PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 03: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins moves the puck against the Montréal Canadiens during the first period at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 3, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The October schedule has turned out to be a brutal one for the Pittsburgh Penguins, full of some big tests against some of the NHL’s best teams.
So far, they are struggling with that test.
It is not going to get any easier at the start of this week.
The Penguins enter Monday’s game at the Utah Mammoth on a three-game losing skid, currently 0-for-3 on their four-game road trip, and have lost six of their past seven games since a 2-0 start.
Nothing is going well.
The power play? An absolute mess that is struggling to do anything right.
The penalty kill? Starting to become a little leaky.
The defense? Struggling to cleanly exit their own zone, handling the puck like it’s a tennis ball and leaving people all alone for scoring chances.
The goaltending? Not up to the early challenge.
Combine all of that with games against teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, and you have some ugly results and losses starting to pile up.
Unfortunately for the Penguins, it is not going to get much easier this week. That includes Monday’s game against a Utah team that is starting to emerge as an early season contender in the Western Conference.
The Mammoth enter Monday’s game with a 6-3-0 record, and boast one of the league’s best offenses early in the season. They are sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.67), already have four players averaging at least a point per game (Clayton Keller, Mikhail Sergachev, Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther) and have a power play unit that is clicking at a whopping 35.3 percent, the highest mark in the NHL through the first three weeks.
Not exactly a great opponent for a team that is struggling to defend right now.
If there is a silver lining in that matchup, it’s that Utah’s goaltending has been sub-par through the first nine games, while their penalty kill is working at only a 73.9 percent success rate.
Maybe this is a chance for the Penguins power play to break out of its slump, or for the offense to score more than two goals, which has kind of become their number over most of the past seven games. The Penguins also just need to salvage something from this road trip.
Whether they do or not, their return home is going to put them up against yet another contender when the Florida Panthers make their way into Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Even though they missed the playoffs a year ago, the Panthers still entered the 2026-27 season as one of the top betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and that was largely due to the return of top center Aleksander Barkov and the addition of winger Brady Tkachuk.
Well, Barkov is sidelined again (but not for the entire season this time) and will not be available on Thursday. Or for several more weeks.
But that has not really slowed down the Panthers offense.
They enter the week on a three-game winning streak and have scored at least seven goals in two of those games. Even more eye-opening: They have four hat tricks over that stretch, including a natural hat trick in three consecutive games (two from Brady Tkachuk, one from Carter Verhaeghe; Sam Benntt had the fourth hat trick in that stretch, though it was not a natural hat trick).
Not only do the Panthers have plenty of depth, they are also one of the most physical teams in the league with a lineup that thrives on creating chaos.
The Penguins do get a little bit of a scheduling break here as they will be home, and rested for a couple of days, while Florida plays the night before in Ottawa.
This week’s schedule concludes on Saturday with a home game against the Nashville Predators. Nashville is a team in a similar boat as the Penguins, trying to orchestrate a version of a rebuild with a roster that still has a lot of veteran pieces on it. On paper, this is the most winnable game of three on this week’s schedule.
Even more than getting wins (which they need), I really just want to see the Penguins start to figure some things out this week.
The top line is starting to show some signs of life. That’s … something.
But they need Rickard Rakell to find the net. They need the power play to look like a functioning unit. They need the defense to stop stepping on a collection of rakes in their own zone. I basically just want to see a better, more consistent process, especially against good teams. Show you can at least hang with them, or at least avoid the five-to-ten minute meltdowns that seem to happen every game that put them out of reach. There have been some stretches of good hockey this season. They have carried games for significant stretches, and outplayed teams for significant stretches, only to have everything get completely undone by a handful of mistakes that unravel everything and always seem to end up in the back of their net.
It is game 10 of the season. There are 74 games remaining after Monday. There is still time to fix things. But you have to start making some progress on that. Start showing a better, more consistent process and let the results take care of themselves after that. That’s the thing I want to see this week. Just play better. Play more consistently. Even if it doesn’t translate into immediate wins yet, just show you are capable of it for more than short stretches.
Chaffee, 28, signed a one-year, one-way deal with the Islanders on July and has recorded six points (three goals, three assists) through six games with Hamilton.
The Michigan native has 109 games of NHL experience with 16 goals and 10 assists over that span.
He last played in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning, recording one assist in 11 games during the 2025-26 season.
After two seasons of collecting top picks in the 2025 and 2026 drafts, the Nets seem ready to compete again. Brooklyn has little incentive to lose on purpose, as the Houston Rockets own swap rights to the Nets’ 2027 first-round pick.
Brooklyn already has forward Michael Porter Jr.,who had a career year in 2025-26. With the addition of three-time All-Star Julius Randle via trade, the Nets now have two players to rely on to create shots. But can the rest of the team’s youth join them for the ride? Let’s dive into what this season should look like.
Scoring combo
The addition of Randle should help address Brooklyn’s offense that ranked dead last in offensive efficiency (108.2 points per 100 possessions) last season. Over the last several years, Randle has proven that he can create his own scoring opportunities, averaging over 20 points a night six of his last eight seasons. But where he should have the most impact is creating looks for others. The power forward has averaged at least 4.1 assists in all of the past six seasons.
Brooklyn can run its offense through Randle, who is capable of initiating through pick-and-rolls as a screener or ballhandler. He should also help put Brooklyn’s other players in more advantageous positions to score. A beneficiary from Randle’s presence will be Porter. The small forward is coming off a strong debut season with the Nets, averaging 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 52 games.
Despite the career year, Porter’s efficiency dipped slightly. Adding a scorer and playmaker like Randle should allow Porter to slot into a role as second option with easier scoring opportunities. This year is important for Porter. He’s eligible for a contract extension, so proving that last year wasn’t a flash in the pan will be important for his future with the team.
Despite making three All-Star teams, Randle does have his flaws. He can be careless with the ball, creating turnovers. His defensive effort waxes and wanes on a regular basis. And he’s a career 33.2 percent shooter from the three-point line, making him a suboptimal floor spacer.
But Brooklyn is aiming for respectability, which Randle brings as a proven veteran. And we’ve seen Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez excel in the past despite a limited roster.
Show-and-prove
The Nets have had seven first-round picks over the past two years. Two of those seven players seem guaranteed to receive consistent minutes: Egor Dëmin and rookie Mikel Brown Jr.
The sixth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Brown had a decent Summer League. He only played in Brooklyn’s preseason finale after missing time with an injury. At 20 years old, Brown has potential as a shot creator and playmaker at the point guard position. But it will likely take him time to establish a consistent NBA rotation player.
Entering his sophomore season, Dëmin was spoon fed minutes in his rookie campaign, where he showed that he makes good reads as a passer. Dëmin also shot 38.5 percent from the three-point line. However, he needs to improve as a driver and finisher around the paint to be a starting caliber player. There are high hopes for his second season.
Brown and Dëmin will be given tons of opportunity. And with Dëmin’s 6-9 frame, they both should be able to play in the backcourt together.
Outside of Randle, the Nets made a couple of moves in free agency, signing center Moe Wagner and guard Keon Ellis to contracts. Reserves Josh Minott and Terance Mann could also see some time.
With very few veterans on the roster there will be opportunities for the five other recent first-round picks. Nolan Traoré, Ben Saraf,Danny Wolf, Drake Powell and Joshua Jefferson will all have chances to crack the rotation. Specifically, Traoré, Saraf, Wolf, and Powell are all entering their second season. They will have to show some progress to justify a long-term roster spot past this season.
Sep 28, 2026; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets Mikel Brown Jr. (0) poses for a portrait during media day at Brooklyn Nets HSS Training Center. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Starting caliber
To acquire Randle, the Nets had to send mainstay Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal. Claxton’s defense and rebounding had dipped over the past few years. The center’s departure creates an opportunity for Day’Ron Sharpe to start at the five. Sharpe re-signed on a two-year, $20 million deal during the offseason.
Sharpe has been a per-minute darling over the past several years, dominating opposing backup centers by feasting on the offensive boards and finishing around the basket. Over five seasons, Sharpe is averaging 16.3 points, 13.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per 36 minutes. His work on the offensive glass will be a big help to Brooklyn creating more scoring opportunities. When Sharpe is on the floor, the Nets have played better. Teams outscored Brooklyn by 4.3 points per 100 possessions in 1,160 minutes last year, a figure far better than the -12.9 net rating the Nets had in Claxton’s minutes.
