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Updated NBA Win-Loss Record Predictions Entering December
Nothing about the 2025-26 NBA standings is final yet, but reaching the month of December means it's getting harder to dismiss teams' performances as small-sample blips. Roughly a quarter of the way through the season, early trends start to get sticky.
This is good news for Cade Cunningham's surging Detroit Pistons and the frighteningly dominant Oklahoma City Thunder, but it's a real problem for the floundering Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.
We made preseason record predictions for all 30 teams way back in October, and now it's time to update those based on how everyone has performed so far.
Atlanta Hawks: 45-37
1 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 46-36
Our prediction is hardly any different two months into the season, and that's surprising in itself. Back in October, we wondered whether a rebuilt rotation featuring Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard would finally give Trae Young the supporting cast he needed to get the Atlanta Hawks above the Play-In fray.
Young went down on Oct. 29 with a knee injury, but the rest of the Hawks carried on by sharing the playmaking load and defending better with their point guard out of the lineup.
Naturally, the narrative surrounding the Hawks now is all about whether they're better off either trading Young or letting him walk via a player option this summer.
Jalen Johnson and Alexander-Walker have both spread their wings as playmakers this season, though neither projects as a true first option. Johnson could get there, and he'll have every opportunity to try while Young recovers.
Boston Celtics: 36-46
2 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 37-45
Jaylen Brown seemingly hasn't missed a mid-ranger all season, and his spike in usage as the Boston Celtics' alpha did not have the expected effect of destroying his efficiency numbers. He's on pace to threaten his career high of 58.6 percent true shooting, which he set way back in 2020-21.
On some level, the Celtics seem to be succeeding with smoke and mirrors. They get to the rim and the foul line less frequently than any team in the league, and you have to wonder what'll happen when the jumpers quit falling. An extreme shot diet heavy on threes helps Boston win the math game often, but that high-variance style will lead to some scoring slumps eventually.
If the jumpers quit falling, terrible defensive rebounding and enormous nightly free-throw disparities could tank the operation. And speaking of the "T word", this is still a gap-year squad that could nosedive on purpose if Brown gets hurt or circumstances dictate a change of course. It's nice that the Celtics are competing hard after losing four core players from last year's team, but a high draft pick will serve their long-term aims better than a Play-In trip.
Brooklyn Nets: 17-65
3 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 16-66
One of the factors that weighed against such a low preseason prediction was the Brooklyn Nets' theoretical ability to put credible, veteran-led lineups on the floor. Yes, we knew they'd get hammered whenever they skewed toward their youth corps, led by five first-round rookies. But surely Brooklyn would be competitive often enough if Nic Claxton, Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Ziaire Williams and Cam Thomas could share the floor for long stretches.
That lineup saw just 17 possessions before Thomas got hurt, and it posted a minus-45.9 net rating.
So much for that.
Brooklyn has the worst defense in the league, can't control the defensive glass and has almost no realistic hope of reversing those trends by giving even more minutes to its young players—many of whom have spent long stretches in the G League.
Why add a win to their prediction? Mostly because there are two or three other teams that have looked even worse.
Charlotte Hornets: 29-53
4 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 31-51
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but we've barely seen LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller play together in 2025-26, and that makes it hard to evaluate the overall product. Rookie Kon Knueppel has been a revelation—drilling threes and showcasing surprising shot-creation prowess—but will he get to continue cooking if and when Ball and Miller stay simultaneously healthy for an extended stretch?
Whatever happens with that dynamic, it's clear the Hornets aren't going to be able to stop anyone on D. They're good at controlling the defensive glass in large part because rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner gives them a presence inside, but opponents simply don't feel any Charlotte defenders at the point of attack. Blow-bys are the norm, and only a handful of teams force fewer turnovers.
If some of the rising chatter about a Ball trade eventually results in a future-focused move, it might sink the Hornets' offense to the same level as its defense.
We need to knock a couple of of wins off their forecast in light of that possibility.
Chicago Bulls: 39-43
5 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 38-44
A hot start fizzled quickly, but those early successes still count toward the Chicago Bulls' updated prediction. We're bumping them up by a win because Josh Giddey actually looks capable of making an All-Star game, and because Coby White's regular presence in the lineup should allow for reliable shot creation across all 48 minutes.
Chicago has limitations. It's one of the absolute worst teams in the league at preventing shots near the rim, and it doesn't force turnovers on D.
