James Harden’s move to Cleveland has freed up Donovan Mitchell. Will that trend continue as 2025-26 wanes?
The NBA is in the midst of Matchup Week, where teams occupying high places in the standings and maintaining high standards mostly since opening night are squaring off on a nightly basis.
The week began with Cavs at Thunder on Sunday, then Spurs at Pistons on Monday, Knicks at Cavs on Tuesday and Thunder at Pistons on Wednesday. It ends on Friday with the Cavs at Pistons and the Nuggets at Thunder. And no, the playoffs aren’t upon us … it only seems that way.
It’s still the regular season, which raises a question here in the fourth quarter of the season: Who’s the best team in the NBA?
The weekly Power Rankings on NBA.com drop clues and updates, and the order of power tends to fluctuate. As is often the case in these rankings, there are debates and nothing will be truly settled until mid-April.
There are, however, a half-dozen teams that can stake a claim for being the best in a season that’s lacking a Goliath at the moment. There’s no clear front-runner, no lock for the top seeds in the East or West with less than two months remaining.
With respect to the Knicks, Lakers, Timberwolves and Rockets, here are the pros and cons of six teams as they head into the home stretch and state their case:
Boston Celtics
Isaiah Thomas explains why Jaylen Brown should be getting more MVP consideration.
Pro: This one is obvious — the Celtics have not only survived this season, but thrived without Jayson Tatum breaking a single bead of sweat. They’re in second place in the East, just five games behind the Pistons and on 50-win pace as they await the anticipated and possible debut of Tatum this month following offseason Achilles surgery.
The star-turn by Jaylen Brown is the most vivid by anyone this season and if nothing else, Brown is demonstrating that he’s nobody’s No. 2 guy. Speaking of next-level, how about Payton Pritchard, now among the league’s finest long-distance shooters and a player who’s willing and able to take the tough shots that win games? Nikola Vučević could pay off big in the Al Horford role once he gets comfortable with his new surroundings. Nobody has done a better coaching job this year than Joe Mazzulla.
Con: Will Tatum need a lengthy warm-up to start making an impact? These injuries tend to be wait-and-see; not everyone can follow the Kevin Durant Example, and he sat out a full season. Assuming all will be well with Tatum, how will he fit next to the new-and-improved Brown? They’ve been harmonious before and their similar games didn’t clash often, but this feels and looks different now.
Also, kudos to Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser and the other worker bees. However, they must prove themselves if and when the margin between Boston and Detroit gets closer.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro: This team was largely incomplete until now, because the since-departed Darius Garland played only 26 games while Evan Mobley was shelved for 14. Donovan Mitchell has had to carry the club for generous stretches, doing the trick for the most part. He’s averaging 28.5 points per game and the Cavs went 19-5 after a 17-16 start.
James Harden is aboard and adopting a pass-first mentality designed to get easy buckets for Mobley and Jarrett Allen, all while allowing Mitchell to continue as the No. 1 option. Also, the Cavs discovered Jaylon Tyson, who’s a dependable scorer, and have Sam Merrill shooting 46.6% from deep, even if Max Strus either doesn’t return this season or needs a lengthy ramp-up. Two upcoming games with the East-leading Pistons, on Friday and Tuesday, will tell.
Con: Mobley has had a sketchy offensive showing all season and he’ll need Harden’s playmaking to help him emerge from the slumber. Otherwise, even after sprucing up their season, the Cavs still have ground to gain on the Pistons and Celtics and haven’t even pulled away from the Knicks and Raptors.
Denver Nuggets
Pro: Of all the contenders, with the exception of the Boston Celtics, the Nuggets bring a higher ceiling. Injuries have pumped the brakes on the Nuggets … yet 50 wins aren’t out of the question. Nikola Jokić missed nearly a month with a knee hyperextension and Aaron Gordon has played just 23 games (out of 58) mainly because of an ongoing hamstring issue, and now Peyton Watson has hamstring aches.