The question is can Sharpe be healthy and withstand a bump in minutes? He’s never played more than 62 games in a season and never averaged more than 18.7 minutes in a season. Also, he will now be matched up with the likes of Nikola Jokić, Karl-Anthony Towns and Bam Adebayo, a step up from his days as a backup.
Prediction
The Nets should be better than last year. The addition of a multi-time All-Star like Randle is a step in the right direction. And the NBA’s arrangement to disincentivize tanking of the draft will make the team naturally more competitive. But that also means the competition will also be trying.
Brooklyn’s lack of depth and heavy reliance on unproven youngsters means it’s unlikely the club will be competing for a playoff spot. Dëmin and Brown will need to wildly exceed expectations for a massive leap. Let’s go with 30-52.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 09: General Manager Mike Elias of the Baltimore Orioles watches the Orioles Hall of Fame ceremony before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 09, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles really meant it this time about hiring a general manager. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Monday morning that the team has chosen Jared Banner, who was most recently serving as an assistant GM with the Cubs since 2023, to join the O’s front office as GM. Passan added that over the course of his career, Banner has also worked with the Mets and Red Sox.
In terms of the ultimate decisionmaking in the Orioles front office, hiring Banner as the GM is not going to change the fact that Mike Elias is still what is colloquially understood as “the GM,” that is, the guy who is in charge of baseball operations. That authority rests in a person with the president of baseball operations title.
However, in hiring Banner, the O’s have brought in someone from outside the organization who is supposed to have a lot of influence in player development, an area where Elias has obliquely acknowledged that he’s been lacking in recent seasons. Banner has been working in a variety of player development roles since 2007, when he took a job with the Red Sox. Among his past titles is executive director of player development, which he held with the Mets in 2018 and 2019.
Unless you are related to Jared Banner, you have probably never thought about him or been aware of his existence before today. I certainly haven’t. Whether he will actually be able to do what needs to be done to help improve the Orioles fortunes is not something we can know. He does have at least one nice feather in his cap, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman:
Banner was credited as an advocate to acquire PCA for Cubs as he’d know Crow-Armstrong when he was with the Mets @JeffPassan 1st with news https://t.co/9u79mqZGnW
That’s referring to Pete Crow-Armstrong, the probable National League MVP this season, who the Cubs acquired from the Mets back in 2021. Solid talent evaluation there, though Orioles fans, after two lean years, will be hoping for a smashing success on a much shorter time frame than that at this point.
Going into this, if I had believed the Orioles were actually going to hire a GM this time instead of poke around like they might and never do it, my ideal candidate would have probably come from either the Rays or Brewers, teams that either get by with about as many resources as the Orioles or even fewer.
The way this postseason has gone, those teams are still in it, meaning the guys are still doing their jobs and probably not getting the opportunity to interview for promotions. Should Elias have waited to see if he could talk to someone in those front offices? Again, I just have no way to evaluate.
What I can say is that the Cubs have not been a perennial powerhouse team of late. They have made the postseason as a wild card in each of the past two seasons, but before that, their last 162-game season where they made it into the playoffs was 2018.
If Banner can do what the Orioles need him to do, then it doesn’t really matter how his last organization performed lately. The franchise needs to actually develop talent that can play at the highest level consistently, rather than continue to unearth guys who can build up prospect hype and even rookie season hype but not manage to sustain that over the next few years.
The Knicks entered last season with the highest expectations in recent franchise history. This year, they enter the campaign having finally met them for the first time in 53 seasons.
For many that would be enough, but this squad looks intent on repeating, which would break the NBA’s streak of eight consecutive different title winners.
With the roadmap already laid out for more or less the same roster, there’s no reason New York shouldn’t be right there once again.
Here's SNY's 2026-27 season preview...
What worked
Head coach Mike Brown was brought in for one reason -- to get his team over the hump behind increased communication, a reformed offensive system, and heavier reliance on their depth. He accomplished all of the above, giving the Knicks a blueprint of a championship season they can fall back on if things get tough.
But Brown’s success wasn’t immediately apparent. As promised, he spent much of the regular season experimenting with schemes and rotations.
At times, that left some members of the team unsure of their roles. At others, the team was stuck in a rut. But everything clicked beginning with Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs in Atlanta.
Everybody comfortably settled into their roles at once, with the big change being how the team utilized Karl-Anthony Towns' playmaking. Each player locked in defensively and flourished as part of the team concept offensively.
Jalen Brunsoncontinued his postseason heroics while mixing in enough off-ball play to keep him fresh.OG Anunoby put together a historically efficient scoring run.
They found basketball nirvana, entering a flow state of ball movement and abandoning any other motives. How much of this can they carry over with the ground shifting underneath them?
What’s changed?
While the Knicks brought back most of their championship roster, this team isn’t identical to the one that won it all. They lost Mitchell Robinson, their backup center who was a key man all season but especially in slowing down Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Finals.
Replacing him is Andre Drummond, another rim-runner with a knack for offensive rebounding, though generally considered a tier below Robinson overall. Drummond will bring durability, free throw shooting and a couple other skills Robinson lacked, but this potential downgrade could impact their title hopes.
While the rest of the core roster is more or less the same, the conference surrounding the Knicks has improved dramatically. Philadelphia added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown after their Eastern Conference Semifinals beatdown at the hands of New York, Indiana is getting a healthy Tyrese Haliburton back, the Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Toronto added Kawhi Leonard.
This, while contenders like Boston, Cleveland, and Detroit remain in the picture. Even if the Knicks wholly recapture their magic, facing stiffer competition makes repeating much harder.
Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
But perhaps the biggest year over year difference is the black cloud that’s hung overhead the past few weeks -- extension talks. Towns, Josh Hart, and Miles McBride can all test free agency relatively soon, with the front office shelving extension talks until later in the season.
Playing through uncertain long-term security can be a distraction, and if the Knicks re-engage on talks before the trade deadline unsuccessfully, it could open a much bigger can of worms. But all parties seem to want to come together on this, so there’s reason for optimism.
Finally, how does Brown adjust to all of this? Fans shouldn’t expect him to stay content with last year’s playbook and approach, and to continue experimenting with options through this regular season.
He’s mentioned evolving the Towns hub package as well as working in additional pick-and-roll reps for Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. There’s sure to be additional twists on the winning formula as well.
What to watch
The Knicks open up their repeat run against a slew of contenders, so the first month of the season will serve as an early test of the team’s preparedness. How they set the pace - hangover or hunger - will tell us a lot about the season to come.
It’ll be interesting to see how else Brown messes with his talent. One name that deserves added attention is Mohamed Diawara, who had an impressive though short-lived rookie season.
He’s arguably the team’s most tantalizing prospect, and as a big wing helps address a couple needs. If he can keep up his 40 percent shooting clip from three and show a little more consistency in his dribble and defensive games, watch out.
Then there’s James Wiseman, the former second overall pick that was brought into training camp and earned himself the third string center spot. That may not seem like a crucial position, but Towns' recurring foul trouble and the scarcity of reliable backups make him a pivotal piece.
Can he shake off his injury history to recapture some of his lottery upside?
Bench ball handling is another point of emphasis, with Jordan Clarkson moving more into a wing role and McBride potentially on the chopping block. Jose Alvarado has been their go-to but can have rough stretches, leaving Tyler Kolek as the remaining option here.
Whether we see more opportunities for Kolek or a trade, getting Brunson adequate ball-handling help proved invaluable during last year’s playoffs and will be this year, too.
Finally, the age old question for any contender. Now that everybody’s individual sacrifices paid off, will they continue to sacrifice, or will some guys now look to cash in on their own success, especially with extensions and aprons being a hot button issue?
Prediction
The Knicks have some concerns on the margins, but this group is returning healthy and largely intact, giving them some of the best title hopes in the league. The Knicks repeat as champions, 4-2 in the NBA Finals over San Antonio.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: Austin Wells #28 and David Bednar #53 of the New York Yankees celebrate the win over the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium on September 08, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The New York Yankees defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-3. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are few things that a contending team needs more than a good closer. The downfall of many playoff teams over the years has been because of shoddy bullpen play, so if you can find a guy who can not only get the ball with the lead in the ninth and shut it down, but also be able to potentially pitch two innings in high leverage, you need to keep him.
The Yankees had that for two decades with Mariano Rivera, and for a time, they had it again with prime Aroldis Chapman, but they’ve struggled to have a consistently dominant closer since Chapman began to unravel after Jose Altuve’s pennant-winning home run broke his psyche in 2019. From Chapman to Clay Holmes to Luke Weaver to Devin Williams, it’s been a roller coaster for the Yankees in their quest for a closer who shines bright in the city that never sleeps.
