NBA 2025-2026 SEASON PREDICTIONS

With the new NBA season underway, it’s time to make predictions. Will OKC repeat as champion? Will Brunson carry the Knicks to the Finals? Will there be a first-time MVP this season? Here are my final predictions going into the 2025-2026 season.

MVP – Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka has been at the center of preseason MVP talks for years now, but this season, he’ll have the best opportunity for it to come to fruition. After acquiring Doncic last season, the Lakers ended up as the #3 seed in the loaded Western Conference, and there’s no reason they can’t finish in the top three again this season. Doncic will also have to carry a heavier burden to start the season, as his co-star, LeBron James, will be sidelined for roughly 3-4 weeks. This is a perfect opportunity for Doncic to start fast and put up ridiculous numbers to start the year. Realistically, he’ll likely do that regardless. I’m all in on skinny Luka and the idea that he’s in the best shape he’s ever been in and now has a full offseason with the Lakers under head coach JJ Redick’s staff. If the Lakers find success like they should, Doncic will be at the forefront of it, and the talent level is more than enough to capture his first MVP award.

Defensive Player of the Year - Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs.

Is it the chalky pick, yes, but let’s be honest, this is Wemby’s award to lose. Standing at 7’5 feet tall, Wembanyama is a nightmare to score on in the paint and does an exceptional job at meeting players at the rim as the help defender. The Spurs essentially have a security blanket in the paint if they get blown by on the perimeter. In his two seasons in the NBA, Wembenyama has averaged 3.6 and 3.8 blocks per game. There's no reason to think that number will dip, and most would bet that he averages more than four blocks per game.

Rookie of the Year – Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Again, it’s chalk, and again it’s hard to bet against it. Cooper Flagg is the best American prospect since LeBron James, and that’s with all due respect to guys like Zion Williamson and Flagg’s new teammate, Anthony Davis. Watching Flagg at Duke and even in the preseason, it’s clear he’s an outstanding decision maker and that he’s one of those psycho competitors who really gets after it on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, he’s going to have arguably the most responsibility out of every rookie, as he’s going to get a lot of run at the point guard position for this Dallas team, especially while star point guard Kyrie Irving is out recovering from a torn ACL. The narrative aspect of this award will also come into play in this case, as Flagg and the Mavericks will receive significant attention due to the belief that they could potentially compete in the loaded Western Conference.

NBA Finals – Denver Nuggets defeat the New York Knicks in 6 games

It’s hard to pick against Oklahoma City, bringing all their core pieces back, still extremely young, relentless on defense, but one thing they don’t have is the best player on the planet, Nikola Jokic. Not only does Denver have the best player in the world, but they’ve now surrounded him with the deepest team he’s ever had, including the championship team from 2023. The Nuggets traded away a long-time core piece in Michael Porter Jr, and in exchange got Cameron Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson will add a more consistent shooter and a superior defensive presence on the perimeter. In that trade, they also shed salary, enough so to bring back guard Bruce Brown, who was a key contributor throughout Denver’s 2023 championship run. Potentially the most important acquisition was the backup big man that can hold down the fort while Jokic gets rest, and they got a perfect backup in Jonas Valanciunas, who they acquired from the Sacramento Kings this offseason.

The roster being the most complete it’s ever been around Jokic is what will propel them ahead of OKC in the Western Conference Finals, and once they make the Finals, they’ll meet with the New York Knicks.

In what’s widely looked at as a depleted and weakened Eastern Conference, the Knicks are in a prime position to take the next step and make good on this core of Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges. Last season, they fell short to rival Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, with the Pacers seemingly out of the fold in the East this season, New York shouldn’t have too much trouble getting through the East against the likes of the Cavs, who most look at as their biggest threat, and then unproven teams like the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic.

Offensively, the Knicks have the best core in the East. Brunson and Towns are both perennial all-stars and are always live to go off for 30-40 points. Defensively, they’ve got lockdown wings in Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, who will guard their opponents’ primary players. It’s now or never for the Knicks; the East is only going to get healthier after this season, with teams like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers coming back into the mix once their stars are back. If they don’t make the Finals, it’ll be a failure of a season.

Madison Square Garden is going to be rocking in June, but ultimately, the Knicks faithful won’t see their first championship since 1973 this season. Denver is just too complete, and Jokic will prove again why he’s by far the best player on the planet, winning his second championship and second Finals MVP.