The 2025-26 NBA season is six weeks old, and, entering Monday, every team in the league has played between 17 and 21 games. We have reached the end of the first quarter of the NBA regular season. So what have we learned?
There have been plenty of eye-popping stat lines and early season surprises, disappointments and MVP cases. But how has each team fared relative to preseason expectations? We’re here to be the judges of that as we hand out quarter-season grades for all 30 teams. This exercise starts today in the East, where three teams have earned an ‘A’ (or in the Pistons’ case, an A+) and one team has failed so far.
Let’s get to the grades.
Atlanta Hawks: B+
- Record: 13-8
- The basics: 15th in offense, 11th in defense, 15th in net rating (+2.3)
- Reason for optimism: The Jalen Johnson leap has arrived
- Reason for pessimism: Injury issues for Porziņģis/Young and their frontcourt depth
The Hawks are fifth in the East despite Trae Young playing just five games this season, which would’ve been impossible for other Hawks teams in the recent past. However, Jalen Johnson has made the leap into full-blown superstardom, averaging 22.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game on 53.9/40.3/78.3 shooting splits. This has become Johnson’s team and, alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s growth into a complimentary star, the Hawks have been able to not just stay afloat but thrive in a world without Young.
They are not statistically dominant on either end of the floor, but they have been incredible in the clutch this year and are getting strong contributions up and down the roster. They do have two lingering concerns about their ability to be a true threat come playoff time. The first is their frontcourt depth, where Onyeka Okongwu has been fantastic but they are thin on size with Kristaps Porziņģis in and out of the lineup. The second is how Young re-integrates into this team that has found quite the rhythm playing as a collective. There’s a world where Young provides a boost and they hit another gear, but if he’s not willing to adapt and cede some of his control over the offense, it could also take away from what has made them so successful of late. We’ll find out how that transition goes in a few weeks, but after a rocky start, Atlanta has shown the optimism entering this season was not without merit. — Robby Kalland
Boston Celtics: B
- Record: 11-8
- The basics: 4th in offense, 18th in defense, 11th in net rating (+4.2)
- Reason for optimism: Jaylen Brown is shooting the cover off the ball from the midrange
- Reason for pessimism: Jaylen Brown is shooting the cover off the ball from the midrange
The Celtics are a top-five offense despite down shooting seasons from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White. Boston is competitive every night, and I wouldn’t expect that to stop for a Joe Mazzulla team. We’ll call the league average 3-point rate 36% (it’s a little below, but let’s keep this simple): When the Celtics make their 3s above that clip, they are 8-0, and again, they are only going to do that more when Pritchard and White regress to their means. The Celtics almost never turn the ball over. Throw out the first three games of the season, which were all competitive losses to good teams as they were thrown into the fire without Jayson Tatum or a starting-caliber center, and the Celtics have won 11 of their last 17 games and beaten some really good teams in Detroit, Orlando and Cleveland (twice).
The down side of Brown’s astonishing 60% shooting clip from 15-19 feet is that it seems unlikely to continue at this rate. The Celtics are fighting for their lives every night on the glass, where they own the worst defensive rebounding percentage in the league and only three teams give up more total offensive rebounds per game. They are bottom five in fast-break points and points in the paint, so nothing comes easy for this team. It’s a testament to Brown’s tough shotmaking that they are still a top-tier offense, but when the shots don’t fall they don’t have much else to go to. They are 3-8 when the make less than 36% of their 3s. — Brad Botkin
Brooklyn Nets: C
- Record: 3-16
- The basics: 24th in offense, 29th in defense, 29th in net rating (-10.8)
- Reason for optimism: Losing is winning
- Reason for pessimism: The 2025 draft picks are mostly in the G League
With a 3-16 record entering play on Monday, Brooklyn is on track to score the maximum 14.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, a stacked class, with one of the three worst records so far. As far as development, Egor Demin, the highest of their five 2025 first-round picks at No. 8, has looked intriguing as something of a Josh Giddey comp only as a much better and certainly more natural shooter than Giddey was early on, even off ball. If shooting becomes a consistent strength and he keeps getting downhill as fluidly as he’s shown, he’s going to be very good. Drake Powell might end up being an elite perimeter defender. Noah Clowney has improved each of his three years and looks like he could be a good two-way player at still just 21 years old. Michael Porter Jr. could be a decent trade chip at the deadline with the way he’s played and only one more year beyond this one on his contract, particularly if it’s a multi-team deal that needs big-money matching. Nic Claxton has played well as another potential trade asset.