At least head coach Billy Donovan is showing some adaptability. The first unit he trotted out during the Bulls' 5-0 start—Giddey, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vučević—was getting regularly hammered. He initially swapped in Kevin Huerter for Jones, which yielded better results, and now Donovan is experimenting with White and/or Ayo Dosunmu. That kind of tinkering also speaks to Chicago's backcourt depth, which should serve it well in pursuit of a slightly higher than expected win total.
Cleveland Cavaliers: 51-31
6 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 57-25
Nobody doubts the Cleveland Cavaliers' ability to rack up regular season wins when their top four players are healthy, but the core's inability to share the court is becoming a serious concern.
Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen only suited up together for four games through the end of November. Unsurprisingly, the Cavs were dominant with them on the floor, posting a hilariously high plus-28.1 net rating.
The toe injury that prompted offseason surgery for Garland cropped up again, and Allen has lost time to a finger injury. In addition to Garland's season-opening absence as he recovered from said surgery, Cleveland has been without Max Strus all year, and Sam Merrill (who shot the lights out early on) suffered a hand injury that cost him several games.
The Cavs can play with anyone when they're whole, but they feel like a good bet to spend most of the year missing parts.
Dallas Mavericks: 33-49
7 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 42-40
Those early-season lineups without a point guard predictably failed, so the Dallas Mavericks will spend most of the season trying to climb out of the bottom five on offense. They may not make it.
With Nico Harrison gone, the Mavs can assess their roster and future with fresh eyes. A minor teardown, headlined by an Anthony Davis trade, feels likely—particularly because the only first-round pick the Mavs control over the next five years is their 2026 selection. If ever they were going to tank in hopes of adding another young piece next to Cooper Flagg, this would be the season to do it.
We're only knocking nine wins off Dallas' total, but that number could be reduced again if the team bites the bullet and starts a selloff.
Denver Nuggets: 57-25
8 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 53-29
Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon are both out for extended time, and it hasn't seemed to matter. The Denver Nuggets' much-discussed bench refresh worked; they're better insulated against the loss of key starters because Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas are all playing well enough to limit the damage.
It also doesn't hurt that Jamal Murray showed up ready, rather than playing his way into shape over the season's first few weeks. If he sustains his early form, he'll make his first All-Star game.
Nikola Jokić has been so preposterously dominant that the additional five wins we're giving Denver might not be enough. Even if it makes sense for the Nuggets to pace themselves before peaking for the playoffs in April, Jokić appears capable of coasting to another MVP season. He's a couple of points away from averaging a 30-point triple-double and has a great shot to post the first 60/40/80 shooting split in league history.
Detroit Pistons: 53-29
9 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 45-37
Jaden Ivey only just recently returned to the rotation, giving the Detroit Pistons the secondary creator and backup point guard we all thought they'd need to support Cade Cunningham. While Ivey is going to help an already dominant Detroit team get even better, the squad wasn't exactly struggling without him.
Two-way player Daniss Jenkins was a revelation over the first month of the season, providing wildly efficient scoring and playmaking in relief of Cunningham. He even led the team to a couple of shorthanded victories while Cunningham was out.
Jalen Duren's offensive growth has him on an All-Star track, Isaiah Stewart is heading one of the top interior defenses in the league and the Pistons are tapping into their brutally physical past by controlling the lane and fouling like it's going out of style.
We grossly underestimated Detroit's ceiling, particularly on defense. Considering the Pistons have the salaries and picks necessary to make an upgrade via trade, we have to juice their projected win total.
Golden State Warriors: 44-38
10 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 47-35
The Golden State Warriors are burying opponents whenever Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green share the floor. Those three have were mostly healthy to start the season, Curry's recent quad bruise was a reminder that a core this old is fragile.
Curry, when healthy, showed no indication of slowing down. He hung 46 and 49 points on the San Antonio Spurs in a pair of incendiary wins on a back-to-back road set, and he's on track to post the second-highest per-36-minute scoring average of his entire career.
Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski have both fallen short of expectations, and the former has missed time with knee soreness. Golden State can trade both of them for win-now help once Kuminga is eligible in January, so don't rule out in-season upgrades.
Still, the offense is basically drawing dead whenever Curry rests, and the injury bug has yet to bite as hard as some expected.
Houston Rockets: 56-26
11 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 52-30
This initial prediction factored in Fred VanVleet's torn ACL, and it reflected a belief that has turned out to be correct: The Houston Rockets would miss their veteran point guard, but they'd find ways to make up for his absence.
