Day 1 NBA Power Rankings, with Reasons for Hope and Despair for Every Team

We made it through the draft, the offseason, loads of trades and free-agency moves and the preseason. And now, the 2026-27 NBA season is here.

With opening night upon us, with all the information we could glean from all of the above, it's time to once again take stock of the entire league.

Based on the same criteria that have guided us for years—team and individual numbers, recent performance (so, in this case, the preseason), championship chances and plenty of subjectivity—this is how all 30 teams stack up right now.

ATL | BKN | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN | NOP | NYK | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX | POR | SAC | SAS | TOR | UTA | WAS

His shooting percentages have been ghastly in both the summer and preseason, but Los Angeles Clippers fans have to be thanking what few lucky stars they can still see for the lottery landing them Keaton Wagler before the league stripped them of five future first-round picks. The incoming rookie averaged 17.9 points and 4.2 assists, while shooting 39.7 percent from deep, as a freshman at Illinois last season.

Reason for Concern: The Past, Present and Future

Kawhi Leonard never played past the second round for L.A. The Paul George trade that helped bring Leonard to the Clippers depleted the team's trove of assets. And the NBA's salary-cap circumvention penalties cost the Clippers five more first-round picks. It could be a decade or more before fans are able to forget the painful results of the Kawhi era.

He has almost as many turnovers as assists in the preseason, and a point guard's field-goal attempts almost quadrupling his assists is a little concerning, but Darius Acuff Jr. looks like he could be an absolute blast to follow.

The Sacramento Kings aren't going to win a lot of games in the next couple years, but Acuff's heaters will ease the pain.

Reason for Concern: The Anti-Tanking Rules

Under the old draft lottery, Sacramento trading Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis would feel like a borderline lock. The Kings aren't going to be great with them, so it would've made sense to get some assets, move them along and get worse. But now, finishing with a bottom-three record gives you worse lottery odds than finishing with one of the fourth to 10th worst records.

Navigating that with a roster that's going to lose, with or without trying, will be tough.

Reason for Optimism: Better-than-Advertised Young Core

The Milwaukee Bucks almost certainly took a short-term step back when they traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, but 32 wins isn't exactly a high bar. And Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Myles Turner have all been on competitive teams. Herro and Jaquez could still be developing. There's plenty of upside with Brayden Burries and Kasparas Jakučionis, too.

The Bucks could be better than expected now, with plenty of room for future improvement.

Having said that, there isn't a single sure-fire future superstar on the roster. And Milwaukee fans got used to having that with Giannis over the last decade.

Even if they hit their relative ceilings, all the players listed above feel more like complementary players than alphas.

Final Record Predictions for Every NBA Team 🔮

Bold Predictions for 2026-27 NBA Season 🔮

NBA Stars with Most on the Line This Season 🫡

Reason for Optimism: The Young Backcourt

Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle are the players who might be able to keep the Brooklyn Nets out of the so-called "relegation zone" (where the bottom three records have worse lottery odds than the seven teams that finish ahead of them), but Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin provide the hope for the future.

Both could be effective, high-volume three-point shooters who can also create for others. Pairing them could give Brooklyn a dynamic, unpredictable attack.

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch recently told reporters , "We've traded moodiness for giddiness." He didn't single out Randle, instead describing Minnesota as a moody team in recent years.

For Brooklyn, the concern is whether Randle will take too many on-ball possessions away from Brown and Dëmin.

Caleb Wilson looked like a potential superstar at North Carolina, and that was based largely on his absurd vertical explosiveness. But in the Summer League and preseason, he's shown off some smooth wing skills. And as those continue to develop, he and Matas Buzelis could quickly become one of the most dynamic young forward duos in the NBA.

A lot of their early effectiveness will be determined by Josh Giddey, whose playmaking would benefit from defenses having to take his jump shot more seriously. He's had an above- average three-point percentage in each of the last two seasons, but defenders still generally play off him and try to crowd his passing lanes. If a more consistent Giddey jumper forces opponents to play him tighter, Wilson and Buzelis will get better looks around the rim.

Reason for Optimism: Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg

Even as he enters his age-38 campaign, Stephen Curry is still one of the best shows in the league. And this season, it looks like he may suddenly have a new, more dynamic point forward to play off of. Twenty-four-year-old rookie Yaxel Lendeborg looks like a seasoned vet this preseason, with averages of 23.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists. And his team-first game should quickly jell with Curry's.

