest of this roster. I think we're seeing the slow decay of a once-top title contender, sadly.
No reason to tank now. For the first time in years, the Jazz have an incentive to get wins. They were a popular pick among the NBA podcast world to be a wildcard team. The scoring firepower is top-notch when everybody is healthy. The defense, though, bleeds a lot of points. As you saw with a career journeyman dropped 45 points on their head in their season opener. At least Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points in a close win over the Pelicans. Defense remains a huge question mark for them.
Not buying into their second-half run, the Hornets voluntarily took a step back this offseason. We'll see how that decision pays off in the long run. But the early returns have been promising. Naz Reid dropped 20 points and 11 rebounds in his debut in a win over the Nets. And then Brandon Miller, fresh off a handsome contract extension, scored 34 points in a win over the Heat. Charlotte is going all in on his ascension. He's now its best player. Let's see if the bet works out.
Over a year later, Tyrese Haliburton can say he's officially back. He helped get a win over the Pelicans with 23 points and 12 assists. I know getting over a torn Achilles tendon relatively quickly has been a recent trend. But man, he looks good. There was a lot of noise over the NBA schedule-makers putting his anticipated return on the back burner. But Indiana could fix that problem by being one of the top teams in the East again. Last year was presumably a gap year filled with injuries.
The Cavaliers remain my popular pick as the biggest pretenders in the league. Case in point? Blowing a 29-point lead in a shocking loss to the Sixers in their season opener. I mean, yeesh. That's a bad omen to start the year. Next game in a win over the Nets, Mario Hezonja called out your star-studded backcourt. The recent addition said they're too focused on getting their shots up rather than playing winning basketball. Yikes.
The table has been cleared for Darius Garland. After a summer filled with changes, he's undoubtedly the Clippers' best player. At least, to start the year until Brandon Ingram returns. He scored 30 points in a win over the Kings and then 26 points in a loss to the Lakers. Considering how little aspiration the rest of LA has, he'll get plenty of time to work up his trade value. Will be interesting to see if he's a long-term piece for them or if he gets flipped for desperately-needed assets.
The new-look Wizards have had plenty of fun with their new toys. With their top gift still in its wrapping paper. Anthony Davis had 34 points and 12 rebounds in a win over the Bucks. That's a Washington debut record. He was showered with MVP chants. And then Trae Young had 25 points and nine assists in a win over the Bulls. By the way, AJ Dybansta still hasn't made his debut as he deals with an ankle sprain. Washington is one of the more fun teams to follow. It had a complete roster makeover. Exciting to see how all the pieces fit together in a truly unpredictable squad. It can go either direction and I wouldn't be surprised.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have picked up right where they left off from their second-half surge last year. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 31 points in a win over the Magic. Are we sure he can't blossom into a regular All-Star and last year wasn't just a one-year blip? And then Atlanta completely destroyed Charlotte in a franchise-record 47-point win. Aaron Wiggins had 19 points off the bench. He's been an awesome addition. The vibes are rocking. Everybody is playing their role.
Could you have a championship hangover without the championship? It feels like the Spurs are proving that's a real side effect. Talking all types of talk heading into the year, San Antonio has been punched in the mouth from the jump. Losses to the Thunder and Rockets served as a real wake-up call. Barely getting by the Mavericks doesn't really boost confidence, either. I guess the Spurs will stay patient with their three-guard starting lineup. But the novel idea has yet to bear fruit. Dylan Harper has been hooping, though.
It's been a wild week for the Celtics. So much drama surrounding them. First, they blew a 22-point lead in an Opening Night loss to the Pistons. Not great, obviously. But a bounce-back win over the Knicks calmed the waters. At least for a little bit. In a brewing rivalry that just started, Jayson Tatum accidentally fanned the flames. He denied any beef with Jaylen Brown. But in a backhanded compliment way. He says that they're no Kobe and Shaq. Sounds like Brown took some offense to that by saying Tatum has a great PR team.