Enter David Bednar, who, since his acquisition at the 2025 deadline, has been that consistent presence for the Yankees. On a team with not much consistency outside the starting rotation, he was a rock all season long, closing out close game after close game for the Yankees. When they went out the way they did, he was the least of their concerns. It should set him up for a big payday this offseason.
Things didn’t start that well for Bednar, who was coming off some high-stress innings at the World Baseball Classic for Team USA when the team started. It was a weird year in which a lot of WBC players struggled, especially early, so that might explain why it seemed to take him a while to get going.
He allowed four runs in his first six outings, taking a loss against the Athletics before a buntapalooza in the Trop against the Rays saw him blow a save in the 10th inning on April 8th. Aside from that, into mid-May, he was at least converting every save opportunity in front of him, which is all you can ask from your closer.
Those struggles did bleed into May, however. He allowed a walk-off home run to Brice Turang on May 10th, narrowly survived a late scare against the Mets on May 15th, and conceded a disastrous three-run home run to Tyrone Taylor two days later in what would be a definitive low point of his season.
After blowing that save, he would convert his next 17 saves in a row. He struggled the following day against Toronto, but held on for dear life. After that, he would toss 24 consecutive scoreless innings into late July, nailing down games of all types. He had a five-out save against Cleveland, a six-out win against Washington right before the All-Star break, and a clutch five-out save against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium in one of the best moments of the season.
His scoreless streak ended with a Chase Meidroth home run in Chicago, but he would continue his dominance after the deadline by not blowing a save until August 16th, when a Ben Rice error led to the tying run scoring, which obviously deserves an asterisk. In fact, in three of his four blown saves, he allowed at least one unearned run. His other one in Minnesota in September was in that 13-inning marathon, where he blew a pair of one-run leads.
What was also extraordinary about Bednar’s season was just how little traffic he conceded. In that 24-inning scoreless streak, he permitted just eight hits, five walks, and one hit-by-pitch. In the 11 outings after the Meidroth home run, he allowed just four hits and four walks in 12.2 innings. He finished the season with a 1.04 WHIP, but that is inflated by his start to the season. In his last 43 appearances, it was just 0.786.
In the playoffs, he didn’t allow a run in three shutout innings. It’s unfortunate that Bednar wasn’t handed any leverage situations in the playoffs due to the Boston blowouts and the Yankees never leading against Tampa, but I think many of us would be confident if he came in a big spot. The only run he’s allowed in 10 postseason games as a Yankee came while trailing against Boston in Game 1 of last year’s Wild Card Series.
It sets up an interesting offseason decision for Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman to make. They found a top-shelf closer who came from a small-market team in Pittsburgh and didn’t wilt as Williams did. The team, while confident in its pitching development, has very little bullpen depth under contract. Yet, the Yankees have not handed a reliever more than $10 million since Zack Britton in 2019, and have generally avoided paying relievers at all costs since the Super Bullpen flamed out in 2020.
Jon Heyman reported last week that the team plans to extend a $23 million qualifying offer to the recently turned 32-year-old, which would be a great move in my eyes. If he accepted, it would make him the highest-paid reliever in baseball next year, but he has the track record to be compensated like that. It’s not even a Trent Grisham situation, where although the process was sound, many fans disliked the decision due to worries that his 2025 was a fluke.
That qualifying offer should unequivocally be used to start multi-year contract extension talks. Without Bednar, the Yankees would have to turn to Brent Headrick or a mid-level signing or trade (which would deplete an already shallow farm system) to close next year, while also putting more pressure on Blake to churn out more development gems and internal options like Carlos Lagrange to grow up fast and be leverage options right out of the gate.
Paying relievers without an infinite budget usually isn’t wise, but if we assume that a salary cap won’t come from the upcoming lockout, the Yankees should be bringing back Bednar to try and replicate his brilliant 2026 season.
San Diego Padres C Ethan Salas (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres’ call-up of Ethan Salas was a brilliant decision. It gave the Friar Faithful a sneak peek at what 2027 might hold. Salas is a lock for next season’s Opening Day lineup.
The young catcher offers an exciting, dynamic skill set — and the most intriguing part is that his ceiling remains a mystery. In reality, a rookie’s expectations are grounded by their physical limitations. In Salas’ case, his potential is hard to define because his talents may take him to a place few players ever go.
Hitting was a struggle
His addition solidified the bottom third of the order. He batted .256 with two home runs and five RBI in 40 plate appearances. The only offensive concern is that Salas struck out 22.5% of the time.
Strikeouts are not the end-all, but he needs to develop a better eye for the strike zone. Salas is failing to recognize pitches coming out of the delivery and then chases them out of the strike zone. The results do not paint a great picture of his at-bats.
Still, there is room for improvement. The offseason is the perfect time to refine his approach at the plate. Better plate discipline will earn Salas more hittable pitches to drive for extra-base hits.
Defense is his calling card
Much of Salas’ success derives from the most lethal weapon in his toolbox: defense. It is a true testament to his willingness to lead from behind the dish. Although his defensive metrics come from a small sample size of 15 games, he posted a .983 fielding percentage and showcased an elite arm.
Major League scouts graded his defense a 70, which is considered Gold Glove-caliber. Salas’ throws are lightning-fast, driven by a quick transfer from glove to throwing hand. The Padres have not had a catcher with this ability since Benito Santiago.
Salas loves to push the envelope by throwing down to first base to see if he can catch a base runner straying too far off the bag. The rookie catcher hasn’t thrown out a major leaguer on an attempted steal, but his throws were on target. He did gun down 27% of would-be base-stealers at the minor league level.
Salas’ defensive play earned him the 2026 Minor League Defensive Player of the Year honors this past September.
Despite the instant success, the growing pains are apparent. Salas has an opportunity to address those weaknesses this offseason.
Make no mistake, he is expected to be the 2027 Opening Day catcher.
BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 8: LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers Lebron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers throws chalk in the air before the game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 8, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
This upcoming regular season is the most exciting and anticipated one of this era of Sixers basketball and then some. Not only has Philadelphia loaded up their roster with aspirations of winning the conference and more, but over half the East has done the same.
The word bold would normally go before the word “predictions” in a piece like this. Between the reigning NBA champions, some of the biggest offseason moves in league history, and the potential for former powerhouses to return from injured form, this is one of the hardest seasons to predict. None of these feel like particularly bold predictions, but here are five Sixers things I’m expecting to happen this season.
Joel Embiid leads the Sixers in scoring again
Though I don’t expect him to qualify for any sort of scoring title. The big question for this team is how are they going to spread just the one basketball around such a talented starting five. How often that starting five actually plays together will go a long way in answering that question. At the risk of jinxing him, I do think Embiid will be on the court a lot this season barring something really going wrong (knock on every piece of wood you can see).
When Embiid is on the court, he’s the one starter I see the rest of the team bending their game to the most. Working out of the free throw line area, Embiid makes as much sense as any to operate as a hub from the free throw line area. He proved last season that when he’s going offensively, he’s still plenty dominant to command double teams as he tries to attack the basket.
Those double teams will be deadly with the full starting five on the court — there’s just not going to be anyone on the floor the defense feels comfortable leaving alone. If that premise is true, and Embiid is who the healthy starting five functions around, he will be the leading scorer on this team easily.
After wracking up multiple scoring titles, Embiid’s points per game obviously took a big hit in the 2024-25 season when he was only able to play 19 games. He spent a good part of the first half of last season ramping back up into shape and only got on the floor for 38 games, but he still nearly caught up to Tyrese Maxey in points per game despite Maxey’s torrid start to the season. Embiid finished last year at 26.9 points per game compared to Maxey’s 28.3. With all the messaging from the team, including Maxey himself that he’s going to be playing off the ball more this year, I predict the Sixers to have a new top scorer this season. Well, somewhat new.
Dominick Barlow is the best internal option at backup center
Speaking of messaging, I’m not loving what we’re hearing about Barlow out of training camp so far. He’s one of three Sixers who didn’t play in preseason this year with an injury. While Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona are back on the practice court, the Sixers have yet to provide a timeline on Barlow as he deals with some sort of back issue.
The sooner he’s able to get back on the floor the better, as the season-ending injury to Ariel Hukporti has put stress on the backup center position before the regular season has even started. Barlow didn’t play a ton of minutes at the five last season, only 10% of his minutes, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The biggest sample might have been their second round slaughter by the New York Knicks, where Barlow was thrown in there as a necessity with Embiid and Andre Drummond just unable to keep up with New York’s big men. Barlow acquitted himself fairly well in that time, helping provide some of the only competitive minutes of that series.
