A Multitude of Question Marks Ahead of the New NBA Season

The new NBA season is set to begin on Wednesday (22/10/2025) morning WIB. The power dynamics of all teams have become clear following a series of transactions during the off-season. However, the championship predictions remain very uncertain. There are numerous questions surrounding the top teams.

The 2025-26 season will open with a match between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at the Paycom Center Stadium in Oklahoma, on Wednesday at 06:30 WIB. There is a reason for this matchup, as the two teams from the Western Conference are touted to become rivals in the title race.

Thunder, the defending champion team, is the favorite to retain the title. They maintain the championship foundation from last season, including the star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, who are secured with long-term contracts. Coach Mark Daigneault also remains in place.

Shai, the holder of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title, has been creating a stir in the Netflix documentary series "Starting 5." "Guess what? The Thunder is the best basketball team in the world. I hope you understand that. We are not going anywhere. So, good luck," he said after the final night.

The question is, can the second youngest team to win the NBA remain consistent after their championship? A sense of complacency looms over Shai and his teammates. At the same time, they will become the primary target for all other teams. Moreover, the champion team in the previous five seasons has always failed to defend their title.

The Thunder's first test comes against the Rockets, the team with the most extravagant transactions during the break. They brought in one of the best players of the last two decades, Kevin Durant. The 37-year-old forward could be the scoring machine and experience the Rockets lacked last season.

The Rockets are filled with young, nearly perfect players. They have one of the league's most solid defenders, guard Amen Thompson; a skilled European big man, center Alperen Sengun; and Durant, who has one MVP and two championships.

Durant has just signed a contract extension for two seasons on Monday. The Rockets no longer need to worry about losing the superstar at the end of the season. "So we just need to focus on basketball, concentrate on our season," said Durant.

The problem lies solely in the playmaking role. The Rockets lost veteran point guard Fred VanVleet for the season due to a knee injury. Coach Ime Udoka's team lacks a true point guard, the most important position in the modern game.

In addition to the Thunder and Rockets, the championship contenders this season mostly come from the Western Conference. Two teams filled with veteran players, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, are serious challengers. They arrive with a better squad depth in the new season.

The Warriors and Clippers both acquired quality veteran centers. That position has often been a weakness for them in the past. The Warriors have Al Horford (39), and the Clippers have Brook Lopez (37). Horford and Lopez are modern centers who are skilled at shooting from distance.

However, both teams are concerned about fitness. They are filled with older players with a history of poor injuries. The Warriors' star trio consists of Stephen Curry (37), Jimmy Butler (36), and Draymond Green (35). The Clippers are led by Chris Paul (40), James Harden (36), and Kawhi Leonard (34).

"Congratulations to Steve Ballmer (owner of the Clippers) and the Clippers. They are the NBA retirement home for players who want to end their careers. When I look at their roster, the Clippers appear to be aging," said former NBA player Kendrick Perkins to ESPN at the end of July.

If they want to go far, the veteran players of the Warriors and Clippers must be able to maintain their fitness in the increasingly intense NBA games, which consist of 82 regular-season matches. Furthermore, the trend of NBA championship teams is starting to shift towards squads with a younger average age, as evidenced by the Thunder.

A team with the best players certainly has a strong chance of winning. The Denver Nuggets are striving to maintain that belief with Nikola Jokic, center and three-time MVP winner in the last five seasons. Undeniably, Jokic is the most dominant individual in the NBA right now.

The Nuggets failed to win the championship last season, narrowly losing to the Thunder in the conference semifinals. A major factor in their failure was the lack of a backup for Jokic. When Jokic was benched, the Nuggets struggled. Questions also focused on new center Jonas Valanciunas, who would be tasked with filling in for Jokic in his absence.

Two potential future faces of the NBA, Luka Doncic (LA Lakers) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), are poised to surprise. However, their breakthroughs depend on their team support systems. Doncic has the aging and injury-prone LeBron James, while Edwards lacks the support of a top-tier point guard.

From the Eastern Conference, last season's finalists, the Indiana Pacers, have faded from the championship race. They will have a tough time competing without their starting point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the finals against the Thunder. There's no certainty yet on when the young star will return.

The most promising team from the East is the Cleveland Cavaliers. They boast the best interior defense with their "twin towers" duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The problem is, the Cavaliers lack a game-changing superstar. Guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland should fill that role.

The New York Knicks, who reached the conference finals last year, also have potential. In a city that romanticizes basketball, the championship is always a possibility. Jalen Brunson and company have a solid squad to make a big splash. The key is to have healthy players, especially center Mitchell Robinson, who has appeared in just 107 of 246 games in the last three seasons.

Ultimately, a multitude of questions regarding the top teams will be answered as the season progresses. The answers will lead to the final puzzle of which team will occupy the highest throne at the end of the season. (AP)