New season bold(ish) predictions

[Hoop Hunter]

Pacers get 45 wins, 6th seed. Pull upset over the 3 seed Bucks, LoL. Face the Knicks in the East Finals.

Then I woke, I don't know how it ended. It's kinda like a "vision", gotta happen.

In a prior predictions thread I can't find rn, I pegged 45 wins as a good number for Indy -- so I don't see yours as a very bold prediction.

But I think 45 wins gets Indy to 5th in the EC. I've only got 5 teams that I pretty much expect to be clearly better than Indy (CLE, NYK, ORL, ATL, DET), and chances are one of these teams will have enough injuries and bad luck to knock them back a rung.

As for the playoffs, a 45 win Indy team is probably getting to the 2nd round before Haliburton's absence puts a lid on further advancement.

I hope you're right, would be a great season.

I have panicked thoughts, looked at our early schedule. Could be a ugly start again. With TJ out. Rookie Cam Jones out, would have probably been 3rd PG. Q Jackson is out who could have played some PG. Furphy out. All out, possibly, to mid Nov.

[Chi town]

Josh Giddey makes the All-Star team on the back of a near triple-double average and a +.500% record. 18-20 ppg, 8-10 rpg, 8-10 apg, 57-60% TS.

Talk to me!

He’s def drawing those FTs in preseason and his 3 ball is quicker and he’s taking more even a few off the bounce.

[Chi town]

Spurs - top 3 in the West.
Clippers - play-in at best, then missing the postseason.
Orlando - top 2 seed in the East.
Bulls - top 6 in the East.

Tell me what you’re seeing with my Bulls!

[mdonnelly1989]

The Pacers will make the second round of the playoffs

Give me moooooore.
Who do you see carrying the load with Hali and Turner out? I like Furphy as a surprise contributor honestly

Mathurin will have his breakout season, lead the team in scoring. He will have a 50 point game. Siakam will put together another All-Star level season. Nembhard and Nesmith will continue their solid contributions. Jarace Walker and Johnny Furphy will step up and become consistent rotation guys. The center rotation won't be great but it will suffice.

Who do you think will be more valuable between Nembhard and Nesmith

[He_Got_Game]

Spurs - top 3 in the West.
Clippers - play-in at best, then missing the postseason.
Orlando - top 2 seed in the East.
Bulls - top 6 in the East.

Tell me what you’re seeing with my Bulls!

Buzelis is legit. He looks like a Franz Wagner clone. Giddey also has game. I like their team a lot.

[OriAr]

1. Victor Wembanyama makes the leap, puts up a ridiculous statline (Something like 28/11/4/4/2) and wins MVP nearly unanimously, Spurs finish top 6 in the West.
2. Sixers stun everyone and go all the way to the finals, getting one last good year from Embiid and PG, maybe even wins it all if Embiid can turn back the clock one last time.
3. Magic don't take the leap and there are very loud whispers of them trading Frank or Paolo at the end of the season.
4. The Bulls make the playoffs, Matas makes a big sophomore leap (Maybe wins MIP) and Giddey averages a triple double and makes the All-NBA team.
5. Nembhard has a breakthrough campaign with more usage, so Indiana don't miss Hali much, however they do miss Turner a lot so they are in the play in.
6. Celtics either tank completely or they make the 2nd round with Tatum dragging them after he comes back post ASB. Rim protection is the big question mark there.

[BruttoNostra]

Spurs - top 3 in the West.
Clippers - play-in at best, then missing the postseason.
Orlando - top 2 seed in the East.
Bulls - top 6 in the East.

Tell me what you’re seeing with my Bulls!

Buzelis is legit. He looks like a Franz Wagner clone. Giddey also has game. I like their team a lot.

Exactly that.
In addition to the middle class of the East being very mid, so outside of the top 3 or 4 teams - anything is possible, if you're not tanking - and I'm a believer in Buzelis to take the leap.
Also, like half of their rotation are in a contract year.

[doogie_hauser]

The Wizards will win more game than The Bulls, Heat, Hornets Sixers in the East, will closely push for a play in spot

Spo won't see the season out as Heat coach.

[MavsDirk41]

The Wizards will win more game than The Bulls, Heat, Hornets Sixers in the East, will closely push for a play in spot

Spo won't see the season out as Heat coach.

Man i dont see any of that happening. I think Washington is the worst team in the league. Only player i like on their roster is CJ. Sarr is a huge bust too. Their roster is terrible. I got them winning 17 games this year.

