Every NBA team ranked by its 2025 championship chances to start season

The start of a new NBA season is the ultimate time for optimism. Every team is undefeated, and each organization’s season-long goals are still within reach.

The NBA is fully entrenched in its parity era. The league has had a different champion each of the last six years, something that hasn’t happened since 1975-1980. Dynasties are the norm throughout NBA history, but at this point no team has won back-to-back titles since Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry teamed together on the Golden State Warriors for championships in 2017 and 2018.

The Boston Celtics put together one of the most dominant title runs in league history last season, but their path was so easy that not everyone was convinced. Boston brought back their entire extended rotation, and should be excellent again. The road to a championship just looks a lot tougher this time: the Thunder, Knicks, Timberwolves, and 76ers each made bold moves this summer with their eyes on a ring. Don’t write off Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets yet, either.

With the 2024-2025 season about to get underway, here’s how we’d rank every team in the league by their championship chances.

30. Washington Wizards

The Wizards’ rebuild is still in its very early stages, with the team not-so-secretly trying to land a top pick in the loaded 2025 and 2026 NBA Draft classes. Washington added some solid veterans in Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas over the offseason, and still has Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert, and, uh, Jordan Poole lingering on the roster. Monitoring the development of the young talent is the only reason to watch this team. No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr is oozing with long-term potential, but still seems very raw (especially on offense). Fellow rookie Bub Carrington should be really fun as a pull-up happy guard, and last year’s lottery pick Bilal Coulibaly has some real upside as an athletic wing with a sky-high defensive ceiling. This team still stinks, and they are likely years away from changing that. Read my big Cooper Flagg profile, Wizards fans.

29. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets pushed the reset button this summer by trading Mikal Bridges to the Knicks, and reacquiring their own 2025 and 2026 first round picks. Like Washington, Brooklyn will go star hunting in the 2025 and 2026 NBA Draft classes, with Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper topping their ‘25 wish list, and A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer leading the ‘26 class. The most interesting thing about the Nets this year will be seeing who they trade, and what they get back. Veterans like Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Bojan Bogdanovic should draw outside interest. In the meantime, Cam Thomas is going to get tons of buckets, Nic Claxton should keep looking good as a young defensive big man, and, um, Ben Simmons might actually play this year. My big breakdown of potential top 2026 pick Cameron Boozer should be a comforting read for Nets fans.

San Antonio Spurs v Portland Trail Blazers

28. Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers are now several years into their rebuild, but still don’t seem capable of winning anything. This team has one more tank season in them at the very least. Portland’s young core is led by Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and rookie big man Donovan Clingan. Henderson was supposed to be their franchise guy, but he was one of the worst players in the NBA last season as a rookie. There’s also a nice collection of veterans 30-and-under here, from Jerami Grant to Anfernee Simons to Deni Avdija. I guess I should mention “DominAyton,” too. There’s enough talent on the roster that you could possibly talk yourself into Portland being a little more respectable this year, but with Flagg looming in the 2025 draft, I doubt them try to push forward yet.

27. Utah Jazz

The Jazz have looked good to start the season the last couple years before selling off talent at the trade deadline and prioritizing their own draft position. Utah re-signed Lauri Markkanen to a big deal this summer rather than trading him, but the surrounding pieces are still too inexperienced to push up the standings. The young core here is super deep, but it lacks a true leading man: Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier have long-term upside in the backcourt, rookie lottery pick Cody Williams is intriguing on the wing, and Taylor Hendricks and Kyle Filipowski are nice developmental bigs. Will Hardy is an amazing head coach, but I don’t think this team is ready to win yet. Collin Sexton will probably have some big scoring games in losses, though.

26. Detroit Pistons

Is it crazy to think the Pistons could double their win total from last season? Detroit won an NBA-worst 14 games a year ago, so it’s on the table. Monty Williams was just atrocious as the head coach of this team, so JB Bickerstaff should be big improvement. The Pistons have a ton of fascinating young players, but to this point no one has been able to develop because the spacing has been so poor. New lead executive Trajan Langdon immediately prioritized adding shooters, with Simone Fontecchio, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr. now all on this roster for the full season. Tobias Harris was the big free agent addition, and should help mercifully end the Pistons’ era of two-big lineups. It still comes down the young guys. I think Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren can make meaningful leaps, and maybe Cade Cunningham can finally approach league-average scoring efficiency after a career true shooting percentage plus of 91 (100 is league-average) through his first three seasons. I love Ron Holland and Ausar Thompson, but there’s some overlap there. It will be interesting to see which of the young guys Langdon cuts bait on first. Read my big Ron Holland feature for a preview of your future, Detroit fans.

25. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are screwed. Paul George walked in free agency, and Kawhi Leonard is already out indefinitely with a knee injury before the season even begins. The Clippers don’t own their first round pick this year (the Thunder have swap rights). They don’t own any of their first-round picks until 2030. This team has no incentive to tank, but they still might be really bad. James Harden will have to shoulder a huge creation burden. Ivica Zubac is a good center, Norman Powell is a proven bucket-getter, and Terrence Mann is a consummate glue guy. I’m just not sure how many games that’s winning you in the West.

24. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls’ rebuild can’t really begin until they actually complete their teardown, but Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are viewed as such toxic assets that no one will take them yet. Chicago lost arguably three of its top-4 players from a disappointing 39-win team a year ago: DeMar DeRozan is a King, Alex Caruso is a Thunder, and Andre Drummond is a Sixer. The most meaningful addition to the roster for this season’s purposes was Josh Giddey, who was totally unplayable in last season’s playoffs for OKC. I wouldn’t be surprised if LaVine has an awesome scoring year as an attempt to get traded off this team. Coby White keeps leveling up into one of the NBA’s better under-25 guards, and Ayo Dosunmu made real strides offensively last season. The Bulls’ defense should be terrible with Giddey, LaVine, White, and Vucevic in the starting lineup, but they should play faster and shoot way more threes without DeRozan controlling the ball. Matas Buzelis is the future here, but he’s still likely a year or two away from being able to score with legitimate NBA efficiency. The real wildcard is the return of Lonzo Ball after a 2.5 year injury absence. Chicago was playing great with Ball in the lineup a few seasons ago, and he looked impressive in limited preseason minutes. The Bulls’ offense will have to carry them, and most nights that won’t be good enough. The biggest priority for Chicago this year should be retaining the top-10 protected first round draft pick they owe to the Spurs.

23. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are rebuilding with young veterans already in place. This is Scottie Barnes’ team now, with Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, and Gradey Dick as his sidekicks. What Toronto really needs is a high lottery pick to add another premium young talent, but they might not be bad enough to get it. Like the Bulls, Toronto just seems to be building towards another play-in tournament caliber team. Yay?

22. Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets feel like they could be one of this season’s biggest surprise teams. The path to get there would start with LaMelo Ball finally staying healthy. Ball only played 58 games combined the last two seasons, but he’s an electric jumbo playmaker and pull-up shooter when he’s available. Brandon Miller, 2023’s No. 2 overall pick, looks like a young stud who will keep ascending. Charlotte’s bigs are the question mark: can Mark Williams or Nick Richards fully breakout? Will any of the other young guys (Tre Mann, Josh Green, Tidjane Salaun) emerge into real pieces? It’s totally unforgivable that Miles Bridges is still on this roster. New head coach Charles Lee could be a Coach of the Year sleeper if Charlotte makes a big jump up the East standings.

21. San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama will be the best player in the NBA eventually, and he’s poised to make a big leap up the mythical player rankings as he enters his second season. The Spurs are on Wemby’s timeline, but I was still disappointed they didn’t push harder to improve this summer. San Antonio’s only notable veteran additions were Chris Paul (who turns 40 in May) and Harrison Barnes. Stephon Castle could be an instant impact rookie, and Devin Vassell may finally emerge as someone who can push to make an All-Star team (though it’s very hard in the West). It’s possible Wembanyama single-handedly carries this team to the playoffs this season, but I don’t think the Spurs gave him enough help this summer to get there.