Elite three-point accuracy on low volume feels like fool's gold, but the Rockets are showing us that you don't need to shoot the ball all that well when you dominate the league in offensive rebounding. Houston uses sheer volume of extra possessions to make up for what it lacks in efficiency, securing offensive boards on over 40.0 percent of its own shots. This will serve it well when those threes stop falling at such high rates.
Alperen Sengün is a sure All-Star averaging a double-double with over 7.0 assists per game, Reed Sheppard is showing signs of reaching his potential as a shooter and disruptor and Jabari Smith Jr. is thriving as a three-and-D sniper. Kevin Durant isn't threatening the 65.0-percent true shooting mark he used to, but he may only be the fourth or fifth-most important Rocket.
Indiana Pacers: 26-56
12 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 34-48
A rash of early injuries thinned a rotation that was already without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, last season's bookends. The losses mounted, the offense struggled mightily and the Indiana Pacers' fringe playoff chances disappeared.
And that was just the first six weeks of the 2025-26 season.
The potential for a gap year is now a certainty. On average, the Pacers are nearly getting outscored by double figures every night, and the symphonic offense that defined last season is badly off-key. Much of this was foreseeable without Haliburton, but some held out hope that head coach Rick Carlisle could keep the Pacers competitive without the All-NBA point guard who defined their identity.
Bad luck on the health front meant Carlisle never got a chance. Expect Indiana to steer into the skid and finish near the bottom of the East.
LA Clippers: 37-45
13 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 45-37
James Harden isn't just repeating last season's surprising All-NBA effort; he's surpassing it with an even higher scoring average on superior efficiency.
If his current rates hold, Harden will post his highest points-per-game figure since he was a member of the Houston Rockets.
And now you're completely caught up on the good news for this year's LA Clippers.
Everything else—from the underperformance of the aging bench, to the predictably sporadic availability of Kawhi Leonard, to a key injury to defensive stopper Derrick Jones Jr.—has gone wrong. The Clippers got off to a 3-8 start and needed a double-overtime win against the lowly Mavericks to avoid what would have been a 10-game losing streak from Nov. 3 to Nov. 20.
Last year's excellent defense may not be coming back, but the Clippers won't stick in the bottom five on that end all season. Assuming some regression to the mean there, and pricing in Harden's continued ability to lead a good offense, there's plenty of room for LA to threaten a .500 mark. It is, however, hard to see the Clips delivering on our initial prediction of 45 wins.
Los Angeles Lakers: 50-32
14 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 47-35
The defense still seems a little suspect, but the Los Angeles Lakers are going to have major advantages on offense whenever Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James are healthy at the same time.
James debuted on Nov. 18 and seemed comfortable in a lower-usage role. Now that Reaves has established himself as a first-option creator good enough to run the show whenever Dončić is unavailable, James can lay back and pick his spots.
Thanks largely do Dončić, the Lakers are a dominant inside-the-arc offense. He's looked as good as ever getting to his spots in the paint and either finishing or setting up teammates. Los Angeles is converting nearly three-quarters of its shots at the rim, the highest rate in the league.
Any concerns that L.A. would provide opponents three targets to attack in Dončić, James and Reaves probably won't surface until the playoffs. Led by an in-form Dončić and an offense that won't be easy for any defense to stop, the Lakers look more assured of finishing in the West's top six than they did prior to the season.
Memphis Grizzlies: 38-44
15 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 46-36
This is a bet that the Memphis Grizzlies will play like a .500 team after winning just six of their first 18 games. That might seem ridiculous given Ja Morant's current injury, reduced effectiveness and apparent disinterest in trying hard on the basketball court, but there are a few factors that could help the Grizzlies perform at break-even rates going forward.
The first is better health. Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, Scottie Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome were among the Memphis rotation players to start the season injured. Neither Pippen nor Jerome is a great bet to return before January, but they could be back in time to shore up a guard rotation that might have a hole following a Morant trade.
Edey should round into form, Jaylen Wells can't miss everything all season and Jaren Jackson Jr. is bound to pick up his play eventually. He hasn't come anywhere near his All-Star, All-Defensive levels of last season, despite staying healthy.
Rookie Cedric Coward is a keeper who already looks capable of contributing more in an expanded role.
It's possible there's some rot in Memphis under head coach Tuomas Iisalo; Morant's demeanor suggests health isn't the only issue. We're downgrading the Grizzlies by quite a bit here, but it feels a little premature to proclaim the season a lost cause.
