2026-27 NBA Season Preview: Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Jazz (Northwest Division)

With the common season set to tip off on Oct. 20, let’s take a look at where each crew in the Northwest Division stands. We’ll break down what to like and be involved about, a lineup to watch and a affordable vary for them to end in the standings. 

Let’s dig in, shall we?

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Thunder • Nuggets • Timberwolves • Trail Blazers • Jazz

Previous divisions: Central • Southwest

Oklahoma City Thunder

WHAT TO LIKE: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Back-to-back MVPs do not grow on trees, particularly guards that can convert over 60% of their 2s on midrange heavy diets. There’s an inevitability I’ve come to admire with SGA. He strikes at his own tempo — strikes you at his own tempo — en route to an countless provide of fancy finishes and midrange goodness. He’s been lifting defensively-slanted lineups for years now, and still has comparatively low-hanging fruit (hey, 3-point quantity) to grab. 

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OTHER LIKES

• This protection, headlined by Chet Holmgren (he’s still actually good, y’all!), should stay absurd. A more healthy model of Jalen Williams will enhance what is already an elite unit, and I’m excited to see how Cason Wallace builds on his first All-Defense marketing campaign. Isaiah Hartenstein rounds out the (projected) beginning 5 as one of the more underrated defenders in the league. Alex Caruso stays an absolute madman, and would be a mainstay for All-Defensive groups if he performed more. Jaylin Williams is equal components scheme-versatile and charge magnet. Good luck scoring against this unit. Again.

• While I expect Wallace to step into Lu Dort’s beginning spot, I would not be stunned if OKC rolled with Ajay Mitchell to add more of a scoring punch. He’s dynamic with the ball in his palms, making him an very best option to either destroy defenses that are tilted by SGA, or pose enough of a risk to further unlock SGA as an off-ball option. 

• As a longtime Kenrich Williams enjoyer, I’m so glad he’s still on this roster. Consummate skilled who can step in and fill just about any position you need him to. He’ll perpetually have a fan here.

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BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Non-SGA half-court creation

There are only so many issues you can poke at for a crew this good, but I would like to really feel a little higher about the non-SGA choices as a entire — at least through a playoff context.

Teams proceed to stash wings on Holmgren; at some level, he has to take that gambit off the board for good. Last yr was an injury-riddled marketing campaign for Jalen Williams, but the photographs he generates for himself against high-level defenses can go away a little to be desired. 

This could be as easy as Williams getting and staying healthy, Mitchell persevering with to win as a secondary, and Holmgren making strides against smaller defenders. Heck, a full season of Jared McCain — paired with some needed inside-the-arc growth — could go a long manner. 

OTHER CONCERNS

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• In mild of Isaiah Joe’s departure particularly, I am once again holding an eye on the 3-point taking pictures of OKC. McCain feels like the Thunder’s only reliable, high-volume man that groups will care about. I surprise how gamers will draw constant onerous close-outs by the time we attain the playoffs.

• More of a curiosity than concern, but in what methods (if any) will the Thunder miss Lu Dort? There is something to say about his model of physicality and what it did from a culture-setting standpoint; he was also someone more than keen to take on the massive wing assignments if called upon. The lineup knowledge definitely suggests they won’t miss him, but I need to see how seamless this transition is.

• Also more of a curiosity be aware, but I surprise how much we’ll see from the rookie scale guys apart from McCain. An inexpensive yr of health would counsel we do not see much of Bennett Stirtz or Aday Mara, but I sure would like to.

LINEUP TO WATCH: SGA-Wallace-Caruso-Jal.Williams-Holmgren

Put this at the high of my Closing Lineup Intrigue listing. This group has performed 37 minutes collectively since the 2024-25 season, and they’ve won those minutes by 45 factors. I do not expect them to proceed taking pictures 50% from 3 as a unit, but this is a very enjoyable combine of scoring, screening, and absurd protection.

BEST CASE: No. 1 seed

They have the best guard, if not participant, in the NBA. They have an elite protection. They have a top-three-at-worst coach in the NBA in Mark Daigneault. If they were the 1-seed while struggling through one of the most injury-riddled campaigns in the league last yr, a more healthy model should completely flirt with 70 wins again. 