If and when healthy, how many teams are a cut above Denver? This is obviously conjecture, but consider that this team took OKC to a Game 7 last spring and is deeper than a year ago. It has Jokić contending for another Kia MVP award and a (finally) healthy Jamal Murray having his best regular season ever. Also, Watson developed into a major contributor.
Con: The Nuggets are fascinatingly frustrating, which is a personality trait they might be unable to shed. Even with Jokić back, they’ve struggled at times all while suffering defensively (surrendering 116 points is the worst among contenders) and coping with self-inflicted turnovers. They’re 3-6 in their last nine games with losses to OKC, Cleveland and Detroit (all fellow contenders).
Murray, in particular, ruined possible victories with missed free throws. Cam Johnson seems an odd fit and is in contention for being the most disappointing offseason addition, as there are times when he’s unplayable. Finally, Gordon’s hamstring has been problematic for months now. Basically, Denver has a high ceiling but also seems fragile.
Detroit Pistons
In adding the 11-time All-Star guard to the mix, Cleveland should be able to make some noise come postseason time.
Pro: The Pistons have ruled the top of the East since mid-November, helped by a 13-game win streak and have never looked back. That consistency and longevity don’t happen by accident. They’re one of only three teams with 20 or more road wins and one of four teams allowing less than 110 points per game. And they’re 7-2 against the Knicks, Cavaliers and Celtics, their main competition in the East.
Cade Cunningham is the Kia MVP contender needed for a team to be taken seriously and his ability to control games with passing and scoring is rare. Jalen Duren is a sturdy, double-double big man and Detroit’s role players — Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson — are productive and consistent. JB Bickerstaff is in the running for Coach of the Year.
Con: Have the Pistons been truly tested? They played the Celtics without Tatum and are about to embark on a schedule that finally throws the West elites in their path. Also, if Cunningham struggles — as he did (5-for-26) in a Monday loss to the Spurs — who’s their No. 2 scorer? We’ll know more about the Pistons by the end of March than we’ve learned to this point.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Pro: The defending NBA champs remain atop the West, which is theirs until someone else claims it. That’ll require lots of effort because the Thunder are once again deep, defensively strong and dependable. It also helps to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander positioned to go back-to-back MVP seasons. Sixty wins isn’t out of the question.
Jalen Williams is starting to sharpen after offseason wrist surgery and a few setbacks. Isaiah Hartenstein, who also missed a chunk of the season, is back in the lineup. Also, a team known for a stretchy rotation just expanded even more because Jared McCain, the new addition, is already comfortable and productive, looking like the player who soared for Philadelphia last season before his injury.
Con: This isn’t the team that started 24-1. And while that certainly wasn’t sustainable, OKC has failed to be heads-and-shoulders above the pack of contenders. There was a stretch where OKC went 17-13; a 3-5 record within that span was worse than the Wizards. Also, there’s the elephant in the room — the Spurs have OKC’s number, winning three out of four head-to-head and currently gaining ground in the West standings. There are also three upcoming games against the Nuggets, who could be healthy for most or all of those tipoffs.
San Antonio Spurs
Pro: So scary, so soon? Well, it appears so. The Spurs aren’t a down-the-road team anymore — they’re a right-now contender. The gas pedal is being pressed and the Spurs truly believe a championship is in the picture, for good reason. They’re hot on the heels of the West-leading Thunder, whom they’ve already beaten three times in four games. They’ve won nine straight, logging wins against the Thunder, Lakers and Pistons during this streak.
And how have we gotten this far without mentioning Victor Wembanyama and his ability to impact games at both ends? He’s symbolic of the Spurs in that he’s ahead of MVP pace. The beauty is the Spurs don’t need him to get big buckets as Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and even Devin Vassell are capable of assuming that role on any given night. This club is balanced, thirsty and has 10 of its last 16 games against teams currently with losing records.
Con: Until and unless they overtake OKC in the standings, can the Spurs really make a claim for being the best in the NBA, let alone the West? Let’s see that happen first. Also, this team is maturing quickly, but hasn’t seen many pressure situations unless you count reaching the NBA Cup final. The Spurs are entering rare air for this largely untested group.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