Miami Heat: 49-33
16 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 42-40
Along with Detroit, the Miami Heat are the East's biggest gainers. They're easily the more surprising of the two, as nobody could have seen this level of offensive glow-up coming.
The Heat have abandoned the concept of screen-setting, opting instead to play in as much space as possible while embracing a historically fast pace. It's been over 30 years since any team averaged more possessions per 48 minutes than Miami is now.
The Heat get the ball over halfcourt at a dead sprint after made baskets, which effectively allows them to play entire games in transition. Everyone attacks off the dribble, and the rest of the offensive players wheel in unison around the driver, creating passing and cutting angles in dynamic fashion.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been reborn as a relentless downhill driver, and Norman Powell is thriving when catching the ball in advantage situations—which feels like every possession.
The Heat are nearly a top-10 offense, a major achievement after finishing among the bottom 10 in each of the last three years. What's more, their new style isn't hindering things on the other end. Miami is also a top-five defense.
Note, too, that Tyler Herro has only been back for a handful of games. He's going to like his team's new-look offense as much as anyone.
Milwaukee Bucks: 39-43
17 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 42-40
The Milwaukee Bucks face an uphill battle on offense every night because they so rarely secure offensive rebounds that lead to second-chance points, and they almost never get to the foul line. Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed time with a groin injury. But those are team-wide failings that mean the Bucks have to be ultra-efficient from the field just to keep pace.
Ryan Rollins has been a major find, but it's telling that a guy who was nearly out of the league is now the Bucks' second-best player.
Ultimately, the situation in Milwaukee isn't all that different than our preseason expectation. The Bucks can compete when Antetokounmpo is in the lineup and struggle to stay in contact with even mid-tier teams when he isn't. His plus-22.3 on-off net rating swing illustrates that fact pretty well.
Milwaukee at least has a sound theoretical plan. It has tons of three-point shooters that are reliably above 40.0 percent, and they make the offense viable when they surround a healthy Giannis. Unfortunately, there's little point-of-attack defense outside Rollins, and Myles Turner isn't succeeding as an interior deterrent.
Minnesota Timberwolves: 52-28
18 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 55-27
Late November saw the Minnesota Timberwolves gag away a multiple easily winnable games, with their Nov. 21 collapse against the Phoenix Suns standing out as particularly troubling. Ill-timed turnovers, poor shot selection and concerning lapses in focus have bitten the Wolves too often.
It's also worth noting that Minnesota's solid start owes almost entirely to its ability to beat bad teams. The Wolves have one win against opponents who are above .500, a narrow escape against the Celtics on Nov. 30.
The easy fix for almost every issue—turnovers, stalled-out offense, unsteady work against good competition—would seem to be an upgrade at point guard. Mike Conley is barely hanging on, and Donte DiVincenzo isn't a natural replacement. There's upside here if the Timberwolves can swing a deal or figure out how to fast-track Rob Dillingham's growth trajectory by a year or two.
Finally, an optimist willing to ignore the Wolves' failure to win against good teams could cite some promising lineup data. Each of Minnesota's two most-used lineups, both of which feature Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert—are throttling opponents. If your core units dominate, your floor is still pretty high.
New Orleans Pelicans: 25-57
19 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 27-55
The New Orleans Pelicans have played like a team destined for a win total in the teens, but you've got to keep their incentives in mind. Or actually, their lack of them.
The fateful draft-night trade that landed the Pels Derik Queen (who's been one of the bright spots in a dark year), cost them their 2026 first-rounder and removed any reason to lose on purpose. New Orleans' abysmal offense and toothless defense will ensure plenty of losses arise organically, but there will be no deliberate failure here.
Even if the Pelicans are on track to post one of the three or four worst records in the league, there will be more committed tankers who can win the race to the bottom late in the year.
For now, in the wake of head coach Willie Green's firing, the newly installed James Borrego will have to do his best to feature Queen and Jeremiah Fears, developing them alongside an occasionally healthy Zion Williamson.
New York Knicks: 51-31
20 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 53-29
Outside of a low free-throw attempt rate, the New York Knicks offense is getting the job done and is a good bet to finish with one of the top five scoring rates in the league.
The other end of the floor is where the worries start.
Lineups featuring Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are vulnerable against almost every action, and opponents don't have to strategize much beyond simply putting those two in as many pick-and-roll actions as possible.
