{"id":12463,"date":"2025-10-21T08:51:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T08:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=12463"},"modified":"2025-10-21T08:51:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T08:51:46","slug":"2025-26-nba-season-preview-best-bets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-26-nba-season-preview-best-bets","title":{"rendered":"2025-26 NBA Season Preview: Top Storylines and Best Bets for NBA Finals and Player Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/league\/nba-103\">NBA<\/a> is back Tuesday night for the start of the 2025-26 regular season. We had a lot of incredible playoff moments last year with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/oklahoma-city-thunder-1330\">Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> winning their first championship after denying the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 after an all-time upset bid. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-64164\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> has been on top of the world, winning the scoring title, MVP, and Finals MVP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we have a league where no one has been able to repeat since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18. SGA and the Thunder are heavy favorites to do it again, but they\u2019ll have to contend with a deep Western Conference that still houses the old guard with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/lebron-james-53358\">LeBron James<\/a>, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant (now with Houston). They still have main MVP contenders in Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. They may even have tomorrow\u2019s superstars in Victor Wembanyama and rookie Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference is starting to look like the series finale of <em>Fresh Prince <\/em>with Giannis Antetokounmpo standing alone, wondering where all his friends went. Jayson Tatum and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/tyrese-haliburton-85992\">Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> are likely out for the whole season with their Achilles injuries suffered in the playoffs. Expectations aren\u2019t high anymore for Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. Donovan Mitchell is still waiting for his first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. It could be on Jalen Brunson and the Knicks, who controversially fired head coach Tom Thibodeau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe Indiana\u2019s Cinderella run last year can be copied by an unexpected challenger this year. It should be an interesting season, the 80th in NBA history, and we have some of the top storylines to follow along with the current odds and our best bets for the NBA Finals and major awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-16-1024x872.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-16-1024x872.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-16-300x255.png 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-16-768x654.png 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-16.png 1179w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#best-2025-26-nba-season-storylines\">Best 2025-26 NBA Season Storylines<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#will-the-thunder-repeat\">Will the Thunder Repeat?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#new-coaches-all-eyes-on-the-knicks-spurs\">New Coaches: All Eyes on the Knicks, Spurs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-are-the-legends-up-to-in-2025-26\">What Are the Legends Up To in 2025-26?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#who-emerges-in-the-eastern-conference\">Who Emerges in the Eastern Conference?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#nba-2025-26-player-awards-best-bets\">NBA 2025-26 Player Awards: Best Bets<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#nba-most-valuable-player\">NBA Most Valuable Player<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nba-defensive-player-of-the-year\">NBA Defensive Player of the Year<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nba-sixth-man-of-the-year\">NBA Sixth Man of the Year<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nba-rookie-of-the-year\">NBA Rookie of the Year<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nba-most-improved-player\">NBA Most Improved Player<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#nba-finals-prediction\">NBA Finals Prediction<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"best-2025-26-nba-season-storylines\">Best 2025-26 NBA Season Storylines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s go over some of the top storylines you should follow this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"will-the-thunder-repeat\">Will the Thunder Repeat?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Thunder ran away with a very competitive Western Conference last season, finishing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/OKC\/2025.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">68-14<\/a>, a full 16 wins above the No. 2 seed in Houston. They set an NBA record for the largest margin of victory per game for a full season. This was on the heels of a 2023-24 season where the Thunder were 57-25 and also the No. 1 seed, so coach Mark Daigneault is hardly a one-year wonder. He\u2019s built something special here and the rest of the league is going to have to deal with them for the time being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the summer, the Thunder spent over $820 million to lock up their young trio of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren for years to come. SGA has improved his game each year while Williams developed into a Scottie Pippen-type All-Star last season and into the playoffs. Holmgren\u2019s game is far from a finished product too, so 2025 may not have been the peak for this