There’s a lot to like about Demin, but other than that you’re digging deep for the best-case scenario on the other four first-round picks from June’s draft if you want a rosy outlook. A pessimist would say Demin is the only one of the five first-rounders who is going to end up being anything truly worth celebrating. If that’s the case, yuck. Let’s see if the Nets can find any future value at the trade deadline, but for now, the best thing they have going is to just keep losing. — Brad Botkin
Charlotte Hornets: D+
- Record: 6-14
- The basics: 16th in offense, 24th in defense, 22nd in net rating (-4.3)
- Reason for optimism: Kon Knueppel
- Reason for pessimism: The past decade of Hornets basketball
Let’s start with the good news in Charlotte, which is that Kon Knueppel is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year and looks like a star in the making. He’s averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 47.0/41.3/89.8 shooting splits. That’s outrageous for a rookie wing in his first 20 games and he has willed the Hornets to a few of their wins this season. Knueppel is the guy the Hornets have been trying to find for years, now the challenge is building a competent roster around him.
That’s a real concern because the Hornets haven’t done that in a full decade, and it’s hard to see exactly what the vision is beyond Knueppel right now. They’re not a good defensive team and don’t really have the personnel to be anything other than average at best. They are built to be a fun offensive group, but are not getting anywhere close to what they need out of their best players on that end beyond Knueppel. LaMelo Ball has had more ankle issues and in the 13 games he has played he’s been wildly inefficient. Miles Bridges is the leading scorer but is doing so on below average efficiency as well. Brandon Miller missed 14 games and has been up and down since returning.
This season in Charlotte has to be about evaluation for the future and identifying who is part of the long-term vision. Knueppel has been great, Miller’s tools are still tantalizing, Sion James has been a small bright spot and Ryan Kalkbrenner has been solid at center. However, Ball’s future in Charlotte has to be up for discussion, even as he shot down rumors he wants to be traded, and it might be best to move on and build in a different direction. — Robby Kalland
- Record: 9-10
- The basics: 21st in offense, 23rd in defense, 20th in net rating (-3.3)
- Reason for optimism: Josh Giddey’s star turn appears to be real
- Reason for pessimism: The defense is a mess
The Bulls’ 5-0 start feels like a lifetime ago. At the beginning of November, Chicago was one of three undefeated teams remaining, and while no one ever thought the Bulls were a legitimate contender, it wasn’t as if they took advantage of a weak schedule. They beat the Pistons, Magic, Hawks and Knicks — four of the top six teams in the East — during that streak. At the very least, they looked like a playoff team, especially with Josh Giddey making a leap. The Bulls are 4-10 since then, they’re clinging to the final Play-In Tournament berth in the East and can’t even take care of the bottom feeders. Their last three defeats have come against the Pelicans, Hornets and Pacers.
Defense has been the biggest issue over the last few weeks. They’ve only held a team under 100 points once all season, are last in the league in opponent turnover rate (11.9%), 29th in points in the paint per game (55.7), 29th in opponent second chance points per game (17.4) and 25th in deflections per game (15.2). “We just didn’t play up to NBA standards,” Nikola Vučević said after the team’s narrow win over the Wizards on Nov. 22. “We gave up 41 points in the first quarter … We talk about it, but I don’t think we really understand it’s not sustainable to play this way.” — Jack Maloney
- Record: 12-9
- The basics: 14th in offense, 9th in defense, 13th in net rating (+3.1)
- Reason for optimism: They’re above .500 despite serious injury issues
- Reason for pessimism: Players are openly lamenting their lack of hunger and toughness
The Cavaliers won 64 games last season, but were bounced in the second round of the playoffs in large part due to injuries. Their health problems have not subsided. Max Strus is yet to play this season, Darius Garland has been limited to seven appearances, Jarrett Allen has only suited up 14 times and Sam Merrill, Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr. and De’Andre Hunter have all missed at least four games. The team’s preferred starting lineup of Donovan Mitchell, Garland, Hunter, Evan Mobley and Allen has played 43 minutes together.
