The 2026-27 NBA season opens Tuesday with the usual preseason noise already giving way to real rotation questions. The Spurs and Thunder begin at the top after their West finals fight, the Knicks carry the East’s championship target, and the league’s recent history says the October picture will not hold still for long.
There have been eight different Finals matchups in the eight years since Cleveland and Golden State met four straight times. Since 2019, 13 franchises have claimed the 16 conference titles. San Antonio was barely on last year’s preseason radar before winning 62 games and knocking out the defending champion, while New York entered last season as an East favorite but drew only one general-manager vote to end its 53-year title drought.
Quick facts
- San Antonio opens No. 1 after a 2-3 preseason and hosts Oklahoma City, Houston and visits Dallas in Week 1.
- Boston went 4-0 in exhibition play despite Jaylen Brown’s departure; Sacramento went 0-5 and posted its worst numbers with key veterans on the court.
- Detroit gets an immediate measuring stick: Boston, Miami, Philadelphia and New York in its first four games.
- Denver is the final club to begin its schedule, opening Thursday in Oklahoma City.
- Preseason games against NBA opponents averaged 110.2 points per 100 possessions and 103.8 possessions per team per 48 minutes.
San Antonio’s new starting look puts De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper beside Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. That three-guard group had logged only 73 combined minutes last season and was outscored by 26.1 points per 100 possessions, but it finished preseason strong, beating Phoenix and Sacramento by 27 in just under 23 minutes together. Wembanyama took 26 of 43 attempts in the paint, a 60% share, though he went 1-for-12 from three.
The Spurs will need to win the possession battle immediately against the Thunder and Rockets, then visit Dallas. They play 11 straight West opponents to start and get six home dates in their first eight; after Tuesday, Oklahoma City does not return to their schedule until February.
Oklahoma City’s 1-4 preseason did not erase the foundation of two elite defensive seasons, but Chet Holmgren’s quad injury bears watching. The 24-year-old missed all of camp and averaged only 10.7 points against San Antonio in the conference finals, including four in Game 7. The Thunder scored 95.8 per 100 possessions in their four playoff losses to the Spurs.
Rookie big Aday Mara made a case for minutes while Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren and Jaylin Williams barely played. Mara shot 26-for-33, averaging 20.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per 36 minutes, and Oklahoma City also used a 2-3 zone with him stationed around the rim. The Thunder open at San Antonio before home games with Denver and the Clippers; seven of their first eight opponents had winning records last season.
New York remains the East favorite despite Mitchell Robinson leaving, but its preseason defense was loose and its shooting was worse. Seven Knicks hit below 33% from three on at least 10 tries, while lineups with three or more regular starters allowed more than 125 points per 100 possessions across 79 minutes.
Karl-Anthony Towns worked exclusively at center, without Andre Drummond beside him. His assist rate rose to 7.7 per 36 minutes as his share of offensive possession time climbed from 14% last season to 18%. New York opens with Philadelphia, Boston and Orlando, with its bench defense—now missing Robinson—an early concern.
Philadelphia has the league’s most complicated new star mix, with Joel Embiid, Brown and Tyrese Maxey each carrying usage above 25% in the preseason. The starting five appeared together once, in Brooklyn, producing 30 points on 23 possessions. The Sixers’ assist rate jumped to 76% of made baskets, while their pace and three-point volume also climbed sharply.
Philadelphia still lived away from the rim, taking only 41% of its attempts in the paint. Embiid had just four paint shots among 18 total tries. The Sixers play four times this week—at New York, then Cleveland, Milwaukee and Detroit—and their first 17 games are all within the East. Embiid and James will be monitored as Philadelphia reaches its first back-to-back Saturday and Sunday.
Boston’s 4-0 preseason featured the NBA’s best defensive rating, 98.6, and the top net rating at plus-17.7. The Celtics still have not created much rim pressure or free-throw volume, though, with only 11 of Jayson Tatum’s 36 shots coming in the paint and one foul-shot attempt over 56 minutes.
Mitchell Robinson should strengthen the interior, while Luka Garza led the club in offensive boards during camp. Derrick White went 2-for-7 from deep after shooting 32.7% from three last season, down from 38.7% across the prior three years. Boston begins in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, then hosts the Knicks Friday.