trio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-thunder-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder\" class=\"wp-image-12403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-thunder-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-thunder-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-thunder-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-thunder-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-thunder-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Justin Ford\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Thunder also return some key glue players like Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins. The band is staying together for at least another season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeating used to be so commonplace in the NBA. But no one has pulled it off since the Warriors in 2018, and they were heavily favored to do so with -187 preseason odds. Right now, <strong>you can find the Thunder with +200 odds to repeat at FanDuel<\/strong>, the highest for a preseason favorite since the Warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The seven seasons without a repeat champion is the second-longest streak in NBA history. But the Thunder are favored to win over 62.5 games, so expectations are sky high again after the team got a taste of championship success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Probably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nba-wcf-preview-okc-minnesota\">my favorite piece to write<\/a> last postseason was discussing the secret sauce behind OKC\u2019s historic success: Dominating the turnover battle unlike any team in NBA history<\/strong>. That\u2019s how the Thunder win by such large margins. They protect the ball at an elite level, and they pressure the ball, they force deflections, and they jumpstart their offense by getting those turnovers. We saw it often throughout the playoffs too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the NFL where turnovers regress to the mean (see Bills, Chargers, and Ravens this year compared to 2024), you can sustain more of this success in basketball, and the Thunder certainly have the youthful energy to keep pestering teams for the ball. They led the NBA in deflections in 2023-24 as well, so it\u2019s not a fluke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But one could argue this team isn\u2019t that elite at any other facet of the game like shooting, 3-point shooting, rebounding, or getting assists. In fact, let\u2019s just point out that had the Thunder and Pacers not both choked away fourth-quarter leads at home in Game 4s of the semifinals and NBA Finals, the Thunder would have been down 3-1 in each series. They may not have even escaped past Denver in the semis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Thunder won both series in Game 7 at home, proving they can be pushed by inferior teams. We\u2019ll never know what would have happened if Tyrese Haliburton didn\u2019t tear his Achilles in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals after he looked like the best player on the court that night and ready to seize the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I think it\u2019s fair to question if this team has the elite players beyond SGA to go on a dynastic run and win a couple more championships here. But they got through one run and they are rightfully favored to do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re just not \u201cinevitable\u201d on the level of Michael Jordan\u2019s Bulls in the 1990s or even the Warriors who went to the NBA Finals in five straight years in 2015-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"new-coaches-all-eyes-on-the-knicks-spurs\">New Coaches: All Eyes on the Knicks, Spurs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One can debate the value of NBA coaches since they go through them so quickly these days. But there are six new coaches for the 2025-26 season, and more than half of them were interim coaches at the end of last year who were promoted to the job full time: David Adelman (Nuggets), Tuomas Iisalo (Thunder), and Doug Christie (Kings).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"818\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1530809233-1024x818.jpg\" alt=\"LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 09: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs claps his hands as he walks on the court during a break in the second half of a 2023 NBA Summer League game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center on July 09, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.\" class=\"wp-image-12478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1530809233-1024x818.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1530809233-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1530809233-768x613.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1530809233-1536x1227.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1530809233-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Ethan Miller\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As for new hires, the Phoenix Suns\u2019 rebuild will be overseen by Jordan Ott, an assistant from Cleveland last year. But the coach under the most pressure is Mike Brown with the New York Knicks, who fired Tom Thibodeau after his fifth season was his most successful with 51 wins and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a reasonable case to get rid of Thibodeau now, but I\u2019m not sure hiring Mike Brown isn\u2019t just a lateral move. A total of 38 head coaches have won an NBA championship, and 37 of them did it in their first 11 years as a coach. Thibodeau had 13 cracks at it and came up empty, but Brown is in Year 12 after doing his best work with a young LeBron James in Cleveland. Brown hasn\u2019t won a playoff series since 2012 with the Lakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-are-the-legends-up-to-in-2025-26\">What Are the Legends Up To in 2025-26?