He doesn’t give you the option to stretch the floor like Jabari Walker is appearing to, he is not going to protect the rim with the springiness of Bona, but he does meet in the middle of those two in terms of rebounding prowess and athleticism. He’s generally been long enough and strong enough to defend centers bigger than him. There will be nights where the Sixers wish they have a bigger look or one with more rim protection, but Barlow is currently the best option to backup Embiid on any given night, and the Sixers should hope he’s able to get back on the floor sooner rather than later.
Tacko Fall plays real minutes
To that end, hopefully this Barlow injury isn’t serious. The backup center situation is such a conundrum because the Sixers can’t do much about it for quite some time. They can’t sign another free agent until mid December, and then they’ll only have a minimum contract to offer. They can make a trade, but those are difficult with how close the Sixers are to their first apron hard cap.
They’re going to have to get creative to eat innings Embiid is not available for, especially if their supposed backup option is already dealing with an injury. Walker and Bona can hopefully fill a lot of these minutes, but they, as well as Barlow, lack the true size for the biggest matchups in the league. While Fall may not be able to provide anything else, he certainly provides that.
It may become apparent quick that Fall, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022, was only on an Exhibit 10 contract that was converted this weekend, and missed most of training camp with a hip injury, isn’t a playable option at all. When the Sixers run into some big teams early, such as the Detroit Pistons on a back-to-back in the first week of the season, they may be pulling out all the stops at the center position.
The Sixers finish exactly as the four seed
This will definitely be the one you can yell at me for. While there will certainly be some growing pains as this group figures each other out, I’m not as concerned with this as others have expressed. Despite the backup center concerns, the roster is objectively improved over the group that won 46 games last year, and there’s enough infrastructure to improve on that.
The problem is the East is loaded and there could be some teams to rack up some wins. It’s been hard to predict the seeding of this conference because I do think the Sixers will win a lot of games — I also think there might be some regular season machines in the East. Of these four teams, I expect three to finish ahead of the Sixers in the standings: the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Pistons and Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors could very well have the best defense in the league. They are going to be annoying to play no matter how many times Kawhi Leonard is in the lineup. Detroit won the most games last season and while they had a weird offseason, there’s nothing to indicate they can’t come close to replicating that regular season success.
The Celtics have been lock for over 50 wins, and now they’re getting their best player back for what they hope is a full season of health. If there’s one team in this group that might fall behind the Sixers, it might be the reigning champions. The vibes in New York haven’t felt great as they’ve struggled to give contract extensions to some of their biggest pieces. It’s also a group that has coasted through stretches of the regular season in years past.
This season I predict the Sixers to have homecourt in the first round of the playoffs, but it will be a battle to get it, which would create a whole lot of discourse around my next prediction.
Four out of five Sixers’ starters make the All-Star game
This year’s Sixers will come just short of matching the 2015 Hawks. Embiid, Maxey, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are all going to have really good years. VJ Edgecombe will too, he’ll make the kind of second year leap that will have everyone in the Delaware Valley thanking their lucky stars the ping pong balls fell the right way in 2025.
He’ll fall just short of making his first All-Star game in his second season for one reason: the Sixers won’t be high enough in the standings to justify their entire starting five making an All-Star game. For better or for worse, team record does come into account in close calls when it comes to All-Star voting. The entire starting five will make great cases this year, but voters will have a hard time putting them all in if there are a few teams ahead of the Sixers in the standings.
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 19: Jose Bautista takes the field to throw the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game Six of the American League Championship Series presented by loanDepot between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Sunday, October 19, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today marks Jose Bautista’s 46th birthday.
From 2008 to 2017, the Blue Jays’ seasons would have looked very different without Jose. He delivered countless unforgettable moments, none more iconic than his legendary home run and bat flip in Game 5.
When Jose was acquired in August 2008, the trade barely registered enough attention for a post on our site. In hindsight, it became the best trade of JP Ricciardi’s tenure as manager. Bautista went six games before recording his first hit as a Blue Jay and didn’t make an immediate splash. His first home run came on September 2nd.
Bautista hit 288 home runs as a Blue Jay, second only to Carlos Delgado’s 336. He also ranks second in franchise bWAR among batters (37.3), just behind Tony Fernandez (37.5). Additionally, he sits seventh in OBP (.372), fifth in slugging percentage (.506), second in runs scored (790, again trailing Delgado by 99), third in RBI (766, behind Vernon Wells and Delgado), second in walks (803, 24 behind Delgado), and fifth in games played (1,235).
Beyond the numbers, Bautista was the face of the Blue Jays for several years, giving the team a distinct personality. The Jays developed an edge and swagger that made them polarizing—other teams’ fans loved to hate them. As Reggie Jackson once said, ‘They don’t boo nobodies.’
Jose’s intensity was unmatched—he desperately wanted to win. Sometimes, his drive rubbed people the wrong way. I never expected to see another player match that intensity until Josh Donaldson joined the team. I recall Jose quietly stepping in between Josh and the umpires when it looked like Donaldson might get ejected, and I thought Jose could have used someone to do the same for him in the past.
I appreciate players who want to win, and I especially enjoyed the moments when Jose revealed his sense of humor.
Some critics claimed Jose wasn’t a leader or a good teammate—a common accusation leveled at star players on teams that fall short. These complaints usually came from outsiders. Jose’s actions spoke louder than words, like when he quietly stood up forDevon Travis after Sportsnet had him pay for a suit during a feature with Hazel Mae. Without fanfare, Jose refused to speak to Sportsnet until they corrected the situation.
Videos of Jose working withChris Colabello in the outfield, or helping teammates with their swings, show he was indeed a supportive teammate.
It’s hard to imagine those years without Jose—they simply wouldn’t have been as enjoyable. The team honoured him by putting his name on the Level of Excellence in 2023.
Watching him play in the Olympics was a treat—it was great to see that familiar batting stance once more.
Happy Birthday, Jose. Hope it’s a great one.
Today, J.A. Happ celebrates his 44th birthday.
Happ had two separate stints with the Blue Jays. The first was less than stellar. In July 2012, the Jays traded Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco, Joe Musgrove, Carlos Perez, David Rollins, Asher Wojciechowski, and Devin Comer to Houston in exchange for Happ, David Carpenter, and Brandon Lyon.
During his initial run in Toronto, Happ went 19-20 with a 4.48 ERA over 58 games (44 starts) across two and a half seasons. His time was interrupted by injuries, including a frightening line drive to the head that also caused a knee injury and sidelined him for an extended period.
Before the 2015 season, the Jays traded Happ to the Mariners for Michael Saunders. His stint in Seattle was disappointing (4-6, 4.64 ERA), leading to a deadline trade to Pittsburgh. With the Pirates and pitching coach Ray Searage, Happ found his form, going 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA over 11 starts.
Following that season, Happ returned to Toronto and in 2016 enjoyed his only 20-win season (20-4, 3.18 ERA), finishing sixth in Cy Young voting.
He made two playoff starts that year: earning a win against the Rangers in the ALDS (5 innings, 1 earned run) and taking a loss against Cleveland in the ALCS (5 innings, 2 earned runs).
2017 proved more challenging, as he went 10- 6 with a 3.53 ERA in 25 starts, hindered by injuries.
In 2018, Happ went 10-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 20 starts before being traded to the Yankees at the deadline. He excelled in New York, posting a 7-0 record with a 2.69 ERA and helping them reach the playoffs. In 2019, he was 12-8 with a 4.91 ERA in 31 games (30 starts).
In 2021, Happ signed with the Twins and struggled through 19 starts before being traded to the Cardinals, where he performed significantly better over 11 starts.
Overall, as a Blue Jay, Happ recorded a 59-41 record with a 3.88 ERA in 135 games (127 starts). He ranks ninth all-time in franchise wins and is one of only six Jays pitchers to achieve a 20-win season.
Happy Birthday, J.A.!
Rajai Davis is celebrating his 46th birthday today. He spent three of his 14 major league seasons with the Blue Jays.
With Toronto, Davis batted .252/.299/.369 and stole 125 bases (seventh all-time in franchise history) over 345 games. According to Baseball Reference, he contributed 1.6 WAR as a Blue Jay.
Personally, I wasn’t a big fan—he struggled with plate discipline and often chased pitches outside the zone.