Theoretical defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson's presence on the floor hasn't helped matters. The numbers will normalize, but his minutes currently coincide with the largest negative swing in on-off defensive rating. He makes up for a lot of that with unsurpassed (outside of Houston) offensive rebounding, but again, offense isn't the issue here.
Better health from OG Anunoby will help, and more minutes for Deuce McBride could limit point-of-attack damage on D. But the Knicks need better personnel and more creative scheming to fix their defense.
Oklahoma City Thunder: 71-11
21 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 62-20
We took the conservative route in only predicting 62 wins for the defending champs, even if it was still the highest total of any team in our preseason lookahead. Enough has happened through the first quarter of the campaign to make a serious upward adjustment.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring even more efficiently than he did in his MVP run last year and seems likely to produce his first 50/40/90 season. Meanwhile, second-year guard Ajay Mitchell is providing the Oklahoma City Thunder with the secondary creation they've long needed. As a result, OKC is winning the minutes Mitchell plays without SGA by 13.1 points per 100 possessions.
Overall, the Thunder are on track to break the all-time point-differential record they set last year.
Jalen Williams has only appeared a couple of times, and it hasn't mattered because Oklahoma City's historically good 2024-25 defense has somehow improved. Last year, OKC's defensive rating was 7.4 points per 100 possessions better than the league average. Through November 30, the difference was nearly 12.0 points per 100 possessions.
Orlando Magic: 51-31
22 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 49-33
Paolo Banchero leveled up as a foul-drawer in the early going, which provided a solid source of scoring for an Orlando Magic offense that didn't otherwise hit the ground running. Despite a groin injury to Banchero and a cold start for new addition Desmond Bane, the Magic now find themselves hovering around the top 10 in offensive efficiency.
Anthony Black is thriving of late, and he flashed potential to take on a larger role in scoring a career-high 31 points on Nov. 25. With Banchero out, the ball has moved better, and Orlando is embracing the faster pace everyone's been clamoring for. Though the uptick in flow and movement without Banchero raises its own questions, Orlando should feel good about the growth it has shown.
Once the defense gets back to the top-five levels it hit in each of the last two years, the Magic should be able to crack the 50-win mark.
Philadelphia 76ers: 41-41
23 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 43-39
Joel Embiid has played six games on the season and hasn't come close to resembling his best self for more than a possession or two at a time. Maybe he'll get over this latest knee issue and string together a few solid weeks, but it's no longer reasonable to expect he'll impact the Philadelphia 76ers' bottom line in a macro sense.
We've officially arrived at a point where Embiid's availability isn't the only question. Now, his actual performance level when on the floor is far from certain. He's averaging just 19.6 points and 5.5 rebounds on 46.0 percent shooting. That's a helpful player—not a star.
Tyrese Maxey is playing like an All-NBA candidate, but injuries up and down the roster are making the burden he carries too heavy. On pace to be the first player to average over 40.0 minutes per game since Monta Ellis in 2010-11, Maxey will be hard pressed to sustain his elite play all year.
Phoenix Suns: 35-47
24 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 26-56
The Phoenix Suns are among the league's biggest early surprises, riding an active defense and a spin-cycle offense that keeps the rock moving to an 12-9 start across their first 21 games.
Expect plenty of pressure when facing Phoenix. New head coach Jordan Ott's system is designed to make life difficult for opposing ball-handlers, and the Suns are forcing turnovers at a top-five rate. That activity extends to the other end, where Phoenix crashes the offensive glass aggressively.
Collin Gillespie has stepped in to ease the playmaking burden on Devin Booker, and Grayson Allen has never looked better on the ball, but the Suns are still a high-mistake team. Only a couple of other squads surrender more points off turnovers, which illustrates the downside of embracing a chaotic style.
On balance, the Suns have blown past expectations and look (on the court, if not in the executive suite) like a functional, committed NBA team. Few of us saw that coming.
Portland Trail Blazers: 40-42
25 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 43-39
Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan started each of the Portland Trail Blazers' first dozen games. Though the team was only 6-6 in that stretch, the schedule was tough, and that first unit posted a plus-2.0 net rating across 265 possessions.
We're snatching away a couple of wins from Portland's previous total, but everything in that first paragraph should illustrate why a somewhat disappointing 8-11 start doesn't doom the Blazers.
Avdija is playing like a legitimate star, Clingan is often impossible to subdue on the offensive glass and there's still a much better collection of defensive personnel here than the numbers (23rd in points allowed per 100 possessions) would seem to indicate.
Plus, the Blazers are the only team to beat the Thunder this season. That has to count for something.