As unlucky as the Cavaliers have been, injuries don’t explain everything we’ve seen from them. The team simply isn’t as sharp or consistent as last season. Cleveland, so far, has not looked like a true contender. Jaylon Tyson’s quotes after the team’s loss to the Celtics on Sunday — their third in a row — stood out. “We’re not hungry enough,” Tyson said. “Toughness, it’s a common theme… I feel like teams want it more than us.” The Cavs still have one of the most talented rosters in the East and will be better once they’re healthy, but it’s clear this group has some things to figure out internally. — Jack Maloney
Detroit Pistons: A+
- Record: 16-4
- The basics: 10th in offense, 5th in defense, 10th in net rating (+5.8)
- Reason for optimism: Cade Cunningham is playing at an MVP level
- Reason for pessimism: Do they have enough juice on offense to truly contend?
Deee-troit basketball is back in a major way. Only the defending champion Thunder have a better record than the Pistons, who have already recorded more wins than they did in the entirety of their disastrous 2023-24 campaign, and boast a multi-game lead atop the East. Their 13-game winning streak tied a franchise record, they’ve won at least 16 of their first 20 games for the fourth time in franchise history and they’re in first place in the East on Dec. 1 for the first time since 2005.
Cade Cunningham is putting up career-highs across the board — 28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 9.4 assists — and playing like an MVP candidate, Jalen Duren has made a massive leap, they dominate the offensive glass and get to the line at will, they’re tough as nails with a top-five defense and they have so much depth that it’s creating a headache for coach JB Bickerstaff. It’s fair to wonder how their bully-ball approach on offense will fare in the playoffs given their spacing concerns, but that’s a long way off. For now, everyone in Detroit should enjoy the ride. — Jack Maloney
Indiana Pacers: D
- Record: 4-16
- The basics: 29th in offense, 19th in defense, 26th in net rating (-8.7)
- Reason for optimism: They’re going to add a top pick in the 2026 draft
- Reason for pessimism: Injuries have turned this into a lost season
Opinions were split on how the Pacers would fare this season without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, but everyone agreed that they would at least be competitive most nights because of how hard they play. Their double-overtime loss to the Thunder in a Finals rematch on opening night was proof positive. Since that game, however, they’ve hardly had a chance to show what they could do. A parade of injuries have turned this into a season from hell, and even with two recent wins over Wizards and Bulls, they have the fourth-worst record in the league.
TJ McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin have all missed significant time, and they’ve already had 21 different players appear in at least one game. No five-man unit has played more than 46 minutes together; the 76ers are the only other team in the league that doesn’t have at least one lineup with 50-plus minutes together. The Pacers are going to start looking better now that they’re getting healthier, but injuries have turned this into a lost season. The only silver lining is that they should wind up with a top pick in next year’s draft. — Jack Maloney
- Record: 13-7
- The basics: 14th in offense, 2nd in defense, 7th in net rating (+5.0)
- Reason for optimism: A dominant defense and an offense that’s moving the ball
- Reason for pessimism: Do they have enough offensive juice come playoff time and will the defense remain elite with Herro back in the fold
No one outside of Miami expected the Heat to be a top-4 team at this point in the season, but Erik Spoelstra continues to remind us why he’s one of the league’s best coaches. The Heat got off to a strong start to the year thanks to the best defense outside of OKC. Bam Adebayo is at the center of it all, but Davion Mitchell has given them an elite point of attack man, Kel’el Ware protects the rim on the back end alongside Adebayo and they’re getting buy-in on that end from veterans and young players alike.