Over his career, Davis played 1,448 games with eight teams, posting a .262/.311/.379 line and stealing 415 bases.
Happy Birthday, Rajai!
Randy Ruiz turns 49 today.
Ruiz was a career minor leaguer but had a standout season for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2009 at age 31, hitting .320/.392/.584—especially notable given the Jays were relying on Kevin Millar that year.
He was called up in mid-August, hitting .313/.385/.635 in 33 games, while Millar managed just .223/.311/.363 in 78 games.
Unfortunately, that was the peak of his MLB career. He played 13 games for the Jays in 2010, hitting .150/.150/.275 before being released.
Ruiz continued playing after his MLB stint, including a season in Japan and time in Mexico and the Puerto Rican Winter Leagues.
Happy Birthday, Randy!
Anthony Santander turns 32 today.
Injuries have limited Santander to just 54 games in his first two years with the Jays. Here’s hoping next year goes better.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 26: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Saturday, September 26, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Ritter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: Manager Walt Weiss of the Atlanta Braves makes a pitching change against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As I stumble towards maybe actually doing something about all the preseason production predictions we put in, one question stands out, because it was quickly resolved: I asked folks to prognosticate on the Braves’ next manager, and while I didn’t think anyone would’ve actually guessed Walt Weiss, turns out that a fair bit of people did. And lo and behold, Weiss it was.
Well, his first Braves managerial season is now in the books, and… what did you think of it, relative to expectations? I find this a hard question to answer, because tactics were subservient to strategy for what felt like large parts of the season. Where tactics didn’t intersect or get pre-empted by strategy, it was kind of a weird season in this respect, too: there were many games where Weiss pulled what seemed to be strange levers, and everything worked out. But at the same time, there were also a lot of games where a move failed pretty spectacularly. Usage of Victor Mederos is one of these cases: Mederos finished the season with a 112 xFIP- and was never out there posting great K/BB ratios. He was just having a bunch of medium-depth fly balls deliver WPA unto him and the Braves. The two times he didn’t get HR/FB magic, the Braves paid the price (once in the postseason), but all the other times, it made Weiss look brilliant in retrospect for stealing an inning without using one of his premier bullpen arms.
All in all, I suppose that someone who made considerably worse tactical moves probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the massive BaseRuns overperformance since their bullpen management would be worse… but I’m also not sure that said BaseRuns overperformance is actually emblematic of good managerial process, either.
I could go on, but eh, this is really your chance to expound.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski smiles on the field before a MLB spring training game against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The needs the Phillies have entering the 2027 season are plenty. The expiration of the CBA clouds many things about the future of the game, but we know that at some point, baseball will be played. When it is played, the Phillies will need to improve their roster if they want to be competitive again.
Those needs include:
a new third baseman
at least one bullpen arm, preferable one that is left handed
at least one outfielder
more depth to help the stated desire to get the veterans more rest
This list could keep going and going.
Let’s rank what is their top priority heading into the offseason. Use this list or create one for your own.
For about three weeks this spring, Jeremiah Jackson was the best story on the Orioles. Through 18 games he was hitting .317 with five home runs, a team-leading 17 RBI, and a .923 OPS. On April 13 against Arizona he hit two homers, one of them the first grand slam of his career. A few days later his three-run homer in the eighth gave the O’s a 6-4 comeback win over Cleveland. “Right now, I don’t think there”s anyone in baseball feeling better than him,” Coby Mayo said. Craig Albernaz called him “a great example of a player putting in the work.”
Alas, I guess working hard is no guarantee of success in the Big Leagues. Jackson’s final line this season looked nothing like April. In 102 games and 293 plate appearances he hit .217/.247/.365, with 10 homers and 45 RBI. Baseball-Reference puts his OPS+ at 72 and his WAR at 0.1. FanGraphs is harsher: a 67 wRC+ and -0.3 WAR. With Jackson still in pre-arbitration, he wouldn’t be a costly retention on next year’s roster, but with lots of promising infielders around yet, it’s not clear the value is still there.
Jackson came to the Orioles in the way many players (too many?) come to the Orioles: as another team’s castoff. In 2018, the Angels took the infielder in the second round out of Mobile, Alabama. The next season, he tied the Pioneer League record with 23 home runs, but then he stalled. Injuries cost him time, and after languishing several season in the Angels organization, he was traded to the Mets in 2023. He’d hit a paltry .205 at Double-A Binghamton in 2024 before reaching free agency, where the Orioles signed him to a minor-league deal that November.
Last season, hopefully you’ll recall, Jeremiah Jackson exploded as a hitter, posting numbers in Triple-A Norfolk that forced the big-league front office to take notice—a .377 average with 11 homers in 40 games—and a successful stint in the big leagues after his debut at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on August 1, hitting .276/.328/.447 over 48 games.
None of this meant Jackson was guaranteed a roster spot again this spring. But he earned it once more, hitting .314 in Grapefruit League play to beat out a crowded field—Luis Vázquez, Bryan Ramos, Weston Wilson, and Thairo Estrada—for the last bench spot. Soon after that, Jackson Holliday’s hamate fracture and Jordan Westburg’s multiple injuries made Jeremiah Jackson the O’s everyday second baseman.
Alas, the experiment didn’t work. After April, Jackson’s offensive numbers cratered. He’d hit .209 in 17 games in May, then see his playing time dry up by early June. Jackson was optioned to Norfolk on June 28 and called back up five days later. He went 1-for-29 after the All-Star break, and on August 19 he went back down to make room for Samuel Basallo. He returned when rosters expanded on September 9, but he hit just .163 in 10 games.
What went wrong? Well, being a free swinger was one issue. Jackson’s season-long walk rate of 3.4%, down from 6% last season, proved a real liability, as pitchers stopped giving him hittable pitches early in counts.
To be fair, he had some bad luck. As of late in the season, Statcast had his expected wOBA (.284) a good deal above his actual wOBA (.265), and his 38 percent hard-hit rate is respectable. Plus his expected average (.236) was actually higher than last season’s (.222). And his strikeout rates didn’t skyrocket, either (in fact, his K% dropped a couple points from last season).
But this is still average to below-average output from even a bench bat, and Jeremiah Jackson was supposed to have the thump to do a lot more. Not to mention that the glove was just average. Most of his time came at second base (80 games), with a handful in left field and single games at third and right. He looked good there early, with some diving plays and a +2 DRS in April. Over the full season, though, the defensive numbers settled at around average. That’d be fine but for the .611 OPS. A utility man should either hit or be a defensive plus, and in 2026 Jackson wasn’t consistently either.
In sharp contrast, Blaze Alexander, another typical Orioles diamond in the rough, added obvious value in his 93 games, hitting .303/.358/.414 while flashing the wheels and plugging in all over the field. I mention this because if the Orioles are looking for “bench bat who can play all over,” it’s not clear there will be room for Jeremiah Jackson on the roster come next season, especially not with hitters like Alexander, or even the slugging Christian Encarnacion-Strand, both of whom did it far better in 2026.
Because Jackson is pre-arbitration, the Orioles don’t face a big salary decision with him. If he stays on the 40-man roster, he’ll make close to the league minimum. But the question still remains: amidst a crowded infield that includes a returning Jordan Westburg, a slugging Coby Mayo, a surprising Encarnacion-Strand, a versatile Blaze Alexander, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holiday, is there still a spot on the roster for Jeremiah Jackson?
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 13: A logo is seen on the net as players take part in warm ups ahead of their preseason game between the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks at Scotiabank Arena on October 13, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Greetings, Knickerbocker fans. As the 81st NBA season draws near, the Posting and Toasting crew has assembled to answer questions and offer predictions as the defending champions pursue a repeat under sophomore skipper Mike Brown.
Commence the speculation!
1) Where will the Knicks finish in offensive and defensive rating, and what will drive the biggest change?
Antonio Losada: Let’s do something not-so-fun and revisit last year’s takes, carrying 53 years (well, not so many in my personal case) of suffering with them. I had the Knicks finishing with both a top-six offense and defense last season, and I nearly got it right, as they posted the third-best ORtg and seventh-best DRtg. Nothing other than losing Mitchell Robinson has changed, I don’t expect anything to deviate a lot from what we saw last postseason, and everybody — including Mike Brown — has been together for a full season, so I’ll ramp up my prediction for a top-three finish in both cats this campaign.