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a sentiment among NFL fans that we were spoiled by a golden era of passers before Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Eli Manning, etc. all retired. The game hasn\u2019t been quite the same when you\u2019re having to watch whatever it is C.J. Stroud and Sam Darnold were doing last night in Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NBA may be entering that period soon too as the legends headed for the Hall of Fame are on their last legs. Cherish them while you can, because you never know if this season will be their last or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s where some all-time greats are playing this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>LeBron James (41 in December):<\/strong> The King will have to wait for his 2025-26 debut as he\u2019s dealing with sciatic nerve pain, which could linger for longer than the month he plans on missing with the Lakers. James has made no distinction that this will be his final season but sciatica is no joke.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kevin Durant (just turned 37):<\/strong> We\u2019ll see if Durant can energize the Houston Rockets, his latest team after a trade from Phoenix. He joins a No. 2 seed who needed a big-time scorer, and Durant hasn\u2019t dipped under 25.0 points per game since his rookie year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Steph Curry (38 in March) and Draymond Green (35 in March):<\/strong> They\u2019re still at it in Golden State, and they\u2019ll have a full year with <strong>Jimmy Butler (36)<\/strong> and <strong>Al Horford (39)<\/strong> too to make up one of the oldest cores in NBA history. Curry can still shoot the 3 unlike anyone though.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chris Paul (40):<\/strong> He\u2019s still going at 40 as he\u2019s back with the Los Angeles Clippers after he still averaged 28.0 minutes per game for the Spurs last year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Russell Westbrook (37 in November):<\/strong> The triple-double king just signed with Sacramento last week after a couple years with Denver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Even Kyle Lowry (76ers) is still playing for his age-40 season. This era isn\u2019t going away without a fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Warriors will be the first team in NBA history to start four players age-35 or above on opening night:<br><br>Draymond Green: 35<br>Jimmy Butler: 36<br>Stephen Curry: 37<br>Al Horford: 39 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4F4LzTD1g8\">pic.twitter.com\/4F4LzTD1g8<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Evan Sidery (@esidery) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/esidery\/status\/1973463986310905999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">October 1, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-emerges-in-the-eastern-conference\">Who Emerges in the Eastern Conference?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the current odds from FanDuel on which team will win the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 (only top 9 listed):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cavaliers (+220)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Knicks (+380)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Magic (+650)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hawks (+950)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pistons (+1100)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Celtics (+1100)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>76ers (+1200)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bucks (+1400)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pacers (+3500)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What a difference a year makes. At this time a year ago, we were asking if the Celtics could repeat and turn into a dynasty. Now, they shipped Jrue Holiday (Portland) and Kristaps Porzingis (Hawks) to other teams, and Jayson Tatum is recovering from his torn Achilles suffered in the Knicks playoff loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like that, the championship window is temporarily closed or barely left ajar with Tatum unlikely to return until April at the earliest, if he plays at all this year. Can Jaylen Brown carry the team to at least the playoffs? We\u2019ll see, but it\u2019s wild to see the Magic and Hawks having better odds than Boston, who are tied with the upstart Pistons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, the odds no longer like the Bucks and 76ers as much despite the presence of Giannis and Embiid. They\u2019ve had injuries in playoff seasons before, and we\u2019ve seen Damian Lillard tear his Achilles (he\u2019s back in Portland but won\u2019t play this year), and Paul George was injured for Philly last year. We aren\u2019t looking at these teams as Finals contenders anymore, though I still wouldn\u2019t doubt Giannis if he can just stay healthy in the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Giannis-Antetokuomnpo-071119-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Greek Freak is an NBA Champ\" class=\"wp-image-3206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Giannis-Antetokuomnpo-071119-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Giannis-Antetokuomnpo-071119-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Giannis-Antetokuomnpo-071119-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Giannis-Antetokuomnpo-071119-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Giannis-Antetokuomnpo-071119-2-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But similar to Boston, the Indiana Pacers are being counted out early from major contention because of Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s Achilles injury. He definitely won\u2019t play this season, but it wouldn\u2019t be that shocking if Rick Carlisle still snuck his team into the playoffs because he\u2019s just that good of a coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, if