Roundtable: Which NBA team rises up? Who falls?

We’re looking more broadly for today’s roundtable, since there’s just not much interesting happening with our Dallas Mavericks. Name one team who will outperform compared to last year and one team who might tumble down the standings.

Brian: It’s going be difficult to settle on one team to rise up the standings from last year to this one, given the season for optimism. I believe in the Grizzlies, Jazz and, to a much lesser degree, the Mavericks to make big strides in 2026-27. A combination of internal development, roster changes both in the draft and free agency, and a much-needed coaching change in Dallas should propel them all from where they ended last year.

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A lot of teams at the top of last year’s Western Conference standings shored up weaknesses and/or doubled down on strengths. One team in last year’s play-in picture seemed to not do much of either. That team is the Golden State Warriors, and they should be terrified that they are going to stink in what could be Stephen Curry’s last year in his prime. They struck out in the LeBron sweepstakes this summer, are snakebitten by injuries even before the starting line between Butler and Moody, and have an average age somewhere around the 30 that Steph dons every night. Things are looking a bit bleak for the blue and gold. On the bright side, they’ll benefit from the play of wily vet-I mean, newly drafted rookie- Yaxel Lendeborg.

David: The Indiana Pacers are due for a massive bounce back. With Tyrese Haliburton returning, they’re going to look competent on offense, and year two of Ivica Zubac at center should be a lot better. On the flip side, I think Houston is in for a wake-up call this year. Their roster is weird and clunky, and Durant is not getting younger. I think they have a season that makes them make a choice about the direction of their future.

Dalton: Call it a homer take if you must, but so long as Cooper Flagg stays healthy and Kyrie Irving plays at least 50-ish games, I think the Mavs could nearly double their win total from last year. For better or worse, I’m officially predicting 50-32. I think Dusty May’s style of offense will make…

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Publish date : 2026-09-30 15:30:00

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