Houston enters with Fred VanVleet, Marcus Smart and a returning Steven Adams after posting the West’s third-best point differential last season. The Rockets played faster in preseason, crossed half court sooner than they had in recent years and raised their three-point rate. VanVleet went 6-for-21 from deep but handed out 15 assists against one turnover.
The late-game menu will be worth tracking: VanVleet-Alperen Sengun action, Kevin Durant-Sengun combinations and Amen Thompson’s growth as a creator all give Houston choices it did not previously have. The Rockets have lost eight straight openers and try to end that run against Dallas Wednesday before heading to San Antonio, where they surrendered 145 points on 102 possessions in their last visit.
Cleveland has reshaped its staggering, pairing James Harden more often with Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell with Jarrett Allen. Harden reached the foul line in two preseason appearances, but the Cavaliers scored below one point per possession in his 53 minutes. Their assist rate dropped sharply, and the starting group assisted on fewer than half its baskets.
Peyton Watson brings wing size after Cleveland sacrificed depth to acquire him, while Mario Hezonja could be important as a reserve forward if the Cavs want to avoid undersized four-guard looks. Cleveland does not open until Thursday at Philadelphia, then hosts Brooklyn. It swept the Sixers last season while scoring 124 points per 100 possessions.
Toronto’s ceiling changed with Kawhi Leonard’s arrival. He was fifth on the Raptors in usage and isolated only twice in 39 preseason minutes, while Toronto was plus-36 against the Knicks with him playing. Much of that came against New York reserves, but the Leonard-Scottie Barnes-Collin Murray-Boyles frontcourt held opponents to 76 points per 100 possessions over 25 defensive trips.
Leonard has no back-to-back this week, so Toronto could use him in all three games: Chicago, Washington and Minnesota. Ja’Kobe Walter’s bench shooting matters after he hit at least 42% on 250 catch-and-shoot threes last season.
Denver lost Peyton Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr., but Aaron Gordon looked healthy after appearing in only 39 of 88 possible games last year. Gordon shot 63%, including 7-for-13 from three, and averaged 35.6 points per 36 minutes. The Nuggets also picked up opposing ball-handlers farther from the basket, rising from last in pickup distance a year ago to 10th in preseason.
Julian Strawther is out with a knee injury, leaving bench survival as the usual question behind Nikola Jokić. Marvin Bagley III is the new backup center and DeMar DeRozan supplies scoring. Denver opens Thursday in Oklahoma City, where it has dropped five in a row dating to the 2025 playoffs, then hosts New Orleans.
Detroit’s 60-win season set a high bar, and Jalen Duren looked ready after missing the first two exhibition games. He scored 38 points in 35 minutes over the final two, with a preseason usage rate surpassed only by Luka Dončić. Duren even handled a few ball screens.
The Pistons again forced turnovers at the league’s highest rate, but they also fouled at the highest rate. Ausar Thompson averaged 3.9 steals and 6.8 fouls per 36 minutes. Boston, Miami and Philadelphia arrive before the Knicks, and Detroit went 18-7 against East playoff opponents last season.
Minnesota has replaced Julius Randle and Naz Reid with LaMelo Ball, changing both its size and its playmaking. Chris Finch said the Wolves intend to “lean into” Ball-Edwards minutes, seeking easier off-ball looks for Anthony Edwards and another shooter when defenses crowd him. That also means Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu will have stretches responsible for keeping the offense moving.
Jaden McDaniels shot 61%, including 10-for-14 from three, while averaging 25.7 points per 36. Minnesota’s preseason defense, however, ranked near the bottom and puts its streak of four top-10 defensive finishes in doubt. The Wolves start with Miami, Orlando and Toronto.
The Lakers now belong to Dončić, whose 42.3% preseason usage rate was the highest for any qualifying player in nine years. He committed 15 turnovers against eight assists, a workload that will need refining. Los Angeles also shifted toward drop coverage, fitting new center Walker Kessler after the club ranked 29th in restricted-area defense last season.
