The 2025-26 NBA season has advanced a month, and has already offered spectacular moments. The match between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, was possibly the best game of the year in their first encounter of the season, and the pace has not diminished since then.
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Although a month is not enough to draw definitive conclusions, as demonstrated last season with the Indiana Pacers, who started with a 6-10 record and occupying the 11th position in the Eastern Conference before reaching the NBA Finals, it is enough time for stories to develop that could define the coming months, the period before the trade deadline in February and the race to the playoffs.
Considering this, and after talking with league insiders across the country during the last week, we analyze a lesson learned for each of the 30 teams. The statistics are updated to the matches on Wednesday.Atlanta Hawks
Lesson after a month: There could be a plan for the post-Trae Young era.What is heard: Trae Young’s knee injury, which will keep him off the courts, has given the Hawks the opportunity to evaluate what their roster could look like if Young leaves as a free agent or through a trade next summer, when he has a player option for $48.9 million. The first results are promising. Atlanta has had a 7-2 record without their All-Star point guard and, most interestingly, ranks fourth in defensive efficiency in that span. Atlanta has never finished better than 18th in Young’s seven NBA seasons.The situation underscores the delicate balance between the face of the franchise and a team potentially in transition. And, with several more weeks until Young returns, this period will only increase interest in whether his long-term future is in Atlanta or elsewhere.“I think Trae Young’s situation is fascinating,” said an executive from the Western Conference.
An executive from the Western Conference
Boston Celtics
Lesson after a month: Mazzulla’s style is not going to change.What is heard: With Jayson Tatum recovering from an Achilles tendon injury and the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday during the summer, a curiosity in the league was whether Boston would move away from the focus on three-pointers that it has adopted under coach Joe Mazzulla. The answer was not long in coming, as Boston, despite having fewer shooters on its roster, is only behind Cleveland in terms of three-pointers attempted per game. Mazzulla has always remained true to his coaching philosophy in his short time on the Boston bench, even though the franchise has had a year of transition in its championship aspirations. This year’s team is the most recent example.Brooklyn Nets
Lesson after a month: Jordi Fernandez is not solving things this time.What is heard: League insiders praised the way Fernandez kept the Nets competitive during a 26-56 season that hovered around .500 until last Thanksgiving before falling off. But no coaching ability will be able to boost a roster designed to ensure Brooklyn gets a top prospect in the loaded 2026 draft. Several executives said this is the least talented roster in the league, with mixed results, at best, from the five first-round picks the Nets took in the June draft.Charlotte Hornets
Lesson after a month: Kon Knueppel’s chances of being Rookie of the Year are real.What is heard: The first draft pick, Cooper Flagg, was expected to easily win the Rookie of the Year award, but the Dallas star’s biggest competitor could be his former Duke teammate. Knueppel, averaging 18.3 points per game, the highest in the rookie class, and his 40% three-point shooting, has already impressed scouts with his shooting ability and game sense.Chicago Bulls
Lesson after a month: They could be a possible destination for a transfer.What is heard: The Bulls are in a fascinating intermediate situation. Coach Billy Donovan has done a great job with this group, but the Bulls lack a star to build around. Second-year forward Matas Buzelis has shown interesting flashes, and the club has the ability to free up a large amount of salary space this summer, but Coby White and Nikola Vucevic are about to become free agents. That means the Bulls could go in several directions in the coming months, including adding to the current roster. This has led some sources to speculate whether Chicago, with more than $80 million in expiring money, could be a suitor for Anthony Davis from Dallas and bring the Windy City native home. “I could see it,” said a Western executive who recently watched Chicago play. “[Josh] Giddey has worked well with Vucevic, but he could use a role player to pass the ball to.”Cleveland Cavaliers
Lesson after a month: The changes of the offseason are having an impact, but not a good one at the moment.What is heard: By essentially replacing Ty Jerome with Lonzo Ball, the Cavaliers knew they were risking a lower ceiling in the regular season in favor of a higher one in the playoffs. That’s exactly what league insiders are seeing during the first month of the 2025-26 season. The departure of Jerome and the absence of Darius Garland, who has only played 73 minutes while dealing with a toe injury, has caused last season’s top-ranked offense to fall out of the top 10.“Are they better [than last year]? Probably not. They’ve always needed [Evan Mobley] to improve even more, and he’s not there yet.”“They’re not great right now, but they have at least two fewer starters,” said a Western scout, referring to Garland, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill, all of whom have been out for a while. “Lonzo hasn’t been great.