On offense, Norman Powell has picked up where he left off last year with the Clippers and has continued his mid-career renaissance as a leading man. Tyler Herro just returned from injury, but in his three games he’s shown little signs of rust and looks like an All-Star caliber scorer again. There were some concerns about how they’d handle life without a lot of true point guard depth, with Mitchell as the only real point guard on the roster, but they’ve made up for the lack of a singular facilitator by playing incredible team ball. As a unit, they’re second in the league in assists at 30.2 per game, as they’ve gotten it done by playing with pace and keeping the ball popping around the floor.
We’ll find out how sustainable that is come playoff time, and whether the defense can remain as elite as it’s been with Herro back in the lineup. However, there’s little reason to believe the Heat will fall off a cliff this regular season with how high their floor seems to be defensively, as Spoelstra paints his masterpiece with a roster few viewed as a legit contender in the East. — Robby Kalland
- Record: 9-12
- The basics: 18th in offense, 21st in defense, 18th in net rating (-2.0)
- Reason for optimism: They’re 8-7 when Giannis plays and have a plus-9.5 net rating with him on the floor
- Reason for pessimism: They’re 1-5 when Giannis does not play and have a minus-11.5 net rating without him on the floor
Even more so than in previous years, the Bucks are a one-man act starring Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP is putting up 30.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game on 64.3% shooting, and is on pace to average 30/10/5 for the fourth consecutive season; every other player in NBA history combined has eight such seasons. He has been unbelievable to start the season, and is openly talking about chasing LeBron James’ all-time scoring record (his four-to-five year timeline is a bit off, to say the least).
As long as Antetokounmpo is on the floor, the Bucks can compete with anyone, as we saw early in the season when they jumped out to a 4-1 start. They are a disaster when he’s not out there, however, and he’s already missed six games — largely due to a groin strain that kept him sidelined for nearly two weeks. The Bucks are better than their record would indicate, but what does that actually mean in terms of competing in the Eastern Conference? They wouldn’t even be in the Play-In Tournament if the season ended today, and they’ve already fallen four games off the pace for a top-six seed. — Jack Maloney
New York Knicks: B
- Record: 13-6
- The basics: 3rd in offense, 12th in defense, 4th in net rating (+7.4)
- Reason for optimism: The elite offense
- Reason for pessimism: The bench is still an issue
The Knicks are an elite offense despite Karl-Anthony Towns having the worst shooting and least efficient scoring season of his career, which likely isn’t going to last. They’ve diversified their system some — fewer pick and rolls and isolations, more drive and kick leading to a significant uptick in spot-up shots. Everything at this point is still a relatively small sample, but New York’s two-big lineup is killing opponents, and when you flip out Mitchell Robinson for Josh Hart, or Miles McBride for OG Anunoby, and the more conventional lineups they’re still winning those minutes by over 30 combined points per 100 possessions. The Knicks’ top seven is still awesome.
The bench hasn’t improved as much as hoped, however, The offense takes a dive when Jordan Clarkson spells Brunson, and Guerschon Yabusele has been a shell of what he was for Philly last season. Landry Shamet has been a nice surprise, McBride is solid, and it’s important to note that Robinson is a poised to be a major postseason factor with his offensive rebounding and rim protection off the bench. So that alone changes the depth dynamic from last year. Still, the Knicks were hoping for more from their offseason additions. — Brad Botkin
Orlando Magic: B
- Record: 12-8
- The basics: 9th in offense, 7th in defense, 7th in net rating (+5.2)
- Reason for optimism: Top 10 in both offense and defense after their recent hot streak
- Reason for pessimism: 3-point shooting remains the Achilles heel; they’ve been better without Paolo Banchero
The Orlando Magic got off to a slow start but have hit their stride of late, winning eight of their last 10 games. In that time, they’ve climbed into the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating and are looking more like the team we expected to see threatening for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.