Perimeter containment is the bigger Week 1 assignment. Kessler cannot be expected to chase Stephen Curry, Darius Garland or Keyonte George, putting pressure on Matisse Thybulle, Quentin Grimes, Dončić and Austin Reaves. The Lakers open against Golden State and the Clippers before visiting Utah.
Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 30.4 points, 14.9 rebounds and 12.9 assists per 36 minutes in limited preseason work with Bam Adebayo nursing a groin issue. He made 16 of 19 paint attempts, and 14 of his 20 assists created threes. Miami pushed pace to a preseason-best level and ran 27% of possessions in transition while setting the fewest ball screens in the league.
The Heat’s opening opponents—Minnesota, Detroit and Charlotte—were all top-10 paint defenses last season. If they wall off Antetokounmpo, Miami’s shooters, including Adebayo, must answer. Four of its first six are at Kaseya Center after a major home-road split last year.
Indiana gets Tyrese Haliburton back, and he looked sharp: 8-for-15 from three, 31.8 points and 9.9 assists per 36 minutes. The Pacers scored more than 121 per 100 with him on the floor. Ivica Zubac helped lift them to third in rebounding percentage after the club ranked 28th in that category two seasons ago.
T.J. McConnell missed all of preseason, leaving Indiana thin behind Haliburton. The Pacers begin at New Orleans, host Dallas and visit Brooklyn, part of a favorable first four against teams that finished below .500 last season.
Orlando’s core remains intact under new coach Sean Sweeney, but its defense is the central issue after the preseason numbers slipped. Tristan da Silva tried 15.4 threes per 36 minutes, second among players with at least 25 preseason minutes and nearly triple his career rate. Paolo Banchero continued to isolate heavily, with the Magic scoring just 0.44 points per chance when those isolations directly ended in a shot, turnover or trip to the line.
The Magic open against Atlanta, Minnesota and New York, beginning a six-game slate entirely against last season’s winning teams. Atlanta, meanwhile, comes in after a 20-6 finish following the All-Star break and has added Lu Dort, Dorian Finney-Smith, Kingston Flemings and Aaron Wiggins.
The Hawks used last season’s starters in their only fully healthy preseason game, with Dort coming off the bench. Dyson Daniels went 2-for-12 from three, and Atlanta scored under a point per possession in his minutes next to Dort. The second unit shot only 23% from deep in the playoffs, so the revamped bench will be tested immediately as Atlanta starts a five-games-in-seven-days stretch after Wednesday’s Orlando opener.
Phoenix continues to win extra possessions, leading preseason play in offensive rebound rate and ranking fifth in forcing turnovers. Jalen Green started over Collin Gillespie and averaged 23.3 drives per 100 possessions, a potential career-high pace. Rookie center Khaman Maluach should receive real rotation work while Mark Williams recovers from shoulder surgery.
Utah is trying to leave the West basement behind with Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George expected to push the results. The Jazz used Jaxson Hayes next to Markkanen and Jackson while Ace Bailey came off the bench, though Bailey replaced Hayes in late-game looks and Jackson spent about a third of his minutes at center. Passing was scarce: Utah finished 29th in assist rate, and injured Jusuf Nurkić had four assists in 11 minutes—more than Markkanen or Jackson had in much heavier workloads.
Portland’s Damian Lillard-Ja Morant pairing remains a work in progress. The Blazers were minus-three in their 42 preseason minutes together but plus-24 with Lillard playing without Morant. Scoot Henderson led the team in usage at 30.6%, made 8 of 20 threes and helped Portland score 140 points per 100 possessions alongside Lillard.
Interior defense can cover for some guard leakage. Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III held NBA preseason opponents to 47% shooting in the paint. Portland hosts Phoenix Wednesday, then plays six of its next seven away from home.
Dallas expects Cooper Flagg’s second season and Kyrie Irving’s return from a knee injury to lift it into the Play-In chase. Irving shot 7-for-13 from three with no turnovers in 47 preseason minutes, but the Mavericks gave up more than 130 points per 100 with him playing and were hammered on the defensive glass. New coach Dusty May has emphasized more assisted shots and more threes.
