NBA Survival Guide: 7 major storylines to watch in 202526, including drama in L.A. and potential stars on the move Kelly IkoOctober 21, 2025 at 1:27 AM 0 It's here and it's beautiful.
- - NBA Survival Guide: 7 major storylines to watch in 2025-26, including drama in L.A. and potential stars on the move
Kelly IkoOctober 21, 2025 at 1:27 AM
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It's here and it's beautiful. Happy NBA Week to those who celebrate!
The 2025-26 season tips off Tuesday, and for the next nine months the NBA will be a staple in homes across the globe. So, what storylines should you be paying attention to starting from Opening Night? Let's take a look at seven big themes across the NBA.
Parity or dynasty?
The moment the Thunder players are awarded their rings on Opening Night, the target on their backs will be apparent. For 82 games, the champs will be subjected to a plethora of scrutiny, pressure and Herculean efforts from opposing teams. We saw this a few years ago after a number of Warriors titles — it comes with the territory.
But for all the talk about parity across the NBA, is there really a team that can challenge the Thunder? Or is Oklahoma City primed for a repeat?
(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The Western Conference never sleeps, and it should be another tussle this season in the standings. The Nuggets, who pushed the champs to seven games in the semis, had a tremendous offseason, bringing in quality depth. The Rockets added Kevin Durant. The Clippers, on paper, look dangerous again with Brook Lopez, Chris Paul and John Collins on the books. The Warriors fortified their rotation and still have the hunger. The Lakers, with LeBron and Luka, can never be counted out. The Timberwolves will be desperate to get over their conference finals hump. That's the main competition just to get back to the Finals.
Oklahoma City's depth will be tested immediately as star guard Jalen Williams continues to recover from a right wrist injury. Cason Wallace, his likely deputy who has started all three preseason games, is shooting an odd 2-for-11 from distance. Might be nothing more than a slump, but his spacing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is critical in the early weeks of a new campaign.
The Thunder had the perfect storybook season in 2025. They'll be up against it in 2026.
LeBron's last ride?
Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently referred to the media (and NBA accounts on X) as "idiots" for falling for LeBron's "second" Decision, which turned out to be a cheesy rollout for a brand partnership with Hennessy. Yes, reporters believing James, who will turn 41 this season, could retire after the 2025-26 season is apparent lunacy.
But what if this is actually his final go-round?
It's been a remarkable career to date. James enters his 23rd season in The Association having amassed everything: MVP awards, championships, All-Star trophies, All-NBA honors and the all-time scoring record. He even shared the court with his son, Bronny. (Bryce, who plays at Arizona, could potentially make the jump next season.)
But anyone who's followed James is well-versed in his penchant for the cryptic, whether it's about how much time he has left at this level or if he even sees a future with the Lakers. And honestly, other than continuing to put distance between himself and the rest of the pack on the scoring charts, what else does James really have left to achieve?
The Lakers, even coming off a 50-win season and with a revamped frontline and an in-shape Luka Dončić, are still a few notches below the top of the Western Conference. And if getting ring No. 5 is James' North Star, that's admirable, but his legacy is already cemented. It's him and Michael Jordan, no one else. Debating between the two — likely what still pushes LeBron today — is splitting hairs.
The quest for the next face of the NBA
The invisible hand of the league is seemingly pushing Victor Wembanyama to assume the throne once James retires. The Frenchman has the aura, skill set and mentality to carry the NBA for decades to come — but he's not alone in that regard.
Cooper Flagg, the rookie darling of Dallas, has been a breath of fresh air in the preseason. Gilgeous-Alexander just put together one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history and is only entering his prime. Anthony Edwards has publicly shied away from the role, but his classic one-liners, swagger and gravitational pull are too powerful to ignore. Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dončić, some of Europe's finest exports, also have their hats ready to throw into the ring as a testament to the global growth of the game.
The truth is James has carried the league for so long that the conversation was buried deep underneath the King's reign. And the closer we get to the end of his time here, the successor needs to be named. For marketing and business purposes, a sole proprietor is more advantageous than, say, a collective "face by committee" approach. But the overarching theme, to advance the discourse, is the NBA is as talented and deep as ever. The game, whenever LeBron leaves it, will be in good hands.
The return of double bigs?
Time is a flat circle.
Two decades ago, the NBA Finals was a showcase of two dominant defensive teams that deployed double-big lineups; Detroit with Rasheed and Ben Wallace, San Antonio with Tim Duncan and Nazr Mohammed. The ways in which both teams utilized their bigs differed — as did a host of other franchises opting for a three-out, two-in half-court look — but the bigger, the better was the takeaway.
Somewhere along the way, it shifted. Legendary coach Mike D'Antoni and his speedy Phoenix Suns teams introduced the "Seven Seconds or Less" offense, and the pace-and-space era took over. Teams began an arms race of assembling smaller, more versatile combo players, most notably seen during the Warriors' dynasty under Steve Kerr.