A Western scout
Dallas Mavericks
Lesson after a month: A trade for Anthony Davis will not be easy.What is heard: As reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Wednesday, the Mavericks are expected to explore a trade for Davis between now and the trade deadline in February, something that rival teams also expect to happen. The problem for the Mavericks is that any potential return will be something more like the Kevin Durant trade to Houston, a couple of solid players and a draft pick, than, for example, the Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell trades out of Utah a couple of years ago, which each obtained control over several first-round picks.Several other sources had difficulty producing a deep list of suitors for Davis, who is scheduled to earn $54.1 million, $58.4 million, and $62.7 million in the next three seasons.“With the lack of picks in the league now, that’s what you should expect for a deal for [Davis],” said a scout from the West.
A scout from the West
Denver Nuggets
Lesson after a month: Jamal Murray’s end-of-season form has arrived early.What is heard: Murray has long been seen by scouts and rival executives as a player who adapts to the season. But if the point guard’s early games are any indication, Murray could be changing that narrative. The 28-year-old is averaging 22.5 points, the highest figure of his career, a production that Denver will need to continue with Christian Braun out until around the New Year due to a severe sprain in his left ankle. “He’s moving well, his body looks good… I’m impressed,” said an Eastern Conference scout. “It’s been a big part of their good start. They’re in the inner circle of contenders in large part because of the work he’s been doing alongside Jokic.”Detroit Pistons
Lesson after a month: Jalen Duren made the right decision.What’s being heard: Practically no talk emerged about Duren and Detroit reaching an agreement before the league’s rookie extension deadline on October 20, and sources said at the time that the two sides were quite far apart on price. Duren has responded with the best month of his career, not only with career highs in points (20.6) and rebounds (11.9) per game, but also with significant defensive improvement. Duren, after allowing 62% of shots in the shooting zone last season, has dropped to 53% this season. That has led league insiders to firmly include him in the Most Improved Player race, and to project a good payday when he becomes a restricted free agent in July.Golden State Warriors
Lesson after a month: Kuminga’s situation remains unresolved.What is heard: It wouldn’t be a Warriors season without the drama surrounding the future of Kuminga, who, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, remains in limbo with the team. While Kuminga’s role has fluctuated again from starter to substitute before dealing with a knee problem, the same underlying inconsistencies that have followed him during his early years have resurfaced once more.“He is who he is, although he is young,” said an explorer from the East.
An explorer from the East
The calculation for a possible Kuminga trade is still complicated, as Golden State is not going to give him away, and with the Warriors flirting with the second apron, there are difficulties in finding value for him and a team to acquire him. “Who is going to take it?”, said the explorer. “And are they going to transfer it for things they don’t want, or will they simply wait? It’s very difficult to find a transfer that makes sense for everyone.”“He’s looked better and has been trying to fit in, but he still goes back to his old habits.”
An Eastern Explorer
Houston Rockets
Lesson after a month: Houston has the opportunity to be the best offensive rebounding team in history.What you hear: The Rockets are taking more than two out of every five missed shots. To put their absurd 40.5% offensive rebound rate in perspective: the difference between Houston and second-place Portland is the same as between the Trail Blazers and the 16th-ranked Nets. No team since 1996-97 has exceeded 38% in a full season. This is how the Rockets have the best offense in the league, while being last in 3-point shot volume, being the only team that takes less than 30 per game.Indiana Pacers
Lesson after a month: It’s a good time for a transition year.What is heard: Indiana was expected to take a step back with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon and the departure of center Myles Turner to Milwaukee as a free agent. But no one could have predicted this start for the current Eastern Conference champions, who have started with a series of injuries beyond Haliburton. The Pacers have the worst offense in the league with the second-worst net rating, just ahead of Washington. The consolation for Indiana is that, after reacquiring their 2026 draft pick from New Orleans in June, the team can hope to get an elite prospect next spring.LA Clippers
Lesson after a month: You can get old quickly in the NBA.What is heard: At the beginning of the season, the Clippers were seen by many scouts and executives I spoke with as the best team in Los Angeles, praised for essentially replacing Norman Powell with John Collins and Bradley Beal and then signing Brook Lopez and Chris Paul to bolster their depth. But Beal is out for the season with a hip injury, and Lopez and Paul have been seen at 37 and 40 years old, respectively. All this has left the Clippers, with Kawhi Leonard again injured, in a position where they could send an unprotected lottery pick to the Thunder next spring, as the Paul George trade continues to pay off for the current champions.
