"It's been more than a month since the 2025-26 season started, giving us an early idea of where teams stack up in their respective conferences. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions, are at the top of the Western Conference with a nearly perfect16-1 record. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference has seen the surprising rise of the Detroit Pistons, while teams expected to contend for the conference faced early struggles."
"Surprisingly, since Young went down on Oct. 29, the Hawks have played the style head coach Quin Snyder preached during camp: moving the ball, drive and space, cutting, sharing the ball, defending and being competitive. Jalen Johnson has played like an emerging star and players are stepping up when others are out. Role players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker have been terrific as Atlanta has gone 9-4 without Young."
More than a month into the 2025-26 season, early results show conference hierarchies. The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the West with a nearly perfect 16-1 record. The Eastern Conference features an unexpected surge from the Detroit Pistons while some predicted contenders stumble. Teams with at least a 1.5% BPI finals chance are highlighted for title aspirations and primary questions. The Atlanta Hawks have exceeded expectations without Trae Young, emphasizing ball movement, cutting, defense and role-player contributions; Jalen Johnson has emerged and Atlanta is 9-4 without Young, who is expected back after mid-December.
Read at ESPN.com
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