Reason for Concern: Injuries (or Illnesses) Galore

For those keeping track at home, Kristaps Porziņģis, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are all out indefinitely. There are no concrete timetables for the returns of any of them. And their salaries add up to almost $90 million and over 50 percent of the salary cap. Beyond that, Curry, Al Horford and Draymond Green are 38, 40 and 36, respectively. Durability isn't a given for any of them. And if Curry has an extended absence, this season could get real ugly, real fast.

There's plenty to like about the Memphis Grizzlies' young roster, but it's also not hard to settle on one individual player. In the Summer League and preseason, the skills that have made Cameron Boozer dominant at every previous level are translating. His "lack" of athleticism was overblown, and he's averaging 24.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per 75 possessions in these exhibition games.

Reason for Concern: Ty Jerome and Zach Edey's Health

Having said that, Boozer can't lead this team to competitiveness by himself. And Zach Edey (38.5 games per season for his career) and Ty Jerome (29 games per season over the last three years) have had a hard time staying on the floor. If those two and Boozer are together, the Grizzlies are going to surprise a lot of people. If not, they could be stuck outside the play-in.

The New Orleans Pelicans are a little like the late 2010s Orlando Magic. Like Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Nikola Vučević, Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray are solid individual players you could imagine other teams wanting, but they just don't seem to fit together. And that could lead to a couple different potential outcomes:

Either it suddenly clicks, or they finally get some assets for some of the veterans.

Reason for Concern: No Face of the Franchise

Williamson is, ostensibly, the best player and face of this team, but he's often hurt, has yet to lead them to any playoff success and seems like a perennial fixture in trade rumors.

And while there are reasons to be intrigued by Derik Queen (his passing) and Jeremiah Fears (his fearlessness), it's hard to look at any member of the young core and see a guaranteed star right now.

Keyonte George and Ace Bailey are both worthy of a little hope. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., though older, certainly aren't past their primes. And if they can stay healthy, they'll make the Utah Jazz far more competitive. But the biggest reason to be optimistic about this team, without question, is Darryn Peterson, a smooth-moving 2-guard with real superstar potential. If he hits his ceiling, the Jazz could be pretty special in a few years. If he's better than expected right now, they might even challenge for a play-in spot in 2027.

Reason for Concern: Markkanen and JJJ's Health

Plenty of fans and analysts are understandably excited about the raw talent on this roster and Utah's expected pivot out of the rebuild, but the latter depends a lot on Markkanen and Jackson. If either or both miss significant time, fans may have to exercise a little patience. And for their careers, Markkanen has averaged just under 55 appearances per season, while JJJ is just under 57.

The Phoenix Suns may have been a little underestimated last season, but there's no doubt that first-year coach Jordan Ott also got the absolute most out of that roster that he possibly could. He helped make them one of the hardest-playing teams in the league, something that showed up in their opponents' turnover percentage and their own offensive rebounding percentage. And though the loss of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale may have cost them some of that grit, Ott will surely find a way to draw more out of everyone who's left (or joined up this offseason).

Reason for Concern: Top-End Talent after Devin Booker

Trading Allen and O'Neale for Miles Bridges was, presumably, an effort to address this concern, but after close to a decade in the league, it's pretty clear that Bridges just isn't a star. And bringing him in may have done little more than reduce the team's firepower from deep. That leaves a lot of pressure on Devin Booker to lead another "try-hard" roster to an above-.500 record.

The Washington Wizards are in a situation similar to Utah's. They have a couple of good veterans in Trae Young and Anthony Davis. They have a lot of young talent all over the roster. There's plenty of upside to be developed in Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George. But no Wizard can generate quite as much optimism as AJ Dybantsa, who looks like a dynamic point forward who can do a little bit of everything at a high level.

AD has famously struggled to be available throughout his career. And if he goes down for a long stretch this season, it could be harder to get back into play-in range than previously expected. Sarr has some potential and Deandre Ayton has plenty of experience, but the former still has a lot of growing to do on offense and the latter isn't a great defensive anchor.

After making his first All-Star team in 2025-26, Deni Avdija will certainly have the ball a little less this season, but that might actually be a good thing. Playing with Ja Morant and Damian Lillard should lead to more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Avdija, which should juice his scoring efficiency a little. And when he's on the floor with Lillard, specifically, defenses won't be able to crowd Avdija's drives as aggressively.

Reason for Concern: The Point Guard Logjam

New coach Micah Nori has already said it doesn't make a ton of sense to start Lillard and Morant together. The lack of size and defense between those two could be a problem, and they're not the only point guards Nori needs to find minutes for. Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson will almost certainly be in the rotation too. And while two or three of the above can ostensibly play some 2, that isn't likely to alleviate the defensive concerns.

We're still workshopping duo nicknames for Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, but the pairing has a catchy ring to it, and their games should flow together just as well.