20. Atlanta Hawks

If you squint hard enough, the Hawks have something resembling a real plan in place. Trae Young is one of the league’s best at combining scoring and facilitating, but he needs a team of big, bad ass defenders and floor spacers around him. Jalen Johnson emerged as this team’s secondary star last year, and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher could be a capable 3-and-D wing from the jump. Dyson Daniels — acquired in Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray trade this summer — is theoretically a nice fit next to Young as a huge defensive-minded guard …. if he can finally live up to his potential. Kobe Bufkin is another young player who could make a leap. The bigs are still a bit confusing with Clint Capela entering a contract year, and Onyeka Okongwu never quite developing like they hoped. Atlanta feels like it’s one big piece (literally: they need a center) away from being interesting if Johnson and Risacher ascend.

19. Miami Heat

This feels like the last hurrah for this iteration of Miami’s roster. Jimmy Butler is 35 years old entering a contract season. The front office has consistently swung-and-missed on acquiring another star to keep up with the Eastern Conference arms race. Tyler Herro’s development has stagnated a bit as he struggled with injuries. It’s hard to count out the Heat when Eric Spoelstra remains the best coach in the league and Bam Adebayo is still holding down the middle, but it’s hard to be too optimistic about this team with the rest of the East improving. It just feels like the Heat are running out of time and options. Miami desperately needs Jaime Jaquez and or Nikola Jovic to make a big leap, or this roster will have to pivot soon.

18. Houston Rockets

The Rockets jumped from 22 to 41 wins in their first season under head coach Ime Udoka a year ago. Houston faces the rare problem of almost having too many talented young players. Alperen Sengun is already this team’s best player at 22 years old by doing a poor man’s Jokic impression. Jalen Green was awesome for one month last year, but there should be skepticism he can maintain it. Instead, Amen Thompson and rookie No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard are the most intriguing players here. Thompson might be the league’s most athletic player as a 6’7 guard/wing, and Sheppard is tiny but fits well as a dead-eye shooter with razor sharp hands and tremendous IQ. We haven’t even gotten in Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, or Jabari Smith Jr. yet, a trio of big wings with different skill sets who would each individually be the promising youngster on many other teams. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are still holding it down as veterans here, but the young guys have the chance to help the Rockets take another step.

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers

17. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are always going to have sky-high expectations as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are on the roster, and once again it feels very unlikely they will live up to them. Good luck to J.J. Redick, the first-time head coach hired to satisfy the league’s biggest and most passionate fanbase. Much of this roster is the same from last year, meaning D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves will be the critical support pieces. While the Bronny James sideshow draws most of attention, the Lakers’ other rookie — former Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht — could give this team a real on-court boost with his deadeye shooting, even if I remain skeptical of his defense.

16. New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans’ roster feels unfinished as they enter the season, but it’s hard to question the talent level. Zion Williamson finally played a full season last year (70 games) before suffering an injury at the worst possible time in the play-in tournament. He looks leaner and more explosive thus far, and the Pelicans will go as far as he takes them. New Orleans spent all offseason trying to trade Brandon Ingram and found no takers. The big addition to the roster was Dejounte Murray, a scoring guard whose defense could look better away from Atlanta. There’s only one problem: with Jonas Valanciunas’ move to the Wizards, the Pelicans are ready to go into this season without a full-time center. Herb Jones is one of the NBA’s truly great defenders, and he’s going to draw the assignment on everyone from bigs to wings to star guards. Trey Murphy III should be back from a preseason hamstring strain relatively soon, and it’s going to push head coach Willie Green into some fascinating lineup decisions. I’d feel better about this team if they could trade Ingram for a big man, but there isn’t a deal out there. The Pelicans will be funky, which is a wonderful reason to watch them.

Sacramento Kings v Golden State Warriors

15. Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson left for Dallas, the big swings this summer for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen didn’t land, but you can’t count out the Warriors yet. Stephen Curry turns 37 years old in March, but he proved he’s still one of the best players in the world at the Paris Olympics. To make a run at a fifth championship, he’ll need youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski to be ready for prime-time immediately. Golden State replaced Thompson with a slew of cheaper veterans — De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and Buddy Hield — who all fill different roles. Draymond Green is still effective if he can stay on the floor, and Andrew Wiggins could desperately use a bounce-back year. If everything goes right for the Warriors, you can talk yourself into this team putting it together one more time around Curry. It just isn’t a good bet right now.