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WORST CASE: No. 3 seed

An harm to SGA could definitely harm their ceiling, but the Thunder went 8-6 without SGA last yr while dealing with a host of other accidents in the course of. It’s onerous to overstate how sturdy this crew is, foundationally. That protection travels; most importantly, it turns you over — which should reduce the pressure on their half-court offense.

Denver Nuggets

WHAT TO LIKE: Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, making music

There’s room to argue if Nikola Jokić is still the league’s best participant — SGA and Victor Wembanyama in specific have sturdy instances to make, and there are guys in Los Angeles and Miami that would proudly raise their palms. At the very least, Jokić is the league’s most dominant offensive participant — a traditionally environment friendly scorer that doubles as arguably the best passer in the league.

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Jamal Murray is dynamic in his own proper, an audacious pull-up risk who’s more than comfy working inside the arc when he wants to. Together, they’ve created the league’s most troublesome two-man sport to stop. Traditional ball screens, handoffs, inverted actions with Jokić handling — it all throws opponents for a loop. 

There is no good reply for any of it; you can only hope that Murray would not have the juice to get downhill, or that Jokić settles for (and misses) 3s off the pop (something to monitor).

Sign me up for more late-game magic.

OTHER LIKES

• It’s been a blast watching Aaron Gordon evolve during his time in Denver. He’s an absolute monster in the dunker spot, has enough on-ball juice to win against dimension mismatches, has turned himself into a dependable shooter (41.3% from 3 over the previous two seasons) and can toggle between handling robust on-ball assignments and plugging gaps off the ball defensively. “Star in his role” is a lot more becoming than “role player” when he’s upright.

• I’m much more “in” on DeMar DeRozan as a tremendous sub that can close when you need him, versus DeRozan as a locked-in starter that you need a specific context around to maximize. He’s still an environment friendly, considerably schemeproof bucket-getter with underrated playmaking chops. He’s more than succesful of soaking up utilization in the dreaded non-Jokić minutes; relying on how the other reserves carry out, DeRozan’s presence may permit the Nuggets to take a web page out of the Las Vegas Aces’ guide and relaxation both Jokić and Murray at the same time to absolutely maximize their affect collectively.

• It’s unreasonable to be absolutely “in” on a man primarily based on preseason motion, so I’ll just say I loved watching Alpha Diallo defend — including a compelled eight-second violation — and I’m excited to see more of him.

BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Defensive consistency 

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Same as it ever was: the Nuggets need to hit a certain degree defensively to complement what should be another elite offensive season. Can they discover the proper protection combination for Jokić, and will he give more constant effort than we saw last season? Will Gordon be on the flooring enough, and can he attain close to All-Defense ranges? What degree of navigation will we get from this forged of guards and wings? How much zone will David Adelman throw out?

There’s a roadmap to average, but it’s on them to nail it.

OTHER CONCERNS

• I’m on report liking the Marvin Bagley signing, I have Da’Ron Holmes intrigue, and I still have some Zeke Nnaji stock hidden in an undisclosed location (I know, I know), but there’s definitely a degree of “prove it” with the non-Jokić choices. We know that Gordon-at-the-5 is Denver’s best look; the common season has to be spent making sure that, come playoff time, it is not the only look that’ll work.

• The Nuggets and Celtics have long been at the reverse finish of the “Elite Offense But Also…” coin for me. The Celtics have gotten it executed with rim charges that makes me cringe; the Nuggets have gotten it executed with 3-point charges that makes me cringe, though they did soar from thirtieth to seventeenth (!) last season. Hopefully they proceed to work toward balancing issues out, though the DeRozan signing would not breed a ton of confidence in the 3-point price particularly.

• I think there’s a pathway to the Nuggets being “fine” on protection total, but boy do I want they could flip groups over. You’d have to go back to the title yr (2022-23) for the last time they weren’t in the bottom-10 of opponent turnover price — and they were 18th that yr.

