David Vertsberger Fri, October 16, 2026 at 3:08 PM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the NBA season kicking off on Tuesday, here are 10 bold predictions, including the Knicks ' biggest competition in the East, surprise teams in the West, and standout players.
Oddsmakers are pointing to McCain's teammate, Ajay Mitchell , as the favorite to win this award, but it has historically gone to scorers. More times than not Mitchell will be the one setting up bench units and moving into the starting lineup when needed, while McCain possesses the larger three-ball volume and can be the more explosive scorer at times.
With respect to Collin Murray-Boyles , Egor Demin , Khaman Maluach , Jarred Vanderbilt and the many breakout players to emerge, Henderson has slowly and quietly begun to creep back into the spotlight after struggling early as a third overall pick. Last season he displayed a career-high efficiency, now he's learning under two All-Star point guards and shined in the preseason.
Most are expecting one of the freaks at the top of the draft — AJ Dybantsa , Cam Boozer or Caleb Wilson — to take this award. However Acuff is especially situated where he can be an offensive engine but not relied upon too heavily, won't be bogged down by major defensive responsibilities, and could have an efficiency edge with his deep ball and guard play.
Los Angeles spent its summer building a team in the vision of its superstar, Luka Doncic , after moving on from the LeBron James experience. While they've captured that essence, most will admit they don't possess contender-level talent, but the situation may be even worse than that.
Their "Big Three" have had health issues in recent years, their supporting cast leaves you wanting more, and they have limited flexibility to maneuver away from this construct. They could be a solid team, but when you have Quentin Grimes penned in as your fourth starter, the potential downside should be considered in greater depth.
Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) passes the ball against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3), guard Landry Shamet (44), forward OG Anunoby (8) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during game four of the 2026 NBA Finals in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Knicks' nemesis during their march to last season's championship will take the experience of that loss and wreak fresh havoc on the league, winning his first MVP behind incomparable numbers and the best record in the NBA. He came in third last season before keeping that production up through a trip to the Finals and will come back improved and extra motivated this season.
That effect will primarily be felt on the defensive end, where Wembanyama dominated last season and is sure to this year as well. There's a good chance nothing but an injury can keep Wembanyama from repeating as Defensive Player of the Year.
On this rare occasion, the East actually dwarfs the West in terms of depth of strong teams, with two clear contenders at the top — Oklahoma City and San Antonio — unmatched by the many unproven teams below. This environment is perfect for a young upstart team to break out and surprise experts, in this case Dallas and Portland.
The Mavericks are casually walking into this season with second year Cooper Flagg , a recovered Kyrie Irving , and a deep reserve of legitimate NBA role players, combined with a new head coach, which gives them a real shot to be a surprise Play-In or better team. The Blazers made a splash move in acquiring Ja Morant , whose fit with Damian Lillard is being questioned, but they have the defensive core to protect that backcourt and a lot of momentum coming off last season's postseason appearance.
All eyes will be on Philadelphia to start this season, after sweeping changes to the 76ers roster including the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James . On paper, this roster reads like a 12-year-old's 2K team or an Olympic lineup, enough so that they've become a favorite to make it out of the East.
But as recent NBA history has shown, you can't just stick star names together and hope a championship team comes out the other side. Contenders need grit, defense, luck, and cohesion, and if the 76ers want to be a true contender, they'll need all of their superstars to commit to this script.
They also need to be healthy enough to do so, as LeBron turns 42 and Joel Embiid comes off three consecutive years of under 40 games played. Many don't see the ceiling on this team, but it's difficult to see them making it past the second round, let alone reaching it.
Oct 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks with players Cade Cunningham (2) and Kevin Huerter (27) during a timeout against the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
A familiar foe to the Knicks, the Pistons dragged them through six tough games in the 2025 playoffs and demolished them during the 2026 regular season. However, everything that's transpired since has weakened them as a threat.
They lost much of their toughness and veteran reliability moving off Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris , while not addressing their biggest weaknesses — a lack of secondary creation and spacing. They're likely to have another successful regular season, but expect a step back from 60 wins and another early postseason ouster unless things radically change.
Oddsmakers favor the Sixers or Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals if not the Knicks, but they have it wrong. The health and combustibility of Philadelphia and recent postseason stagnation from Boston make them pushovers in the face of other opposition.
Indiana is a team when, last healthy, was in Game 7 of the Finals after topping this very Knicks team, and they've since upgraded at center. Toronto went seven games with a Conference Finalist then added Kawhi Leonard .
The regular season may tell a different story, but barring injury the two teams New York needs to watch out for come the postseason are Indiana and Toronto.
No NBA team has been able to win back-to-back championships since 2018, but the Knicks are in a terrific position to do it this season, as half their conference will spend a good part of the season getting used to fresh faces.
Outside of a breakdown in extension talks or a devastating injury, there's no reason New York shouldn't be favored out of the East once again. They know what they have to do, how to do it, and are prepared to win that next trophy.
Source: Sports
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