What’s particularly interesting is that seven of those wins have come without Paolo Banchero, who suffered a groin injury early in a win against the Knicks on Nov. 11. Banchero was off to a tough shooting start to the year and his absence has seemingly clarified some offensive roles, with Desmond Bane in particular coming to life. Banchero’s eventual return should be a boost to the Magic, but like Young in Atlanta, one does wonder if he will be willing to cede some of the control he’s long had on the offense for the betterment of the team. Some of that concern can be mitigated if he simply performs better in his usual role, but there is probably a lesson to take away about how this group should operate from Orlando’s surge with him on the sidelines. — Robby Kalland
Philadelphia 76ers: B-
- Record: 10-9
- The basics: 16th in offense, 20th in defense, 17th in net rating (-0.8)
- Reason for optimism: Tyrese Maxey has become an MVP-caliber player
- Reason for pessimism: Joel Embiid and Paul George have only combined to play 11 games and only once together
Maxey has truly become one of the great scorers in the world, and V.J. Edgecombe looks like a home run draft pick. The Sixers have fallen off after a scorching start, but for a team that had basically been reduced to a punchline last season to be above .500 through the first quarter of the season with Embiid and George barely playing is a win. As for any short-term optimism, it’s the same deal as always: If Embiid can just be healthy in the playoffs, and if the Sixers can actually make it that far in the first place, there is still, at the end of the day, a lot of talent on this roster. Like, legit contention talent under optimal, albeit probably unrealistic, conditions.
There is just no way to trust that the Embiid era is still alive. Even when he does play, the defense falls off a cliff when he’s on the floor and he cannot be an offensive focal point. George hasn’t played enough to even evaluate, but after last year and the little bit we have seen this year he’s certainly not someone that can be depended on to play at anything close to an All-Star level on a nightly basis. He’s a very, very expensive 3-and-D guy now. Embiid and George being on the books for more than $275 million over the next three and four years, respectively, is enough to drive any Sixers fan crazy. — Brad Botkin
- Record: 14-7
- The basics: 11th in offense, 6th in defense, 9th in net rating (+4.6)
- Reason for optimism: Balance
- Reason for pessimism: The schedule has been super soft
Only one other team in the league can say it has at least three players averaging at least 19 PPG. A handful of other teams are decimal points away on the third guy, but the point remains that Toronto has a lot of places to go for buckets with Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes and R.J. Barrett. Immanuel Quickley is over 15 PPG, too. Also, the Raptors have been top 10 in both offense and defense for the bulk of the season, so this isn’t a one-way thing. The Raptors run like crazy, leading the league in fast-break points per game, but when they do get into the half-court they are also No. 5 there in points per play, per Cleaning the Glass, so they’ve been more than fine going against set defenses. They play at warp speed yet own one of the five lowest turnover percentages in the league, per CTG, which is an awesome combination. All of this adds up to a team with a lot of different ways to beat you and that, importantly, doesn’t beat itself, and that would seem to indicate that this success can continue at least in the regular season.
It’s all just gone too perfectly. Toronto has had the second-easiest schedule in the league according to ESPN’s metrics. Seven wins against the Pacers, Nets, Wizards, Hornets and Grizzlies, who had a combined record of 23-74 entering play on Sunday. It’s not to say the Raptors haven’t beaten good teams or that they are not, in fact, a good team themselves, but they probably aren’t this good. — Brad Botkin
Washington Wizards: F
- Record: 2-16
- The basics: 28th in offense, 30th in defense, 30th in net rating (-14.7)
- Reason for optimism: Alex Sarr
- Reason for pessimism: Pretty much everything else
We knew the Wizards were going to be a bad team, but it has been almost unbelievable just how dismal they’ve played in the first 18 games. Of their 16 losses, 12 have come by double digits and eight of those have been by 20+ points. In a season with some truly terrible teams in the NBA, the Wizards’ net rating is 3.8 points worse than the team in 29th (Brooklyn), as they don’t do anything well.
One of the lone positives this season is that Alex Sarr looks pretty good. He leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks (and is third in assists, underscoring how bad their backcourt is). He’s shooting has improved dramatically over his rookie year and he looks much more like a future quality NBA player. That is legitimately important for this Wizards team, as they do not have the luxury of having a No. 2 overall pick become a bust.
That said, this roster is miles away from contention and needs an influx of real talent in the worst way. They’re going to position themselves to have a great chance at a top 4 pick in a loaded draft this season, and they absolutely must get one of those apparent young stars. Bad lottery luck would be a legitimate catastrophe for this team, because there may not be a roster in the league in more need of star-upside talent than Washington. — Robby Kalland
Add Comment