some of these teams are taking a step back, some should take their place and take a step forward. I\u2019m just not sure I trust teams yet led by Trae Young (Hawks), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), and Paolo Banchero (Magic) to go the distance in the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why the Eastern Conference feels like a battle between the Cavaliers and Knicks. This is also an argument for why the Knicks maybe should have kept Thibodeau to maintain their continuity while improving the bench depth for the team. With the Pacers eliminating the Knicks in consecutive years, they probably don\u2019t have to worry about that this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cleveland is an understandable favorite after a 64-18 season, top seed, and the Cavs were 4-0 against the Knicks last year. They have great balance. But Jalen Brunson is a clutch playoff performer while Donovan Mitchell has yet to get past the semifinals despite his scoring success in the postseason. It would probably be a good series if that was the ECF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-2025-26-player-awards-best-bets\">NBA 2025-26 Player Awards: Best Bets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the next sections, I\u2019m going to make my favorite bet for the NBA player awards going into the start of the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-most-valuable-player\">NBA Most Valuable Player<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, there are only six players with better than +7500 odds to win MVP, which feels a little unfair (via FanDuel):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+160)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nikola Jokic (+300)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Luka Doncic (+400)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Victor Wembanyama (+1000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1300)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anthony Edwards (+2500)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The last two years it\u2019s been SGA vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/nikola-jokic-53646\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>, and you could reasonably conclude Jokic should have won five straight MVP awards instead of 3-of-5. But maybe voter fatigue will set in and people will want to crown a new player. Besides, can you do better than 68 wins and a scoring title if you\u2019re SGA? Can you do better than averaging a triple-double and career highs in points and assists like Jokic did last year when he didn\u2019t win?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1263184007-1024x707.jpg\" alt=\"LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 01: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets shoots against Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat  at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 01, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. \" class=\"wp-image-8826\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1263184007-1024x707.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1263184007-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1263184007-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1263184007-1536x1061.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1263184007-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kevin Durant (+7000) is a longshot with some value as any overachieving Houston does will likely be on his shoulders. Plus, they lost VanVleet and aren\u2019t expected to be as great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wish Luka had better odds as he\u2019s an interesting choice with LeBron\u2019s health likely holding him back this season. Doncic will be the true leader of the Lakers, and he\u2019s never won the award before and usually has great statistics, making a strong case for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You usually need to win 50 games to win MVP, so it might be too early for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs for this award. But he\u2019s a threat if he can stay healthy and improve in Year 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m content with Luka or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/giannis-antetokounmpo-53487\">Giannis<\/a> right now. For pure value on the odds, I\u2019ll take Giannis to surprise people with how well Milwaukee finishes as a team that reaps the benefit of the fall of Boston\/Philly\/Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2025-26 NBA Most Valuable Player \u2013 Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1300) at FanDuel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-defensive-player-of-the-year\">NBA Defensive Player of the Year<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Victor Wembanyama was absolutely going to win this one last year before injuries cost him as you have to play a minimum number of games to qualify. That\u2019s the only real concern this year, but hopefully his blood clot issues will be resolved. Between LeBron\u2019s sciatica and Wemby\u2019s blood clots, these athletic freaks of nature have never felt more relatable to me. But as the game\u2019s next phenom and an elite shot blocker, Wemby is the pick here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, I wouldn\u2019t fault anyone for throwing some plays on Chet Holmgren (+650) just in case injury costs Wemby again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year \u2013 Victor Wembanyama (-185) at FanDuel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-sixth-man-of-the-year\">NBA Sixth Man of the Year<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The favorite is a solid choice in Naz Reid (+900) for the Timberwolves. But I\u2019m going with Josh Hart for the Knicks with the prevailing narrative that the bench is deeper for New York and better utilized this year. Hart is a very good all-around player who could shine for a team that\u2019s very successful this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2025-26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year \u2013 Josh Hart (+1100) at FanDuel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-rookie-of-the-year\">NBA Rookie of the Year<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Isn\u2019t this one a no-brainer? Duke\u2019s Cooper Flagg had all the hype going into the draft where Dallas was able to make him the No. 1 pick and pair him with Anthony Davis. He has better than even odds to win Rookie of the Year now. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ace Bailey (+900), Tre Johnson (+1000), Dylan Harper (+1300), and V.J. Edgecombe (+1400) are the only other players with better than +2000 odds. I think if you\u2019re looking for emergency value in case Flagg gets injured and doesn\u2019t qualify, I\u2019d go with Edgecombe in Philly or Dylan Harper in case the young Spurs have a really good year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year \u2013 Cooper Flagg (-220) at FanDuel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-most-improved-player\">NBA Most Improved Player<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I haven\u2019t thoroughly studied this market to see what usually wins. But my gut says Andrew Nembhard takes the experience of his postseason success for the Pacers and thrives in replacing Haliburton in that offense for a well-coached team. He\u2019ll win the award for Most Improved Player, which he currently has the fourth-best odds to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2025-26 NBA Most Improved Player \u2013 Andrew Nembhard (+1500) at FanDuel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nba-finals-prediction\">NBA Finals Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I respect the Thunder even if I\u2019m not particularly fond of their brand of basketball. You know, the \u201cfree throw merchant\u201d accusations. But I\u2019m going with a different Finals that we\u2019ve never seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Knicks will be the team that emerges from the ashes of the Eastern Conference with no Indiana to get in their way, and Cleveland is just a cursed sports team unless LeBron is leading them. Karl-Anthony Towns will step up in the postseason and Brunson will win Eastern Conference Finals MVP to get the Knicks to the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other side of the bracket, Nikola Jokic finishes the job this year against the Thunder, embracing an improved roster that added veteran depth, got rid of the dead weight like Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr., and don\u2019t overlook the improvement of Chrisitan Braun. Aaron Gordon had an all-time clutch postseason and will hopefully be healthier this time around as Jokic returns with Denver to the Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Finals, Jokic will win MVP after he and Jamal Murray outshine Brunson and KAT. That\u2019s my story and I\u2019m sticking to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2026 NBA Finals Matchup \u2013 New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets (+2300 at FanDuel)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scott\u2019s NBA Pick: 2026 NBA Finals Winner \u2013 Denver Nuggets (+650 at FanDuel)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/top-nba-storylines-thunder-repeat\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/top-nba-storylines-thunder-repeat\">Top Storylines to Follow in the NBA This Summer: Will the Thunder Finally End the Repeat Drought in 2026?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nba-wcf-preview-okc-minnesota\">2025 NBA Western Conference Finals Preview: How Can the Timberwolves Stop the Thunder?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nba-playoffs-more-nba-star-players-injured\">NBA Playoffs: Are More NBA Star Players Injured Than Ever Before?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA is back Tuesday night for the start of the 2025-26 regular season. We had a lot of incredible playoff moments last year with the Oklahoma City Thunder winning their first championship after denying the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 after an all-time upset bid. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on top of the world, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":12401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Our 2025-26 NBA season preview looks at a Thunder repeat, the MVP race, best bets for awards, and who will step up in the Eastern Conference. ","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"NBA","rank_math_facebook_image":"","rank_math_robots":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1267,261,2128,804,1207,1208,808,758,1869,44,1248,1640,1701,772,3161,477,829,1119,394,1369],"content-tags":[],"article_type":[3327,3329],"entity_type":[3336],"inspiration":[3337,3339],"class_list":["post-12463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-cavaliers","tag-celtics","tag-cooper-flagg","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-knicks","tag-lakers","tag-lebron-james","tag-luka-doncic","tag-mavericks","tag-nba","tag-nba-finals","tag-nba-mvp","tag-nba-rookie-of-the-year","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-pacers","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","tag-spurs","tag-thunder","tag-victor-wembanyama","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-match","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12463"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12544,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463\/revisions\/12544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"content-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-tags?post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity_type?post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"inspiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inspiration?post=12463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}