Michael Zeno: As Antonio said, the Knicks gave us a good baseline with third and seventh in offensive and defensive rating, respectively, so my answers will be pretty similar. I’m not sure if they can achieve Celtics-esque offensive harmony from behind the arc, but this offense will reach a new level with their new playmaking hub in the middle. On defense, I wonder if Andre Drummond will be a steep drop-off from Mitchell Robinson, but also if the strides Karl-Anthony Towns made in the postseason will carry over. Whaddya know, the man angling for a max extension is the X-factor for both. I’ll say third and ninth.
Moritz Wollert: If they really wanted to I could see them finishing top three in both categories. The people in Atlanta, Philly, Cleveland and down there in Texas surely remember how dominant this Knicks group can be, even if they lost Mitchell Robinson over the summer. For a veteran championship team like our Bockers (damn, it feels good to type that) though of course there are many things a lot more important than statistical milestones. So I could see them pacing themselves, trying out some things over the course of the year and finish comfortably 5th on O and 8th on the defensive end.
Kento Kato: The Knicks have the roster and ability to be a top three team on both ends of the floor, especially if they play the way they did in the postseason. While they did lose Mitchell Robinson, a full regular season of Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges playing they way did en route to a championship could see them absolutely dominate the regular season. That being said, I do think some early season regression and complacency is natural, even with this group of motivated and focused core. That, along with an improved conference and the fact that teams can’t possible continue putting their centers on Towns like they did at the beginning of last season makes me believe that they’ll be a top five offensive team and top ten defensive team, but not quite top five in both.
Russell Richardson: I hate this question and I wrote it. Prediction: Top 15 defense, top 10 offense . . . like ninth. The loss of Mitch’s gravity drops them defensively (see my A to Q6 below), and I expect Brown to limit the mileage on his best offensive players: they’ve already played a lot of basketball this year and this is an older team. Unless the plan is to burn through them this season and start rebuilding soon after, Mike’s gonna try to keep them fresh. Which would affect the win total (also see below).
2) Which Knick will take the biggest step forward, and who could have trouble matching last season?
Losada: The fact that everybody is familiar with the system, how Brown guides his pupils, and what everyone can and can’t do, I think we’re facing a very real possibility of watching these Knicks level up once again. If I have to pick someone taking a step forward, that’d be Mikal being confident from game one through 82 and beyond. Someone we might start to worry about sooner rather than later is Josh Hart, if only because of what he’s great at — never-tiring chaos causing — and his wheels getting so much run. Talking strictly about performance, I don’t see any clear candidate to regress, roles factored in.
Zeno: I also think a big season is coming for Mikal Bridges. If anyone can benefit from the weight being lifted off his shoulders after a title, it’s Mr. F— Them Picks. OG Anunoby is getting the early hype for All-Star consideration, but why can’t Mikal do it if he can finally blend his scoring and defense? As for regression, it’s either Jose Alvarado or Landry Shamet, just because the two were so incredible last year. I’ll lean Shamet, not because I don’t think he’s a great bench piece for this team, but because he set some lofty expectations in the playoffs.
Wollert: I agree with Michael that Shamet could have trouble matching last season since it’s hard to be a bench superstar for multiple years. My ultimate vote goes to KAT though with his contract situation lurking in the background and the reality that it is hard to keep your focus for an entire season. He gave the Knicks so much mentally in the playoffs and I have a tough time seeing that commitment in January against the Sacramentos of the world. On the other end of the spectrum I really hope Mo Diawara keeps his trajectory going upwards. So many of the other players were so close to their optimum at the end of last year that I could see him being the one guy who can really give more with a more defined role.
Kato: I’m tempted to go with Diawara just because he has arguably the most room to grow of any of the rotation players. And even though I think he’ll be fine, he has had a relatively inconsistent series of exhibition games between Summer League and preseason. I also think Bridges is a fun answer given the confidence boost and the lack of worry he may be playing with. As is Towns, who is coming off of a triumphant postseason run that proved just how impactful he could be on both sides of the ball. That being said, I think Bridges is still going to more or less be the same player in the regular season. And I do think it will be difficult for Towns to be the postseason version of himself for the entirety of the regular season. My vote goes to Anunoby, who we’ve seen be pretty aggressive in preseason. If he can up his free throw rate like he started off preseason doing, and continues to get on-ball initiation reps, I can see him making his first All-Star appearance.
Richardson: OG will have a few more thirty point games this season, so maybe that qualifies for a leap? And Cap will have a hard time. His skills and discipline remain unchanged, but living up to expectations after a championship is a major weight. No NBA player has a bigger target on his back. And I pray every night for his ankles.
3) Which reserve will matter most to the title defense? Who needs a bigger role before the playoffs?
Losada: So much has been made of the third-string center, but right now I’d care the same about having James Wiseman or placing a broomstick on the bench. It’s a clear-cut name here for me, and that’s Deuce McBride. Yes, the Knicks won it all with a poor postseason run from McBride, but I don’t think that can repeat itself, and hey, the better he plays, the better package the Knicks will do in return for him at the deadline, also boosting their title-defense chances! No bigger roles for nobody, status quo on the rotation.
Zeno: Yep, Deuce. I do not care how rough he looked for much of the playoff run. He barely got his conditioning back from a multi-month core injury before ramping up to high-stakes playoff games. He’s a guy who needs to prove he’s worth the $15 million a year that a player of his archetype deserves, and while I’m very skeptical he will be a Knick beyond this year, he is the player who can most expand this team’s ceiling.
Wollert: It clearly is Jordan Clarkson with his voodoo like abilities that healed OG and kept almost the entire team healthy throughout the postseason. No matching that for any opponent. On a serious note I really hope Andre Drummond can give the Knicks a little something of what Mitch gave them off the bench for years. Not only the rebounding but a physical, gigantic presence with elbows, bumps and bruises for the opponent. If he can’t provide it there probably isn’t anyone else who can.
Kato: The backup center position is noteworthy. But one, Robinson wasn’t necessarily a force to be reckoned with in the Finals, and two, the backup center in the postseason may not even be on the roster right now. I still agree with the others and lean McBride. I know the Knicks won it all despite a poor offensive showing from him last Finals, but he’s still so valuable and has the ability to raise the ceiling of the guys he shares the floor with and ultimately, the team, unlike any other reserve.
Richardson: Landry Shamet will get votes for sixth man of the year. But I believe the most important bench player is not yet on the team. (Dun dun dunnnnnhhh)
4) Which Eastern Conference opponent poses the biggest threat, and what about that matchup worries you?
Losada: I will never not fear the Celtics the same I will never trust the Sixers to keep the puzzle together for more than short stretches of games, let alone a playoff series. Perhaps watching Toronto in the last preseason game and how tight things were, the Raps have something big in store for these Knicks when the postseason comes. KAT ate the Raptors alive on Thursday, but not the only one that matters in Scottie Barnes, so we’ll see how that goes when the bright lights are on.
Zeno: If the Sixers somehow find the magic elixir that keeps LeBron youthful and gives Embiid some fresh knee cartilage, it’s them, but they’ll be starting Adem Bona by playoff time most likely. If Kawhi stays healthy (not as much of a guarantee as some seem to believe), the Raptors could move the needle. Maybe if the Celtics’ shooting gets hot in the playoffs, or Miami gets enough from Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. You know what? It’s the Pacers. It’s a WWE-esque storyline that’s setting up here if these two meet for a third time in four years. The only team in the last three years to beat the Knicks in a playoff series will have that confidence every time they play them this season.
Wollert: Pacers are a good pick, even if they look vastly different this time around. Philly only worries me because the world is unfair and could have us losing to that group of not exactly likable fellas. From a pure matchup standpoint there isn’t one team in the East that the Knicks can’t handle, they all have major weaknesses and question marks. New York has them aswell obviously but certainly with this group have provided a lot more answers than anybody else.
Kato: The scary and the fun part about the eastern conference this season is that you can argue that eight, maybe nine, teams will consider anything short of a conference finals appearance a failure. But for, the only one I that I think has not just the talent, but the matchup, to beat the Knicks four our of seven times is the Pacers. Maybe it’s just because of recency bias that I feel that way. But I can’t fully trust the 76ers’ ability to stay healthy, defend, or get collective buy in to sacrifice. The Raptors are scary defensively, but do they have enough offensively? The Heat are likely a year or a couple pieces away. The Pistons are still flawed for postseason basketball in my eyes. And the Cavaliers, well, they just aren’t beating the Knicks in a playoff series anytime soon for a myriad of reasons.
Richardson: Everybody’s sleeping on Charlotte, huh? Make mine teal!