Washington’s Trae Young-Anthony Davis experiment struggled early, producing only 82 points per 100 possessions in their 46 shared minutes. Young shot 7-for-27 and averaged 7.5 turnovers per 36. Rookie AJ Dybantsa was 12-for-14 in the restricted area but 6-for-27 elsewhere before an ankle sprain ended his preseason finale.
Kyshawn George delivered an 84.6 true-shooting percentage while taking difficult defensive assignments, averaging at least 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per 36. Washington opens against Milwaukee and Toronto before a back-to-back at Chicago; the Wizards are 2-42 in second nights of back-to-backs over the past three seasons.
Charlotte starts with injuries to three projected starters: Kon Knueppel has a hamstring issue, Coby White a calf problem and Moussa Diabaté an elbow injury. Brandon Miller will carry more creation, though he averaged only 4.3 assists per 36 in preseason. The Hornets attempted only 40% of their shots in the paint and led the league in turnover rate at 23.5 per 100 possessions.
Memphis has a young frontcourt with real upside. Cameron Boozer earned 24 free throws against 34 field-goal attempts, the top rookie rate among qualifying players, and Memphis topped 130 points per 100 possessions with Boozer, Ty Jerome and Cedric Coward sharing the floor. Zach Edey held opponents to 47% shooting in the paint and 88 points per 100 during his 47 minutes, but his workload will be managed after he played only 11 games last season.
Golden State begins Curry’s 18th season with Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porziņģis sidelined. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg will start from opening night after joining Antetokounmpo and Flagg as the only preseason players to average at least 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per 36. Curry played in five of six exhibitions but turned an ankle at Sunday’s open practice, and the Warriors face a back-to-back this weekend.
The Clippers open short-handed, with Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, Jordan Miller and Yanic Konan Niederhäuser unavailable. Darius Garland carries the offensive load, while Rui Hachimura hit 8 of 13 threes and averaged 31.6 points per 36. The Clippers were crushed in the restricted area and ranked near the bottom in both offensive and defensive rebounding, making their defense the clearest early pressure point.
New Orleans returns most of a 26-win roster and adds Bennedict Mathurin. Zion Williamson launched seven threes but the Pelicans still took 54% of their shots in the paint, where they ranked among the worst finishing teams. Williamson and Derik Queen were plus-six in 30 combined minutes, mostly because of defense, but the Pelicans need better shooting after ranking 27th in effective field-goal percentage last season.
Chicago has No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson and new coach Tiago Splitter, hoping its young athletes can defend well enough to run. Matas Buzelis made 17 of 20 paint shots but went 8-for-29 outside, and the spacing around Josh Giddey remains a concern. Leonard Miller averaged 30 points and 11.7 rebounds per 36 while posting a 72.0 effective field-goal percentage, giving Chicago an unusually long forward trio with Wilson and Buzelis.
Brooklyn led preseason offense at 120.3 points per 100 possessions. Keon Ellis and Egor Dëmin started every game, and that starting group scored 140 per 100 possessions in 38 minutes. Rookie Nolan Traore averaged 26.9 points and 5.8 assists per 36, while Michael Porter Jr. received 18 assists on 23 preseason makes, including 14 from Julius Randle or Day’Ron Sharpe.
Milwaukee is in reset mode after moving Antetokounmpo, though rookie Brayden Burries showed promising rim finishing by going 15-for-24 in the paint despite a 2-for-17 mark from three. Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware scored efficiently together but were beaten on the glass. Games at Washington and against Chicago will offer an early read on how competitive this version of the Bucks can be.
Sacramento closes the preseason rankings at 0-5, and Ben Simmons’ Achilles tear leaves Darius Acuff Jr. as the only nominal point guard. Domantas Sabonis will initiate offense from the high post, with Nique Clifford likely handling more. Zach LaVine and Sabonis were outscored by 33 in 38 shared preseason minutes, extending a troubling trend for that pairing.
The Kings need Sabonis healthy to repair a defensive rebounding collapse that took them from second in 2024-25 to 23rd last season. Their opening week—at the Clippers, then Portland and Memphis—gives Acuff and the remade backcourt a fast introduction to the regular-season grind.