Flagg is already one of the most dangerous slashers in the league, and with Kyrie back in the lineup and dragging defenders out to the three-point line, the driving lanes should be wider than any Flagg found last season.

Reason for Concern: Dereck Lively's Health

Ideally, the Dallas Mavericks' high-end duo would be a trio. And when he's healthy, Dereck Lively II is talented enough to be included. But he's only appeared in 98 games in his three seasons, and he's still recovering from a foot surgery right now.

If he can get and stay healthy, the Mavericks could push for a play-in spot. If he remains a perennial injury risk, the ceiling is certainly lower.

Reason for Optimism: Three-Point Shooting

It remains to be seen whether the Charlotte Hornets can make up for the loss of LaMelo Ball's playmaking in the aggregate, but even without some of the looks Ball created, this team should make an absurd number of threes in 2026-27. They led the league in that category last season, are bringing back Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Coby White and added Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen.

Reason for Concern: Lack of Shot Creation

The aforementioned loss of Ball could take more than this season to get over. His shot creation was a huge part of last season's success, and he was also second in the NBA (behind Knueppel) in total threes made. There's some untapped potential on the playmaking front from Knueppel, Miller and White, but Charlotte's offense was better with Ball on the floor in every season he played there (and it was dramatically better with him the last two years).

Jamahl Mosley did a good job of establishing a defensive culture during his time as the head coach of the Orlando Magic, but they never found a real offensive rhythm. Orlando had a below- average offensive rating in every season Mosley coached there. And while Sean Sweeney is a defensive-minded coach himself, there's a new staff in place that will overhaul the approach on the offensive end.

Over the last two seasons, Orlando is plus-9.0 points per 100 possessions when Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs are on the floor. The problem is that they've only logged 318 minutes as a trio in that stretch. Since the start of 2024-25, each has missed at least 46 games. The Magic may be good when they're healthy. There just isn't a ton of evidence to suggest they will be.

There's a good amount of young (or young-ish) talent still around that helped the Atlanta Hawks reach a mid-40s win total last season, but we sort of know who and what they are by now. It's the addition of a pair of championship-winning role players from the Oklahoma City Thunder that could drive this team to the next level. Neither Aaron Wiggins nor Luguentz Dort will have huge scoring roles for Atlanta, but the latter might start, and both bring tons of defensive know-how and experience.

Reason for Concern: Lack of Traditional Playmaking

Jalen Johnson's development into a bona fide point forward made it easier to trade Trae Young, but the team's offensive rating was only good (not great) when he was on the floor last season. And having a more traditional playmaker was helpful for Johnson's scoring too. Over the course of his career, he had a 59.9 true shooting percentage when sharing the floor with Young and a 56.6 true shooting percentage when playing without him. CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and maybe even Kingston Flemings can all take a little pressure off Johnson, but there aren't any dedicated, traditional playmakers in the rotation.

Reason for Optimism: The Return of Tyrese Haliburton

The last time Tyrese Haliburton was healthy and playing meaningful basketball for the Indiana Pacers, he'd hit three first-half triple-doubles and had his team leading Game 7 of the NBA Finals. It's now been well over a year since he ruptured his Achilles in that game and basketball fans (not just the ones in Indiana) should be thrilled to have him back. Haliburton is one of the best playmakers in the league, consistently and dramatically makes his teammates better and instantly makes the Pacers relevant again.

The biggest difference between these Pacers and the ones who made the Finals is Ivica Zubac now starting in Myles Turner's spot. That obviously means a lot less three-point shooting, which could make the middle of the floor a little more crowded for Haliburton's drives. Zubac is also a better rebounder, can occupy more space on the defensive end and is probably a better interior threat on offense, but there will definitely be an adjustment period.

For the most part, we've avoided established players in this space. And the Detroit Pistons do still have some intriguing young talent we could spotlight here (like Ausar Thompson). But Cade Cunningham is only 25 himself, and he just secured a first-team All-NBA nod.

Regardless of the drama that followed the Pistons (and Jalen Duren's restricted free agency) this offseason, they have one of the best young playmakers in the NBA. And even if an improved East will make it tough for Detroit to repeat last season's success, having Cunningham means it should be competitive for a while.

Reason for Concern: Lack of Three-Point Shooting

The two big deals the Pistons signed this summer were for Duren and Thompson, neither of whom shoots threes well and both of whom should start. Pair them with Cunningham, a below- average three-point shooter himself, and it starts to get real easy to imagine spacing problems for this offense.

Duncan Robinson and new additions Isaiah Joe and John Collins can help, but either or both of Thompson and Cunningham have to start knocking down long-range shots more consistently.