LINEUP TO WATCH: Murray-Braun-DeRozan-Gordon-Jokić

DeRozan is already slated to come off the bench. I hope whatever discussions led to that revelation also came with discover that closing minutes aren’t assured. There’s completely a world where the beginning group (Cam Johnson in for DeRozan) is merely their best lineup, and thus, the lineup they close video games with more usually.

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However …

Jokić having two prolific shotmakers to run two-man-game with is tantalizing if the protection can maintain up enough. If groups lean more toward switching Murray-Jokić stuff — which definitely is not a foolproof reply, but it’s a development I’m monitoring — DeRozan’s capability to create may maintain a little more worth than Johnson’s taking pictures within that context.

BEST CASE: No. 1 seed

Despite the accidents they suffered, the Nuggets still managed to post a top-three offensive score in NBA historical past, per Cleaning the Glass. The Jokić-Murray duo ensures an extremely high flooring. If the Nuggets are really strong in the non-Jokić minutes this yr and take a step ahead defensively, it’s not onerous to map out a pathway to successful 60+ video games.

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WORST CASE: Play-In Tournament

There are apparent harm issues to level to, most notably with Gordon as an important, impactful glue piece on both ends of the flooring. To the on-court product, if the bench underwhelms and the protection is once-again rudderless, they’re going to battle to lock up a top-six seed.

Minnesota Timberwolves

WHAT TO LIKE: LaMelo Ball-Anthony Edwards backcourt

Anthony Edwards has established himself as one of the most deadly offensive gamers we have in the league. He’s a devastating downhill risk, a growing midrange and back-to-basket scorer, and one of the best pull-up shooters from deep that we have in the league. He’s put in a lot of work to etch the define of a three-level scorer, and he’s executed even more work to leverage that growth into forcing groups to put two-on-the-ball against him.

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Giving him LaMelo Ball as a backcourt associate feels like a match made in basketball heaven.

Ball is one of the most inventive playmakers we have in the league, one keen to push the tempo more usually than Edwards has proven to be. The hit-aheads and basic pick-and-roll work should give Edwards more alternatives to attack tilted defenses instead of being tasked with doing the titling. 

Ball’s willingness to bomb away from 3, and from very far out, should give Edwards more room to work with as a driver. And where Ball has room to grow as a rim- or paint presence, Edwards’ capability to get downhill should tilt defenses in a manner that Ball will benefit from.

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OTHER LIKES

• Jaden McDaniels is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, improbable against wings and more than keen to hound much-smaller guards and make their lives depressing. On the other finish, he’s continued to grow as a closeout attacker and total shot creator. In a context where he should persistently be defended by a crew’s third- or fourth-best defender, he could shine fairly brilliant. Do not be stunned if he’s in (fringe) All-Star conversations.

• Dread it. Run from it. Rudy Gobert’s rim safety arrives all the same. Every yr, gamers show (or outwardly focus on) a lack of respect for Gobert. And every yr, groups battle to rating at the rim when he contests photographs, and they take a decrease share of their photographs at the rim when Gobert’s on the flooring. He’s been a strolling top-10 protection for over a decade at this level.

• I’m just a enormous fan of the velocity, chaos, and 3-point taking pictures Ayo Dosunmu injected into this group post-trade last yr, and particularly in the playoffs. Three-“guard” lineups with him, Ball and Edwards should be enjoyable to watch.

BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: The non-Rudy Gobert minutes

Here is your compulsory “What are the non-Rudy Gobert minutes going to look like?” point out. In Gobert’s 4 seasons in Minnesota, the Wolves have been almost 5 factors per 100 possessions higher with him on the flooring, with that distinction nearly solely coming on the defensive finish.

I am excited to see more Joan Beringer this yr, but there’s a good bit of strain for him to be immediately regular. I’m rooting for it to work; I just need to see it work.