14. Orlando Magic

The Magic made a big leap last season by going from 34 to 47 wins. Now it’s time to win a playoff series. Orlando needed to add shooting, and found it by prying Kentavious Caldwell-Pope away from the Nuggets in free agency. KCP will team with Jalen Suggs to form one of the NBA’s most tenacious defensive backcourts. Those guards should be a nice complement to Orlando’s star forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who could improve again this year. Banchero and Wagner are both supersized scorers who can get buckets all over the floor, and will control the ball on most possessions. The depth here should be very good: Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, and Goga Bitadze can all handle minutes inside, while Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, and Anthony Black providing support on the perimeter. Can Jett Howard or Tristian Da Silva add anything this year? Either way, the Magic should be an awesome defensive team whose offense gets a little better with extra spacing from Caldwell-Pope and potential jumps from their two young stars.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs won 99 games across the previous two regular seasons since acquiring Donovan Mitchell, but there was still a sense this team should be accomplishing more. Head coach JB Bickerstaff was fired this summer and replaced with Kenny Atkinson, who is now tasked with maximizing a talented roster that doesn’t fit perfectly. Once again, the Cavs have two very good small guards in Mitchell and Darius Garland, and two very good nominal bigs in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Mobley’s potential has always represented the north star for the franchise, and they’re still waiting for him to go from good to great. There weren’t many changes in the supporting cast here outside of drafting Jaylon Tyson out of Cal, so it’s on Atkinson to get Cleveland over the hump. They’re talented enough to do it.

12. Sacramento Kings

The Kings’ 2023 playoff appearance is still the only time in the last 18 years the franchise has qualified for the postseason. Last year’s 46-win team was good, but quite good enough. Sacramento responded by turning Harrison Barnes into DeMar DeRozan, an unquestionable talent upgrade though the fit is to be determined. DeRozan now pairs with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to form one of the league’s most funky ‘big three’ partnerships. That trio is very light on shooting, but high on skill everywhere else. Sacramento’s supporting pieces are wonderful. Keegan Murray is a capable volume shooter as a 6’8 wing, and he still has upside as he enters this third season. Malik Monk has showed tremendous growth recently, and just inked a team-friendly contract extension. Keon Ellis could be one of the most pivotal 3-and-D role players in the league this year, and Kevin Huerter should shoot the ball better than he did last season. I love rookie guard Devin Carter, and he should be a factor once he returns from shoulder surgery. The Kings are cool and weird, which makes them fun. This will be interesting season any way it shakes out.

11. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were perhaps the most pleasant surprise of last season. Indiana posted one of the highest offensive efficiency ratings in league history thanks to a breakneck pace engineered by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana swung big just before the trade deadline, acquiring Pascal Siakam as a secondary star who gave them more size, defense, and shot creation. The Pacers zoomed all the way to the conference finals before falling to the champion Celtics, a remarkable run that now raises the expectations for this year. You won’t find anyone who thinks the Pacers are a top-two team in the East entering this season, but they have a chance to accomplish just as much as they did last year. Andrew Nembhard is developing into a wonderful guard, and may have another leap in him as he turns 25 years old in Jan. Myles Turner is a solid veteran center who is playing for a new contract this year. Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, and Jarace Walker is an intriguing young core on the periphery of the roster. Indiana still needs more defense — Aaron Nesmith has his work cut out for him as a wing stopper — but this team plays so fast and so efficiently offensively that they will always be a huge pain in the ass to play against. That’s a pretty good formula.

10. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies had a season from hell last year. After winning a combined 107 games over the previous two seasons, Memphis endured a ridiculous amount of injuries on their way to winning only 27 games. With superstar guard Ja Morant back in the lineup and their depth replenished, it sure feels like Memphis is going to have a good chance to reclaim their spot as one of the best teams in the West. Morant’s high-flying blend of scoring and playmaking is electric to watch, and if everything goes right he could contend for an All-NBA spot this year. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are capable co-stars, and the talent keeps coming down the roster. Rookie center Zach Edey is the name to watch. The No. 9 overall pick was one of the greatest college players of all-time, and brings absurd size (7’4, 300 pounds), scoring touch, and some bone-crushing screens to Memphis’ offense. Vince Williams and Scotty Pippen Jr. are blossoming young role players who could be a factor in the rotation, too, and GG Jackson has tons of upside when he gets healthy. The West has only gotten better since the Grizzlies were competing at the top of the conference, but Memphis still has plenty of upside.

9. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks’ debut season with Damian Lillard was extremely underwhelming last year. Milwaukee fired head coach Adrian Griffin and replaced him with Doc Rivers midway through the year, saw Giannis Antetokounmpo get hurt just before the playoffs, and were eliminated in the first round. At no point last season did Milwaukee look anything like an elite team in the East. The pressure is on to turn it around this year. Antetokounmpo remains a top-3 player in the world as a dominant two-force who bullies opponents at both ends. Lillard is 34 years old now, and needs to reestablish himself as one of the league’s best guards if Milwaukee has any chance. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are aging, but still effective when they’re healthy. The Bucks did well to improve their depth this summer by adding Gary Trent Jr., Dorell Wright, and Taurean Prince. There’s a pathway for this to still be a great team, but they’re so old and have such shoddy peterimeter defense that it doesn’t feel like a likely outcome. In Aug., I listed the Bucks as one of eight teams who could win the 2025 championship. I’m moving them down one spot on the brink of the season because the odds just seem stacked against them right now despite Giannis’ greatness.

8. Phoenix Suns

The Suns are all-in. Phoenix has the highest payroll in the NBA, and doesn’t control one of its first-round draft picks until 2031. The roster is once again stacked with high-end talent: Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are the team leaders, and Bradley Beal is overqualified as a third option if he can actually stay healthy and productive. Phoenix fired Frank Vogel and hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach. Budenholzer will get the Suns shooting more threes, which will be a good thing after they finished No. 2 in mid-range frequency last season, per Cleaning the Glass. Phoenix made one of the league’s best minimum signings this offseason by adding Tyus Jones to a one-year deal. Jones and fellow free agent signing Monte Morris will give this team the type of caretaking point guard play it missed last year, but it remains to be seen if that will really move the needle. For the Suns to reach their ceiling, Durant needs to replicate his incredible durability from last season (75 games), Beal needs to stay healthy, and the offense needs to be among the league’s best. Coach Bud typically works wonders in the regular season, and it could very well happen again.

7. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks overhauled quite a bit of their roster for a team that went to the NBA Finals last season. Luka Doncic remains as this team’s signature star with Kyrie Irving as his top sidekick, but many of the pieces around them have changed. Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes are in to replace Derrick Jones Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Green. Does that qualify as an upgrade? Thompson’s shooting should be a great match with Doncic and Irving, but it remains to be seen if that trio can defend enough to actually stay on the floor in crunch-time. It’s possible second-year center Dereck Lively II makes a big leap after a very impressive rookie season. Having a full season of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford should help in the front court. The Mavs will always have a chance as long as they have Doncic. He’s the MVP front-runner entering this season. He’s perhaps the most terrifying individual matchup to see in a playoff series. Dallas did plenty of work this summer, but it’s hard to tell how much closer they really moved to winning a championship.

6. Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers aced the summer to give themselves an outside shot at the championship. Philadelphia signed Paul George to a max contract in free agency, setting up a tailor-made ‘big three’ alongside to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers did well to fill out the rest of the roster by signing Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Guerschon Yabusele, and Reggie Jackson, and they have the assets to make a trade for another contributor in-season. Ultimately, this team will go as far as Embiid takes them. The superstar center turns 31 years old in March, and has never put together a signature playoff run in his career thanks a long string of injuries. It would be in the Sixers’ best interest to have Embiid give up trying to win MVP and focus on staying healthy for the playoffs. George has his own playoff demons to exorcise, and is already battling a bone bruise in his knee to start the season. Something just always seems to go wrong for the Sixers in the Embiid era, but there’s an easy argument to make that this is his most talented supporting cast yet.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves just enjoyed one of their greatest seasons in franchise history, and responded by immediately trading one of their biggest stars. Minnesota sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in a deal to save the team money, but it also returned two useful players in Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle. Is it possible the Wolves won the trade despite dealing the best overall player? I was skeptical at first, but DiVincenzo’s knockdown shooting and Randle’s additional shot creation could very well be a great fit with this existing core. The franchise is now squarely on Anthony Edwards’ shoulders at 23 years old. The former No. 1 overall pick is a hyper-athletic downhill scorer with takeover shooting touch when he gets hot. Edwards will have to carry what was a mediocre halfcourt offense, but he knows he has an elite defense behind him. With Rudy Gobert manning the middle, Minnesota had the No. 1 defense in the league last year. Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Edwards form a lockdown trio in front of an elite rim protector. It’s possible Naz Reid takes a leap in what should be the biggest role of his career, and rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. add some offensive upside. This team is still very good without Towns. If Edwards takes another step, a trip to the NBA Finals is within reach.

4. Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the world, but the Nuggets keep slowly bleeding key pieces from their 2023 championship team. Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left ahead of last year, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic in free agency this summer. Does Jokic have enough help to make another title run? The path to get there starts with Jamal Murray getting back to playing like an NBA star. Murray was underwhelming in last seasons’s playoffs after sustaining a late season knee injury, and then looked terrible in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Denver paid him a $208 million contract this summer, so they need him to play like a max player. The Nuggets know they can count on Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. They need a couple of their young players — Christian Braun, Juliuan Strawther, Peyton Watson — to step up in bigger roles. It feels like the Nuggets are going cheap around Jokic with the three-time MVP still in his prime, but don’t write off this team yet. With a little internal development, the Nuggets can be right back in the title mix.

3. New York Knicks

The Knicks probably didn’t expect Jalen Brunson to turn into a superstar when they signed him in the summer of 2022. Once it happened, New York set out to land the ideal co-stars to chase a championship. The Knicks traded for OG Anunoby midway through last season. They opened this summer by swinging a wild deal for Mikal Bridges, and closed it by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks look totally unrecognizable from the start of last season, but there’s no denying they’ve upgraded their top-end talent. The Towns trade not only fills New York’s biggest hole at center, but also gives them a five-out look to match what Boston did with Kristaps Porzingis last season. In the process, the Knicks completely diminished their depth, which is an especially interesting decision for a team coached by Tom Thibodeau. Coach Thibs has always treated every game like a Game 7, which has long been both a gift and a curse for his team. Last year, the Knicks looked totally run down by the end of their playoff run. New York will need to find more wins on their margins of their roster (Tyler Kolek? Jericho Sims? Precious Achiuwa?) to avoid the same fate this season. If the Knicks’ top-seven in the rotation can be healthy for the playoffs, this team will be an extremely tough out.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder jumped from 40 to 57 wins last season, igniting what should be a long stay near the top of the championship picture. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stamped himself as an MVP candidate, and he’s just starting to hit his prime at 26 years old. Jalen Williams is an ascendent young co-star on the wing, and Chet Holmgren has the potential to be one of the NBA’s best big men before long. The Thunder have their young trio surrounded by some ace role players that helped the team finish No. 1 in three-point percentage and top-5 in defensive efficiency last year. The supporting cast got even better this summer when the Thunder acquired Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Caruso has a case as being the league’s best perimeter defender, and Hartenstein will help fix what was one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams. The Thunder also have approximately 200 future first round picks at their disposal (that’s only a slight exaggeration) if they really want to add another piece. OKC was awesome last year, got better this summer, and has by far the best asset chest in the NBA. Their future is brighter than any team in the NBA. Their present just might be, too.

1. Boston Celtics

The Celtics put together one of the most convincing championship runs of all-time last season, finishing 80-21 overall if you include the regular season and the playoffs. Boston was never really challenged, in part because their biggest rivals all fell apart before they faced them. The new CBA is supposed to break apart teams this good and this expensive, but somehow the Celtics brought everyone back (and ownership promptly put the team up for sale). Even as other contenders around the league have improved, Boston still looks like the strongest overall team. The Celtics immediately face a tough challenge to start the season with Kristaps Porzingis out until Jan. or Feb. as he recovers from ankle surgery. Then again, Porzingis was highly limited in the playoffs last season, and the Celtics still coasted to the title. Boston seems to have plenty of motivation for another championship run after Jayson Tatum was benched in the Paris Olympics and Jaylen Brown was left off the roster entirely. When the Celtics are at their best, no one has better balance with a lockdown defense and highly-efficient offense full of shooting and off-the-dribble playmaking. If the Celtics didn’t think they got the respect they deserved last season on their way to the title, they will have every opportunity to earn it forever if they go back-to-back.