Miami goes 39-43 and makes the play in losing to Atlanta to miss making the playoffs. Spo coaches the Heat 26/27 season.

[shmeakone]

The 76ers make some noise in the playoffs. Edgecombe looks like a future superstar.

Celtics miss the playoffs, are in the lottery.

Trae Young is traded by the deadline.

Pacers make the playoffs via play in.

Nuggets make the finals.

Matas Buzelis looks like a future top 15-20 player.

Kel’el Ware MIP, makes the ASG

Hornets make the play in.

Raptors make the play in.

Wizards win 30 games.

[Thaddy]

The Raptors could be top 4.

They looked good in preseason and Ingram looks integrated. They would have been in the play in last year if they didn't have injuries and completely tank.

This year they essentially added IQ and Ingram. Their draft picks all look ready which is Dick, Walter, Shead, Mogbo, and CMB. Then you have a solid signing in Mamu who looks like he's improved during FIBA play in the preseason.

Could be surprising.

[GiggitySmalls]

Hornets win the Nba finals
Melo plays all 82 games
Kon is ROY
Miller is an all star along with ball
Ball wins MVP

Sent from my SM-S936U using RealGM mobile app

[HMFFL]

Hawks are too shallow, will trade Young(and others) at deadline and tank the rest of the season: I love the potencial of this team as a whole, but having such a thin bench with KP, Jalen Johnson coming back from injury and having two NBA level backups in OO and Naw is not enough. Young will have 40 games with 10/28 for 30 points before they decide to trade him and KP. EDIT: Forgot that Hawks dont controll their picks, so they might trade Young for picks and prospects still. Same for KP

Hawks will be just fine as long as Trae doesn't attempt the most shots on the team. Hawks fans will make every excuse for Trae as a 40% shooter from the field and 355 tuenovers a season issue.

Hawks are in it to contend as long as they're healthy.

[jowglenn]

Give me moooooore.
Who do you see carrying the load with Hali and Turner out? I like Furphy as a surprise contributor honestly

Mathurin will have his breakout season, lead the team in scoring. He will have a 50 point game. Siakam will put together another All-Star level season. Nembhard and Nesmith will continue their solid contributions. Jarace Walker and Johnny Furphy will step up and become consistent rotation guys. The center rotation won't be great but it will suffice.

Who do you think will be more valuable between Nembhard and Nesmith

More valuable, hard to say... More important? Nembhard. I think Nesmith will have a good season, but we've got other wing options - Sheppard, Walker, Furphy - who I do think will all contribute.

But our point guard spot? Nembhard will be taking the reigns from Hali for the year, and will be the full time starting point guard. This is a big change for him, he's not been our primary ball handler or offense initiator. McConnell is a superb backup, but he's out for like a month with injury right now. So this team is going to live and die on how well Nembhard can adjust to this new role.

[jayu70]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25261759-1-bold-prediction-every-team-during-2025-26-nba-season

[Chokic]

Victor Wembanyama mvp over Luka SGa
Victor Wembanyama dpoy
Matas Buzelis mip edges over Thompson
Cooper Flagg roy in tight three way race between him Edgecombe and bailey
Cleveland makes it to the finals since 2019
Toronto Raptors is last years Pistons
Rockets will be the #1 seed in western conference
Anfernee Simons will ball out for celtics but still get traded by deadline
Hawks finally established core of Young Risacher Johnson Porzingis

[tcheco]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25261759-1-bold-prediction-every-team-during-2025-26-nba-season

Weirdly they had little to no bold predictions other than Ware averaging more points than Bam and 76ers in top6 in the conference lol

[Lalouie]

lebron will retire

kd will play for 6more seasons breaking all of lebron's longevity records, and show everyone that longevity is no big deal in today's nba

westy will add 15+ more w's for sac

jrue will do the same for port and he will be beloved in portland just as he was in philly, no, mil, and celts. he/family will settle in portland and become lifelong friends with dame

ayton will confound luka/lebron the unconfoundables
ayton will end up in the phillipino league, and be arrested several times for dui

[Special_Puppy]

Warriors get a top 3 seed. Sixers are the 9th seed.

[Joao Saraiva]

The Wizards will win more game than The Bulls, Heat, Hornets Sixers in the East, will closely push for a play in spot

Spo won't see the season out as Heat coach.

Spo being fired is definitely one of the boldest I've seen in this thread. Even if the Heat fail big time he still took em very far with rosters that shouldn't have made it. I think he has enough credit to be below expectations two seasons in a row and not getting fired.

Or do you feel Spoelstra doesn't want to be the HC anymore?