5) What is your boldest Knicks prediction for 2026–27? Give us something we can hold against you in April.
Losada: Knowing Leon Rose and writing this against the backdrop of the Dolan-second apron summer, I’m going to go bold and say Rose completes a trade we don’t ever see coming. And no, I’m not talking about the likes of Dadiet, Diawara, or Kolek. Not talking about landing a first-round pick. I’m talking about a foundation-shaking deal, involving one or multiple of KAT, OG, Hart, and Bridges.
Zeno: Josh Hart finishes the season coming off the bench. This starting lineup has been together for two years under two different coaches, has played thousands and thousands of minutes together, and has found a groove in the playoffs. That said, there are limitations, and an injury to Hart (or some complications with his gnarly finger) could push him to the bench for Shamet or McBride.
Wollert: James Wiseman will become an important rotation piece and is a major contributor come playoff time. Opponents will fear him on the offensive glass and have no answers for him as a lob threat – atleast not with their second units. Yes, that preseason kool-aid is still tasting like magic. If it ever wears off in the next few days I’d join Antonio in the “KAT might get traded” camp. Not because they don’t value him but because they don’t want to lose him for nothing down the road. His value is at an all time high too.
Kato: I know the Knicks recently announced that they wouldn’t be negotiating extensions until later in the season. The uneasiness of hearing that have lead many fans to take that as the team saying they won’t be negotiating at all this season. My prediction is that a Towns negotiation happens at some point this season. As I’ve done in the past in pregame and preseason predictions, this is another instance of me trying to speak something into existence. But I do think that the two sides will budge a bit and realize that they not like like each other, but are good for each other, and get some sort of deal done.
Richardson: The NBA goes on strike, not to fight for more equitable treatment of mid-tier employees, but to screw the Knicks out of their repeat bid.
6) What will the Knicks’ final record and playoff seed be, and how will their season end? Would anything short of a repeat feel disappointing?
Losada: I stopped taking John Hollinger seriously or reading his content a few years ago, but I tend to agree with his prediction for the Eastern Conference’s regular season. I see as many as six teams ending within two or three games’ distance, and perhaps none of them winning even 50 games. The Cavaliers or the Pistons will win the 82-game circuit because that’s all they win, if anything, and the Knicks will likely take it easy and finish in the 4-6 seed. Give me a 49-33 record for New York and a first-round matchup against the Raptors or the Celtics. Regarding the back-to-back title: I’m set for life with last year’s chip. That’s it for me.
Zeno: No idea. The East is stacked; this team is built for the playoffs, and they don’t seem to be as gung-ho in the regular season. I have a hard time believing this team will regress that much from their pre-KAT hub days as a 53-win team, but what if someone gets hurt? All bets are off. I’ll stake my claim on 51-31, a No. 3 seed, and a trip to the NBA Finals, where the grown-up Spurs get revenge. I will not be mad if this team doesn’t repeat, especially when I spent much of my life thinking they’d never win one, but if they lose to someone like Indiana or Philly or even Boston? I’ll be annoyed.
Wollert: Top seed in the East, baby, 55 wins and not looking in the rearview mirror. I’ve never been as pleased and happy going into a season, just cool, calm and collected. In due time that will wear off, plenty of things will go wrong and the all out pessimist in me will kick the little angel off my shoulder. But before it’s pitchfork time I believe that these Knicks can do no wrong, will get back to the Finals and beat the Spurs for the repeat. If they fall short I definitely will be dissapointed but will surely get over it quicker than in the past. I should, right? Maybe? No, it will still be awful.
Kato: The east is back to being a beast. The team is one year older and coming off of a championship. And they lost Robinson. I do think a lot of that will be offset with the fact that they unlocked a level of basketball perfection that the team had never previously sniffed. But it’s hard to keep that up for all 82 games, especially when finishing first in the regular season does not mean much for them. They’ve proven they relish playing on the road, and I can see them coming out the gates a bit slow, and taking the regular season slightly lightly. They’ll still be great, but I expect them to win 51 games and finish as a third or fourth seed after the 76ers, Celtics, and maybe the Pistons.
Richardson: Under 50 wins, sixth seed. A winner hasn’t repeated in seven or eight years, and this team won’t break the streak. NY was blessed with health last season. Making Towns an offensive hub in the playoffs added a complexity that opposing teams had no time to prepare for. Mitch was more important in five minute stints than we fully understand. And by confronting the team about their petty dislikes, Brown got everyone pulling in the same direction for the playoffs. Staying healthy is hard, especially with a so-so second unit forcing the starters to play longer; rival teams have added players to counteract NY’s offense; Drummond is good, but will not alter opposing strategies the same way Mitch does; and winning has a way of distorting egos. I could see an ECF. I can’t see the Finals again. And based on my optical prescription, it’s clear I can barely see at all.
Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa could be the team’s franchise player in a few seasons. | Getty Images
For the first time since the 2022-23 season, the Washington Wizards will be trying to win games. That’s not an innovative endeavor in professional sports, though it’s not one the franchise has successfully implemented for…well…decades.
The team made a series of moves during the 2025-26 season and in the offseason to boost the overall talent level. The big additions are Trae Young (who appeared in five games last season before getting parked), Anthony Davis (zero games last season), and AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Those three are — at least theoretically — massive talent upgrades. I say “theoretically” because of the health histories of Young and Davis and the perfectly normal “how soon does he get it?” questions about any 19-year-old, even enormously gifted ones like Dybantsa.
They further improved their big man rotation by trading for Deandre Ayton.
The front office made sure they had strong veteran leaders by bringing back Khris Middleton and Anthony Gill. And they shuffled some names at the end of the bench with a trade to absorb the contract of Tre Mann and the selection of Felix Okpara in the second round.
The roster is…interesting. In Davis, Young, Ayton, and Middleton they have a group that might have formed the nucleus of a good team 3-5 years ago. In Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, and Bub Carrington they have a group of youngsters who could form a good team 3-5 years in the future.
The new try to win strategy will increase scrutiny on Brian Keefe, who sports one of the worst winning percentages in league history. The team made some changes to the coaching staff, promoting Adam Caporn (well respected around the league, and also coach of the Australian national team) to lead assistant, Cody Toppert from his role coaching the Capital City Go-Go, adding Patrick Ewing as a big man coach, and former NBA head coach Steve Clifford as an advisor.
David Vanterpool, who’d been the lead assistant the past three seasons, moves into a front office job.
A Few Words on Minutes
This year’s forecast presented some unique challenges. Biggest of these was guesstimating minutes. For the holdover Wizards, past may not be prelude. More productive youngsters (Sarr, Coulibaly, George) likely missed games and saw reduced minutes because of the team’s commitment to losing — not because the various injuries and ailments would have kept them out of games if they’d been trying to win.
On the other hand, Carrington played more than 2,200 minutes (and all 82 games) in each of his first two seasons. Odds of him playing another 2,000+ minutes this season are minuscule.
Veterans like Young and Davis have missed time throughout the past few seasons due to injury, including huge chunks of last season. Both could have played more last season…if the Wizards had been trying to win. Both have fairly recent seasons with high minutes.
Davis played 2,700 regular season minutes in 2023-24. But he’s missed a lot of time since. Compounding the challenge is that he’s 33-years-old, which is when NBA players typically do two things: get injured and get worse. So, while I anticipate Davis will play more than he has the past couple seasons, I’d be surprised if he cracks 2,000 minutes. My guesstimate for him is 1,650.
Young, on the other hand, has been reasonably healthy. He played 2,739 minutes in 2024-25, and has appeared in less than 2,000 minutes just twice in his career. In one of them, he played 1,942 minutes. He surely would have played much more last year if wasn’t for The Tank. Bottom line: Young has been reasonably healthy throughout his career, and can probably be counted on to be available. I have him guesstimated at 2,375 this season.
2026-27 Player Forecasts
These forecasts use my Player Production Average (PPA) metric. PPA is an all-around rating tool that credits players for things they do that help a team win, and debits for things that don’t — each in proportion to how individual players contribute to NBA wins and losses. PPA is pace neutral and includes accounting for defense, role and the level of competition a player faces when he’s on the floor. In PPA, average is 100, higher is better, and replacement level is 45.
Below are results from four different forecast approaches: one using my Statistical Doppelgänger Machine (DOPP), another using a predicted PPA based on an age-adjusted career curve (dubbed MILK in honor of sports economist David Berri, who wore that NBA players, “…age like milk…”), a simple weighted three-year average PPA (SIMP) and another that applies an aging adjustment to that weighted three-year average (SAGE).