Los Angeles Lakers
Lesson after a month: They are good, but how good?What you hear: It’s been a fascinating opening month in Los Angeles. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have posted huge numbers, and LeBron James has basically missed everything. Deandre Ayton has been productive… but the Lakers are several points better per 100 possessions with him on the bench than with him on the court. Opponents are having fun at the rim, as the Lakers are allowing 69% shooting from within 5 feet (the fourth-worst in the NBA). While they have an 11-4 record, they have mediocre overall efficiency numbers (11th in offense, 17th in defense, 14th in net rating). Add it all up, and while it’s been an impressive initial couple of weeks in the standings, it’s still unclear how high this team’s ceiling is, which was reflected in conversations this week with sources from around the league.“Are they on par with Oklahoma City, Denver, and Houston? No,” said a scout from the East.
A scout from the East
An explorer from the West, however, was much more optimistic: “They are in the top three, for sure. When you have Luka, you’re always going to be in the mix.”“But they are clearly in the top six. Their overall depth isn’t good, but their top-level talent makes them a team you wouldn’t want to see in the playoffs.”
An Eastern scout
Memphis Grizzlies
Lesson after a month: Ja Morant is not the same player.What is heard: There’s a very easy way to test the above statement: the percentage of Morant’s shots taken from within three feet. That figure, according to Basketball Reference, has gone from 39.6% of his shots as a flying rookie to a notable 15.4% this season and has decreased in each of his seven seasons. Since Morant hasn’t improved as a shooter, he was a disastrous 10 of 60 from the 3-point line before his latest calf injury, it’s easy to see why he’s not the same player who electrified the league and seemed to have Memphis on a championship-caliber trajectory a few years ago. Sources expect Memphis to explore the Morant trade market, but, like Davis, they believe it will be difficult to get value for him.“I think they will move it,” said a Western explorer.
A Western explorer
Miami Heat
Lesson after a month: Last year was no coincidence for Norman Powell.What is heard: Much has been said about Miami’s new offensive system, but no one has adapted to it better than Powell. When the Clippers decided not to extend him last summer and sent him to Miami in a three-team deal that saw the Heat get him for almost nothing, it was considered a win for both sides. But even the most optimistic Heat supporters would have had a hard time imagining how Powell has adapted to life on the shores of Biscayne Bay, where he is averaging 25.5 points, the highest figure of his career, with an absurd 46% from the 3-point line and has kept Miami in the top 10 in offense with Tyler Herro still to play this season and Bam Adebayo missing a good part of it.Milwaukee Bucks
Lesson after a month: Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the NBA MVP.What is heard: During the first month of the season, when Antetokounmpo has been on the court, the Bucks have had an offensive rating of 123.5 points per 100 possessions, the equivalent of the best offense in the NBA. When he has been out, however, Milwaukee has had an offensive rating of 102 points per 100 possessions, a couple of points below the number 30 team in the league (Pacers). With Antetokounmpo out for up to two weeks due to a groin strain, coach Doc Rivers must devise a system that supports this group without its star, a path that sources believe will be difficult for them to navigate.“Of course not,” said an executive bluntly when asked if he believed Milwaukee could stay afloat without Antetokounmpo, pointing to the lack of other ball creators on the roster.
An executive
Minnesota Timberwolves
Lesson after a month: Rob Dillingham is still a work in progress.What is heard: When Minnesota made a bold trade on draft night in 2024 to jump to number 8 and take Dillingham, it envisioned the team’s point guard of the future to replace Mike Conley. But, while Conley has moved to the bench this season, it has been in favor of Donte DiVincenzo. Dillingham’s minutes have been a struggle.
The second-year point guard is shooting 39% overall, 23% from the 3-point line and is being outscored by 14 points per 100 possessions in the Timberwolves’ 100+ minutes with him on the court, an astonishing 24-point swing from the plus-10 net rating they have in the 500+ minutes with him on the bench.“Maybe things will change, but it’s hard to see.”“I’m not sure that will ever work,” said an explorer from the East.
An explorer from the East