Fast forward to last season: The Thunder, who started both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, dominated the postseason on both ends.
The water cooler talk during summer league was just how quickly other teams would revert to double-big lineups. The Knicks experimented with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson last season and continue to do so. The Rockets, who had uncovered late-season success with Alperen Şengün and Steven Adams because they were getting decimated by an Anthony Davis-Daniel Gafford frontcourt in their matchups, were also early in the change. But this preseason other teams have followed suit. The Spurs have trotted out lineups with both Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, the Nuggets have played Jokić and Jonas Valančiūnas together. We've even seen Al Horford and Quinten Post share the floor for the Warriors.
The on-court product won't always look aesthetically pleasing with two jumbo players operating beneath the perimeter. But if this is how the NBA chases the next trend, we're all for it. Go big or go home.
A defensive trend to track: Full-court pressure
The 2025 playoffs were a game of zones, as teams attempted to construct shapeshifting looks based on opposing personnel. On one possession, a team could switch from a box-and-one to a 2-3 zone in the blink of an eye, leaning on communication and versatility to cause chaos in the half-court.
It's become more important over the years to construct schemes that can either hide weak defensive players or emphasize strong ones in ways that man-to-man tactics can't. But as more data and film become available and counters are set up, backup plans are of increasing importance.
What if the next defensive trend is extinguishing a play before it even crosses the half-court line?
Since acquiring Dillon Brooks, the Suns' defensive mentality has changed overnight, replacing a lethargic attitude with dogged determination and aggression. In the preseason, Suns players picked up from the inbounds. It's no surprise Phoenix led the league in preseason turnover rate, according to Cleaning the Glass.
Oklahoma City and Indiana, two teams that have religiously pressured, also were in the top 10 this preseason. Even teams like Houston are becoming hip to the idea, using smaller guards like Reed Sheppard, Aaron Holiday and JD Davidson to start defending from 90 feet out.
Tyrese Haliburton recently appeared on The Kevin O'Connor Show and talked about the growing defensive trend. How full-court pressure correlates with pace of play, turnover rate and overall efficiency will be interesting to follow.
What's the next NBA trend? @Hali thinks it could be more full court press. https://t.co/x2tcC77YJc pic.twitter.com/EfIwiDuLfE
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) October 16, 2025
Which star(s) could be on the move?
Recent reports surrounding stars like Trae Young and Giannis suggest that, yet again, an NBA season will be ripe with rumors, rumblings and endless nights of the trade machine.
Player empowerment has defined the last decade, with the game's elite holding considerable leverage over their contracts and colleagues. We're in an era where more and more star players are willing to change their zip code if it gives them a better chance at winning.
It's well-documented that Antetokounmpo is obsessed with returning to the Finals, and the Bucks as currently constructed are nowhere near that mark. The same could be said with Young, who has yet to agree to a contract extension in Atlanta, although the Hawks' subtle retooling in a wide-open Eastern Conference has a bit more appeal. (Ironically, both players could team up and solve their issues. Antetokounmpo needs a dynamic point guard, and Young needs a powerhouse forward. Get to the trade machine, folks!)
We'll also be monitoring what happens with All-Stars on teams stuck in neutral like Boston (Jaylen Brown), Philadelphia (Joel Embiid), New Orleans (Zion Williamson), Phoenix (Devin Booker) and Memphis (Ja Morant). The most likely destinations for disgruntled stars are franchises that have nice collections of young talent and draft capital. The Rockets, Spurs, Magic and Pistons jump off the page as potential landing spots.
And what about the Clippers and the cap?
Getting back to basketball after months away has been a relief, but it's hard not to assume the Kawhi Leonard/Clippers situation isn't hanging over the league office like a dark cloud.
Over the past few months, we've been subjected to awkward news conferences, private and public investigations, and a plethora of think pieces, but commissioner Adam Silver has to do something at the end of the day. There's simply too much at stake for the NBA to downplay what's going on and not treat the situation with the seriousness it warrants. Twenty-nine other franchises are paying close attention to the legal proceedings, the potential trickle-down effects on roster building, cap management and asset accumulation.
The Clippers, who had a good summer bringing in more veterans, will be eyeing a deep playoff run this season. A healthy Bradley Beal (whose addition has gone under the radar) could offset the loss of Norman Powell and give them an edge they haven't had in a while. The return of Paul, even at age 40, brings a quality reserve playmaker/stabilizer. Lopez gives them great floor spacing at the center position, and Collins is a well-rounded offensive forward. But if the franchise is found guilty of salary cap wrongdoing, what could a potential punishment from Silver look like? A hefty fine? A loss of draft picks? A forced termination of a contract?
This has the potential to be a huge distraction and a stain on what should be an exciting season of hoops.
Source: "AOL Sports"
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