I estimated minutes by using a weighted average of each player’s minutes in recent seasons, as well as my best guess at each player’s role in the team’s rotation this season.
Key
Last PPA = PPA last season
DOPP = forecasted PPA using the Doppelgänger approach
MILK = forecasted PPA using last season’s PPA and an age adjustment
SIMP = forecasted PPA using a “simple” weighted three-year average PPA
SAGE = forecasted PPA using a “simple” weighted three-year average and an age adjustment
BLEND = forecasted PPA using an average of the four approaches above
The *** represents my best guess of which forecast is most probable for each individual.
Before getting into the forecasts, I’m dubious about the SIMP and SAGE approaches, at least for younger players. The SIMP approach (weighted three-year average) forecasts lower scores for young guys, who typically play their worst as rookies and then improve. The age adjustment in the SAGE method improves that estimate somewhat, but still has the same underlying issue.
My feeling based on having done these for a few years is that DOPP and MILK are probably going to be better for players in their first 3-4 seasons, and that SIMP and SAGE will be applicable to established veterans.
Trae Young
Sublime and inventive passer with a ton of skill and craft across his offensive game. Young’s penchant for jacking up long threes is something of a drain on his offensive efficiency, and his adventurous passing leads to a lot of turnovers. Still, he’s a dynamic offensive player, who has a history of generating a high number of trips to the free throw line.
He’s been one of the NBA’s worst defenders for eight seasons because he’s small, slender, and hasn’t played with much alertness or effort on that end. In Washington, he says he’s going to work harder, which seemed to be the case in preseason.
Last PPA: 137
DOPP: 131
MILK: 134
SIMP: 137
SAGE: 134
BLEND: 134***
Kyshawn George
Skillful and competitive player, who improved his shooting last season. He tries hard on defense, and he’s huge — at least 6-8 and getting stronger because of a borderline psycho offseason regimen.
The competitiveness has led to excessive fouling and turnovers, which have undermined his overall impact. He was named a starter at the beginning of trainging camp, and he had a great preseason.
Players most like George tended to improve at this point in their careers, though the improvement was somewhat modest. George seems primed for a major leap, however.
Last PPA: 87
DOPP: 88
MILK: 100***
SIMP: 68
SAGE: 78
BLEND: 84
AJ Dybantsa
The uber talented, hyper-athletic forward was Washington’s prize for sustained losing. He was the No. 1 overall selection in a historically good draft, and he has all the tools to be an elite scorer for the next dozen years.
The Wizards may have to wait to see him in regular season action — he turned an ankle in the final preseason game and is listed as day-to-day. (My guess: he plays. He’s 19-years-old and is probably already fully healed.)
For forecasting rookies, I use a system based on production over the past decade from players in a similar draft position.
Forecasted Rookie PPA: 121
Anthony Davis
Davis has been a great player, especially on the defensive end in the postseason. His regular season defensive impact has been more hit or miss, which could be said of his shooting away from the basket (though more miss than hit). And he’s tended to get hurt a lot. And he’s aging. And he wants a massive contract extension.
My guess is he’ll miss time again, though not as much as previous seasons. I don’t think he’ll appear in enough games to qualify for awards. The hope is that he’s healthy enough for long enough that Sarr and the other youngsters can learn from his defensive communication.
Don’t be shocked if he’s elsewhere by the trade deadline.
Last PPA: 157
DOPP: 143
MILK: 130
SIMP: 169
SAGE: 140
BLEND: 146***
Alex Sarr
The No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sarr is another of Washington’s tanking prizes. After one of the least efficient offensive seasons in NBA history as a rookie, Sarr improved significantly at that end. He showed off a much improved post game, better shooting from everywhere, and even some passing chops.
His strength seemed to be on defense, where he held his own switching onto perimeter players and was a busy and effective rim protector. The presence of Davis and Ayton should alleviate some of the burden he had to shoulder, which could result in a more efficient and effective player.
Still just 21-years-old, Sarr could develop into a truly great player over the next few seasons. The next two are when NBA players typically make their biggest leaps.
Last PPA: 132
DOPP: 140
MILK: 191
SIMP: 116
SAGE: 168
BLEND: 154***
Bilal Coulibaly
This is a make or break season for French wing. Coulibaly is long, quick, fast, and bouncy, which helps make him into an effective and disruptive defender.
His offensive game has been an adventure. Passive at times, over-aggressive at others. His three-point shooting has been deficient, though defenders have had trouble staying in front of him when he decides to drive.
He’s improved each season of his career and is at a crossroads — he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season, unless he unexpectedly reaches an agreement on an extension.
Last PPA: 101
DOPP: 112***
MILK: 131
SIMP: 88
SAGE: 114
BLEND: 111
Deandre Ayton
Acquired to be a backup big and an insurance policy against Davis’ frequent outages, Ayton is also at a career crossroads. He’s talented and fairly productive, and his teams keep wanting to get rid of him.
In Washington, he’ll primarily come off the bench for the first time in his career (assuming Davis plays) but should get plenty of minutes. If he buys in and produces, he’ll likely command at least an MLE-level deal going forward. If not, he could be relegated to minimum salary deals.
Last PPA: 144
DOPP: 140
MILK: 141
SIMP: 137
SAGE: 134
BLEND: 138***
Bub Carrington
Carrington has yet to miss a game in his two NBA seasons. He’s competitive and shot above 40% on threes last season. He’s likely to play less this season, and probably wouldn’t have played so much on a better team.
The quality of his play didn’t tick up despite the better shooting. He’ll need to get better at both ends to maintain a spot in the rotation.
Last PPA: 61
DOPP: 77***
MILK: 88
SIMP: 60
SAGE: 87
BLEND: 78
Tre Johnson
Good-maybe-great shooter. The question on Johnson is whether he can show more dimension to his game — some playmaking, a few more rebounds, better defense. It wouldn’t hurt to get a lot stronger, which may take some time since he’s still just 20-years-old.
Last PPA: 61
DOPP: 74***
MILK: 67
SIMP: 61
SAGE: 67
BLEND: 67
Khris Middleton
Entering his age 35 season, Middleton figures to be at the end of the team’s rotation. He’s the team’s elder statesman, and he’s seen it all — winning a title with the Milwaukee Bucks, missing huge chunks of seasons with a series of injuries, battling back to be productive even as he’s aged.
Odds are, Middleton’s days as a productive player are in the rearview mirror. He still has a lot of veteran savvy to contribute, and there will probably a game or three or five where he comes through big time for the team.
Last PPA: 67
DOPP: 67
MILK: 50
SIMP: 90
SAGE: 50
BLEND: 64***
Justin Champagnie
Good player the past couple seasons, but he appears to be the odd man out of the rotation — at least to start the season. My guess is he’ll still get more than a thousand minutes this season, and that he’ll be pretty good again. I would not be surprised to see him end up elsewhere as part of a multi-player and draft pick trade.
Last PPA: 105
DOPP: 106***
MILK: 108
SIMP: 104
SAGE: 107
BLEND: 106
2026-27 Prediction
The good news: this year’s Washington Wizards will be more competitive this season. At least some of the youngsters will improve — perhaps significantly — and the team has some skilled veterans with histories of high-level performances.
The bad news: they’re still not ready to be good. The youngsters are still a few years from their primes. The oldsters are likely past their primes already. That’s a statement that includes Young and Ayton, who are both entering their age 28 season, by the way.
The years of tanking have given the Wizards two potential stars in Dybantsa and Sarr, though both are likely several seasons from achieving that status. George and Coulibaly seem like probable rotation-level players. Davis, Young, and Ayton will outproduce guys previously on the roster, even if they fall short of their previous heights.
The various forecasting approaches yield the following forecasted wins totals:
DOPP: 32.2 (last season’s forecast 15.6)
MILK: 34.3 (15.2)
SIMP: 28.3 (14.8)
SAGE: 31.8 (15.2)
BLEND: 32.3 (15.8)
While the above feels kinda disappointing, even the worst of these would mark significant improvement for the Wizards. Last season, they managed just 18 wins.
If everyone reaches their best-case forecast, I guesstimate the team could reach 36 wins. In an all-peaks scenario, they could get to 41.
My prediction is a season of significant improvement. I anticipate the older players will be good, though well short of their previous peaks and that the youngsters will continue improving. I would not be surprised to see a veteran or two departing midseason as the front office tries to position the team to arrive in the postseason as a contender.
Final Prediction: 34-48 and 11th in the Eastern Conference.