Well, this is a surprise. The Grizzlies had been penciled in as a rebuild. But some early success has turned some heads. Ty Jerome exploded for 45 points in a season-opening win over the Jazz. Cameron Boozer then had 25 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Warriors. Everything is going great in Memphis so far. It embarks on a new era after a year filled with change. Boozer is a popular pick for Rookie of the Year. It's easy to see why. The 19-year-old has put up some impressive numbers already.
Over a year in the making, Damian Lillard is back. He scored 25 points in a win over the Suns to get things going. Obviously, he's Portland's best player in franchise history. Or at the very least, part of the conversation. But his storybook return has some legs to stand on. After he sustained a torn Achilles, it was to be decided in terms of how effective he'd be. He's looked great so far. Say what you want about the ownership group's drama, but the actual team has some interesting pieces. Albeit a little bit weird of a fit together.
Things couldn't have started any better for the Lakers in a new era. Doncic wasted little time getting used to his new toy. Walker Kessler had a perfect 26 points in a win over the Warriors. Los Angeles is expecting a lot of alley-oops between those two. It paid a ton of money and draft capital to make it happen. As always, Doncic is viewed as an MVP candidate. His best path to capture his first-ever prestigious award? Putting up monster numbers and headlining a Lakers squad punching above their weight. Good start in both departments, so far.
The Timberwolves are going all in on offense. That's the trade-off they made over the summer by bringing in LaMelo Ball. One of the benefits of that change? Anthony Edwards gets to cook more often. He did so quickly in a season-opening win over the Heat. He dropped a sizzling 45 points. That included nine outside jumpers. Finally, he won't be burdened with an entire workload. Minnesota is going to be one of the more fun teams to track this year. A lot of dynamite-esque potential there.
It didn't take long for the Pistons to feel the side effects of their lengthy drama with Jalen Duren. Not in vibes, per se. They did mount a 22-point comeback in an Opening Night win over the Celtics. But with his health. He sustained a hamstring strain that will keep him out for a couple of weeks. Uh oh. That's not good. You have to wonder how much of that happened due to his summer-long contract dispute. Nevertheless, Detroit has to move on without its second All-Star from last year.
The Raptors have turned back the clock. They're playing like it's 2018. Kawhi Leonard had 23 points in his return win over the Bulls. And then Scottie Barnes dropped 28 points and 14 rebounds in a win over the Wizards. Both were absolute easy wins. Some have argued Barnes is Leonard's best teammate ever. Now, I wouldn't go that far. But there's no denying that those two teaming up in Toronto have completely rejuvenated the franchise and is back to being a relevant contender.
It must be a new season. Because the Rockets are red-hot. I kid, I kid. There's something a little more real this time around, though. Fred VanVleet is back. He's a helping hand. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. each scored 30 points apiece in a win over the Mavericks. And Amen Thompson had the block of the year with an unreal rejection at the rim on Wembanyama in an upset win over the Spurs. Houston is rolling right now. There's a reason why all of the top NBA media personalities picked them as the top wildcard team.
The star-studded Sixers are off to a rocking start. They snatched the vibes in the Knicks' Ring Night with an upset win. And then they had an unreal 29-point comeback win over the Cavaliers. Brown has already went back and forth with Tatum over their breakup. LeBron James has been fine at taking a backseat. You'll never have to worry about headlines generated with this group. They're the top team in the league in terms of fame. So far, the wins have been there too to justify the basketball world's obsession with Philadelphia's grand experiment.
Well, the season is over. At least, for their championship aspirations. Jalen Williams sustained a gruesome-looking leg injury in their win over the Clippers. We still don't know the severity of it, but it looks like a season-ender. Just an absolutely brutal blow to OKC's title hopes. They looked great too in convincing wins over the Spurs and Nuggets. This type of injury changes a franchise's course. We'll see the long-lasting effects of it.
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