Sacramento Kings: 25-57
26 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 33-49
It got ugly in a hurry for the Sacramento Kings, who've looked disconnected and disinterested on both ends through the season's first several weeks. Though the vibes are bad enough on their own, some of the problems are structural. Dennis Schroder was never going to solve anything at point guard, Keegan Murray's injury exposed the lack of depth at forward and a collection of defensively challenged personnel never really had a chance to compete.
The Kings own bottom-five rankings in both offensive and defensive efficiency, head coach Doug Christie is antagonizing "the haters" and every costly veteran on the roster is available in trade—even if very few teams are interested.
If you're looking for upside, maybe you can cling to the possibility that Sacramento will actually be better without Domantas Sabonis (currently out with a partially torn meniscus), Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
San Antonio Spurs: 48-34
27 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 42-40
Victor Wembanyama is still without a return timeline after suffering a calf strain in mid-November, but there's a good chance we'll see him back on the floor before the end of December. The San Antonio Spurs miss him, but they haven't exactly fallen apart without him.
De'Aaron Fox held down the fort as the Spurs won their first three Wemby-less games. While much was made of how Fox would fit with Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and rookie Dylan Harper, perhaps we didn't put enough value on how the former All-Star could ensure competent play when any of those three were out of the lineup.
The Spurs are an elite defense with Wembanyama on the floor, and they got off to an 8-4 start behind his All-NBA and surefire DPOY play. That happened without Fox on the floor, by the way.
Once the Spurs get their top players back, this team could truly take off. Fifty wins is easily attainable, but we're going to stay slightly more conservative in our evaluation for now.
Toronto Raptors: 48-34
28 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 41-41
The Toronto Raptors join the Pistons and Heat as major gainers in the East. On pace to win nearly 60 games, the Raps have completely debunked worries about roster construction, most of which focused on spacing concerns and the uncertainty of Brandon Ingram's fit.
It turns out that an excess of length, playmaking talent at multiple positions and lots of athleticism goes a long way toward papering over other deficiencies. Immanuel Quickley is playing with confidence after a slow start, Scottie Barnes is on an All-Defensive track and Ingram's shotmaking has bailed out countless stalled possessions.
Toronto often wins the possession game by forcing turnovers at a top-five rate while also limiting its own mistakes. Reserves Jamal Shead and Ja'Kobe Walter cause trouble for ball-handlers whenever they check in, and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles is delivering with flashes of good feel and two-way play. Having said all that, the high-scoring Sandro Mamukelasvhili has easily been the Raps' top bench weapon. He's averaging over 20.0 points per 36 minutes and shooting the lights out from deep.
Utah Jazz: 24-58
29 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 17-65
Keyonte George isn't hitting his threes, but that's the only criticism you can level at the breakout third-year guard. A starter in every Utah Jazz game after losing the position last season, George is settling in as a 20-point scorer whose foul-drawing craft and shotmaking prowess make him one of the tougher backcourt covers in the league.
Lauri Markkanen has held up physically better than in any of the past three seasons, and he's playing above the All-Star level he set back in 2022-23. He's one of just nine players in the league averaging at least 5.0 made free throws and 3.0 threes per game.
Walker Kessler is out for the year, which will hurt Utah's defense and rebounding. He was a key reason the Jazz got off to a respectable 5-8 start before slippage arrived in early November. Still, we've seen enough strong play from George and Markkanen to believe the Jazz will finish with a win total in the 20s rather than the teens.
Washington Wizards: 18-64
30 of 30
Preseason Prediction: 19-63
A blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 25 ended the Washington Wizards' 14-game losing streak, a run of brutal defeats that included 10 double-digit losses. That slide made it hard to imagine the Wizards beating the 19-win prediction we gave them back in October.
To be fair, it's still difficult to envision that happening. A losing streak that long does a lot of damage, but the Wizards' hot-shooting performance in Atlanta showed that the team hadn't entirely let go of the rope.
Alex Sarr is making strides on both ends, and though his interior finishing still looks mechanical, he's shooting more threes and showing flashes of broader offensive competency. On D, he occasionally plays like a dominant force who makes drivers think twice before even attempting shots.
Kyshawn George looks more comfortable on the ball than expected, and Bilal Coulibaly could complement Sarr's paint defense with his own perimeter work if he can stay healthy.
It's still safe to assume Washington will finish at or near the bottom of the East, but at least it's giving fans a few bright spots to monitor.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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