Over the last two seasons, Luka Dončić averaged almost 40 points and nine assists per 75 possessions when he was on the floor without LeBron James. And now, of course, all his minutes will be played without having to share the ball (and playmaking duties) with the legend. He's also heading into the season surrounded by solid shooters and finally has a rim-running big in Walker Kessler. Add Austin Reaves to all of the above, and it's easy to imagine the Los Angeles Lakers truly scoring at will.

L.A. may have a lot of 130-plus-point nights this season, but they're also going to give up that amount fairly regularly. JJ Redick has proven an effective defensive coach, but Luka and Reaves starting together is going to put a lot of pressure on Walker Kessler to clean up mistakes. And the frontcourt depth behind him, at least for the moment, is pretty thin.

Kawhi Leonard is back in a Toronto Raptors jersey. And assuming he's relatively healthy through the regular season and into the playoffs, Toronto will be a legitimate threat to represent the East in the Finals.

Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles give the Raptors one of the best defensive cores in the NBA.

Barnes has emerged as one of the most exciting young point forwards. And Leonard's one-on-one scoring will make the Raptors' attack far more dangerous, particularly when schemes break down at the end of games.

Reason for Concern: Three-Point Shooting

Leonard is a far more reliable shooter than the wing he's replacing (Brandon Ingram), but Toronto is still starting three players who command little to no attention outside the three-point line in Barnes, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl.

In the playoffs, when defenses are more willing to ignore non-shooters, that can create some serious spacing problems.

Trading for Kevin Durant instantly oriented the Houston Rockets onto a win-now timeline, but it really shouldn't feel as urgent for them as it does for some other title contenders.

Reed Sheppard, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson are all 24 or younger and have star potential—or, in Şengün's case, have already reached that level.

There's enough veteran talent here to seriously threaten for a championship, but the younger players should keep them relevant beyond KD's departure or retirement.

Still, Durant's presence means Houston should want to win it all now . Pulling that off is heavily dependent on the veterans, almost all of whom have serious durability questions.

Durant has been remarkably healthy the last few years, but he is a 38-year-old forward with a torn Achilles in his history. Fred VanVleet is coming off a torn ACL.

Steven Adams has averaged 33 games per season over the last four. Bogdan Bogdanović is 34 and has appeared in 77 games in the last two seasons. And Marcus Smart hasn't played more than 62 games since 2021-22.

For years, the Cleveland Cavaliers have appeared to have things pretty well settled at both the guard and big spots. With James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen inside, that's still true today. But there's long been a hole, or at least a mild concern, at the 3 in the middle of that lineup. They're certainly hoping to have it this year with Peyton Watson. And if he's the player he was from December 31 through February 1, when he averaged 22.5 points and shot 46.2 percent from deep, the Cavs could represent the East in the Finals.

Reason for Concern: James Harden's Playoff History

On balance, Harden has been a productive playoff player. He's 25th all time in career postseason box plus/minus , but there's no doubt that his lows are spectacularly low. Of his 191 playoff games, Harden has had a sub-10 game score in 45 of them. And in those 45 games, he's averaged 10.9 points and 4.0 assists, while shooting 28.0 percent from the field and 18.3 percent from deep.

Reason for Optimism: Back in the Superstar Business

The Miami Heat hit their organizational peaks with some of the biggest names in the sport on their rosters. And while Jimmy Butler certainly played like a superstar during some of his playoff runs with the Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo is closer to the profile of the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. And though he may be past his own absolute peak, he's still going to put up MVP-like numbers, when available. And if he's healthy in the spring and summer, the Heat could challenge for another championship.

Miami's front office did a good job of rounding out its rotation with good shooters. In addition to holdovers Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis all have the potential to shoot 40-plus percent from deep this season. But, barring a late-career shooting breakout from Bam Adebayo or Giannis, there's a pretty serious overlap in skills (and lack of shooting) between Miami's two best players. And that could bog the offense down a bit in key moments.

The Denver Nuggets were understandably panned for much of the offseason. After an embarrassing first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, they lost Peyton Watson—the one real shot at upside on the roster—in restricted free agency.

But adding DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III and hanging onto Spencer Jones gives Denver a second unit that may finally help it survive the non-Nikola Jokić minutes.

DeRozan's one-on-one skill is the key, but Tyus Jones' steady-handed playmaking, Spencer Jones' defense, Julian Strawther's confidence as a shooter and Bagley's finishing will all help.

Jokić is one of the most reliably available superstars of his era, but at this point, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson all have to be considered pretty significant injury risks.

