The first few games of the NBA season have given us an insightful look into which teams are better or worse than a year ago. One telling metric is defensive rating.

The irony of the 2025-26 NBA season is that it is simultaneously extremely predictable and an unpredictable mess. We can say pretty confidently who's going to be at the top. The Thunder are leaps and bounds ahead of the field on paper.

Our writers share their early predictions for how the Eastern Conference standings could take shape in the 2025-26 season.

12. Portland Trail Blazers Projected wins: 35.8 ESPN BET over/under total: 33.5

The Bucks have faced the Cavs and the Knicks in the first 4 games of the season and managed to come out with a 3-1 record. After beating the Knicks, Giannis now has the most games in NBA history with 35/5/5 on 70% FG.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has had a historic start to the 2025-2026 season, making some NBA history on Wednesday night.

Like pumpkin spice lattes or Christmas decorations, it feels like the start of the NBA Cup creeps up a bit earlier every year. But like with pumpkin spice and Christmas lights, that is a good thing, because the NBA Cup,