Awards

• MVP: Nikola Jokic

• MIP: Deni Advija

• 6MotY: Santi Aldama

• CotY: David Adelman

• DPotY: Victor Wembanyama

• RotY: Cooper Flagg??? Not a strong year 1 rookie class to me

East

1. Cavs (T1)

2. Magic (T2)

3. Knicks

4. Bucks

5. Hawks (T3)

6. Pistons

7. Celtics (T4)

8. Raptors

9. Heat

10. Pacers

11. Bulls

12. 76'ers (T5)

13. Hornets

14. Wizards (T6)

15. Nets

• Cavs will be by far the best team from the bunch during the regular season

• Embiid won't play back-to-backs, that'll crumble the 76'ers' defense. They'll stay lower in the seeding despite the theoretical massive upside because of it.

• There might be only one 50+ win team in the east

• Outside the top 4 teams presented, the East is wide open for potential results from 5 to 13

• Jalen Johnson will be an all-star finally. On the topic of the Hawks, their upside of the "T3" teams and below is the highest, but they always let me down lmao.

• Derrick White will be the Celtics' clear best player

• Brandon Ingram is a needle mover, Toronto has a real closer now

• Hornets are one good pivot man away from being a solid team

West

1. Nuggets (T1)

2. Thunder

3. Rockets (T2)

4. TWolves

5. Warriors

6. Clippers

7. Spurs (T3)

8. Grizzlies

9. Lakers

10. TBlazers (T4)

11. Mavs

12. Suns (T5)

13. Kings

14. Pelicans

15. Jazz (T6)

• I'm quite sad that FVV got injured (hope for speedy recovery), his skillet covers up every weakness that team had. Houston would have been my #1 seed and an outside threat to win a championship if he were healthy.

• Thunder and Nuggets one can flip a coin on, they'll be neck-and-neck in seeding

• Grizzlies shouldn't be much different in record from last season even with trading Bane, very deep team

• Clippers' roster is a year too late for this team to dominate in the regular season, but their depth is impressive.

• Deni Adjiva will be an all-star and the main reason the Blazers make the play-in. Scoot being healthy is massive as well, he's a solid half-court organizer.

• Lakers are a Luka and who????? situation all over again. His upgraded play from last year will mask the disfunctional roster building around him only a little bit.

• Mavs ranking is mainly due to the lack of ball handlers and shooters offensively while being limited with speed on the perimeter defensively. Cooper I think will be a great rookie player and could contribute instantly for a good play-off team. However, he's miscasted on the Mavs roster offensively. Unless a miracle like vintage Dlo showing up happens, it'll be a rocky ride for Cooper and the Mavs offense as a whole. fire nico

Who will win the 2025-2026 championship?

The Denver Nuggets, they got the right combination of everything needed to win. Clear superstar player, great chemistry, real bench depth, a need to prove themselves again (looking at BB especially), star front-court player, up-to-date coaching and playoff experience. Jamal Murray also looks healthier, the boost they'll need to compete at their best. Their match-up into OKC is also a slight advantage in Denver's favor with their size and they got upgraded roster talent to take advantage of that.

The other teams in the conversation?

• OKC, easily the best team in this category and will roll over just about every other team in the league.

• Warriors, it's a long shot, but they do have the pieces in place to make a run at the championship. Health, continued young player development and obtaining a top 3 seed will be their concerns.

• Cavs, it all depends on if Mobley wants and is capable of commanding the offense more. He's the one player talented enough to reach top 10 territory on the roster. Donovan Mitchell is just a hair off it.