Gordon, in particular, has struggled to shake soft tissue injuries down the stretch. And if he's compromised in the postseason, Denver's chances at a second title will be almost nonexistent.

Years ago, when much of the league was still emphasizing versatility and small-ball, the Minnesota Timberwolves zagged, traded for Rudy Gobert and made multiple conference finals playing big. Now when much of the NBA is upsizing, Minnesota unloaded Julius Randle and Naz Reid and brought in LaMelo Ball. And after seeing just a handful of preseason possessions, it's already easy to get excited about the offensive potential of the Ball-Anthony Edwards backcourt. Both are among the most effective high-volume three-point shooters in the league. Ball is one of its best creators and passers. And Edwards will be perhaps the best finisher he's ever played with.

Minnesota's starting lineup, whether the fifth spot is occupied by Jonathan Kuminga or Ayo Dosunmu, is going to be one of the best groups in the league. But the talent behind it is largely unproven. Bones Hyland and the odd man out between Kuminga and Dosunmu will have their moments, but Terrence Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer have a lot of growing to do before they're ready to be championship-level role players.

If you could somehow measure how much pure talent a team possesses, the Philadelphia 76ers would almost certainly be near the top of the league.

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe make up one of the most dynamic backcourts the NBA has. Joel Embiid, when healthy, can still be a devastatingly effective scorer. Jaylen Brown is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 28.7 points.

And LeBron James, even in his age-42 season, can bring playmaking and know-how that ties it all together.

Health is a key consideration for plenty of teams around the league, but it's especially concerning for the Sixers.

Again, LeBron is about to turn 42. Embiid's struggles to stay on the floor have been discussed ad nauseam, and he lacked explosiveness at times in the preseason. If either or both are hurt in the playoffs, Philly's shot at a title will be at risk.

Reason for Optimism: The Potential Jaylen Brown Replacement(s)

Practically speaking, a healthy Jayson Tatum is the Boston Celtics' replacement for the 2025-26 version of Jaylen Brown. But for the Celtics to get back to championship level, they'll need someone to replace the pre-2025-26 version of Brown.

Actually, with the current roster, it'll probably have to be multiple someones. And with Paul George, Hugo González and Baylor Scheierman, Boston may be able to make up the production in the aggregate.

The Celtics have enough depth and are coached well enough to survive some absences in the regular season, but Tatum is coming off a ruptured Achilles, Paul George is oft-injured and 36 and Mitchell Robinson has his own troubles staying on the floor.

If one or more are gone in the playoffs, getting back to the mountaintop may be impossible.

Reason for Optimism: The Starters are Back

Over the course of the 2026 playoffs, the New York Knicks proved themselves to have one of the NBA's best starting lineups—if not the best.

Jalen Brunson's playmaking (for himself and others), Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby's three-and-D contributions, Karl-Anthony Towns' shooting and rebounding, and Josh Hart's ability to fill in the gaps took New York all the way to a title.

The Knicks played most of the postseason with a seven- or eight-man rotation. Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado appeared in most of the games, but they were both around 10 minutes per.

And over the offseason, they lost crucial offensive rebounder and big man Mitchell Robinson. Andre Drummond can replace some of what went out the door, but this team's depth will be tested in the 2027 postseason.

Reason for Optimism: This Is Just Getting Started

We've gotten over our skis on a number of young cores in recent years, but it's hard to imagine how this one can actually go wrong.

Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are 22, 21 and 20, respectively. Wemby's already a "best in the world" contender. Castle had a fringe-of-the-fringes All-Star case last season. And Harper looked like the second-best Spur for prolonged stretches of the playoffs.

All three are several years away from their primes.

For a player with Wemby's slender, 7'4" frame, health is always going to be the primary concern. And to date, he's only averaged 60.3 appearances per year. He, of course, stayed upright during last year's Finals run, but if he's hurt down the stretch, San Antonio's title chances will be shot.

Reason for Optimism: The Mid-First-Round Picks

As if the Oklahoma City Thunder needed this kind of help, it looks like they may have landed a pair of keepers in the middle of the first round this past summer.

In just 23.3 minutes, Aday Mara averaged 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists, while shooting 78.8 percent from the field. And Bennett Stirtz added 14.6 points and 3.0 assists in 27.2 minutes, while shooting 48.4 percent from deep.

He could realistically be a concern for every team in the NBA, but Victor Wembanyama is especially tough for the Thunder. He appears to have Chet Holmgren's number in a way that legitimately shakes OKC's young star. And his dominance over him predates their time in the NBA.

If the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs meet in the postseason again, Holmgren is going to have to discover a new approach to the matchup.