OTHER CONCERNS

• Quietly, the Wolves saw switches against pick-and-rolls at one of the highest charges in the league. Their effectivity against those seems to be left a bit to be desired, to be variety. There’s a lot of pick-and-roll goodness to be had with this group, but I do surprise what their course of and total shot high quality will look like when they face defenses with the personnel to cross-match and in the end flatten them out. I am trying at you, Mr. Ball and Mr. Edwards. Speaking of which …

• At their best and most attentive, Ball and Edwards are both gifted at studying passing lanes, poking at handles, and in the end turning groups over. At their worst, you can catch them flat-footed or usually disinterested, opening up cuts and relocations that fracture the integrity of a protection. Those two need to be more constant off-ball defenders for the Wolves to hit their full potential. They’re bodily succesful.

• It’s undoubtedly truthful to argue that swapping out Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga will make the Wolves higher total. I do think it’s truthful to level out that you lose a good deal of collective physicality with that swap, and it’s price monitoring how impactful (and where) that could be.

LINEUP TO WATCH: Ball-Edwards-Dosunmu-McDaniels-Gobert

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The Edwards-Dosunmu-McDaniels-Gobert quartet performed 120 minutes collectively last season, but they were outscored by 51 factors in that span. Is changing Julius Randle (-36 in group-high 57 minutes as the fifth) with Ball enough to tilt the scales? You technically get smaller, but you get a main enhance in tempo, playmaking, and 3-point quantity.

BEST CASE: No. 1 seed

The protection should be fairly good, if not elite — particularly if there’s constant buy-in from Ball and Edwards. And with Ball and Edwards at the forefront on the other finish, there’s a pathway to the Wolves having a top-five offense — if not the best offense in the league. 

WORST CASE: Play-in Tournament

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There’s a world where the elevated tempo accentuates the questionable decision-making that can pop up with Ball and Edwards. That, plus opposing defenses leaning into a increased dosage of switching could lead to a good-but-underwhelming offensive season as a entire. If their protection is nearer to tenth (or worse), it’s a system that could have the Wolves successful 45-48 video games rather than flirting with (or even eclipsing) 60. 

Portland Trail Blazers

WHAT TO LIKE: Guard depth

If nothing else, the Blazers have loads of choices to cycle through this yr!

Ja Morant is here, trying to reclaim his standing as a top-tier guard while including more driving juice to a crew that gets downhill fairly a bit. Damian Lillard is back, hopefully ready to present a much-needed injection of (off-the-bounce) taking pictures for a Blazers crew that wants it. 

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Scoot Henderson returns after … perhaps not a full-blown shift in position, but at least a notable one as an off-ball attacker. There’s also Jrue Holiday, who’s more of a 6-foot-4 basketball participant than a guard in a conventional sense. He’ll run the offense, attack tilted defenses, ramp up his 3-point quantity when called upon, and will face-guard the digital gadget you’re studying this on if you ask him to. 

Love that man.

OTHER LIKES

• The defensive trio of Holiday, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan is one of my favorites — and, frankly, one of the best in the league. Holiday and Camara can defend 1-through-4, while Clingan has established himself as one of the best inside defenders in the league. I’m excited to watch them work.

• I do not know how much it’ll carry over this yr in mild of the roster and sideline modifications, but boy did I take pleasure in the quantity of full-court strain the Blazers tossed out last season. Looking at what Alex Sarama did with the Portland Fire on the WNBA facet, I hope this just becomes a Portland basketball staple.

• I was stunned the Blazers were in a position to keep Robert Williams III, but what a luxurious it is to have him coming off the bench. Not many groups can match the 48 minutes of rim safety the Blazers can toss out between him and Clingan.

BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Guard rotation

While I usually like the guard room in a vacuum, figuring out a cohesive rotation that options all of them is effectively above my paygrade. If new head coach Micah Nori is actually going to break up Morant and Lillard — which, for defensive functions, makes a ton of sense — how are these mixtures going to shake out?

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And in basic, can you discover the proper mixtures of taking pictures, playmaking, and protection to actually make this work?

OTHER CONCERNS

• I just … just about every bit of Blazers information I’ve learn this summer season has made me sigh, and I’m not even a Blazers fan. The shameful contract given to/accepted by Nori, the quantity of lost jobs in completely different aspects of the group, the play-by-play hiring and rapid firing, on-the-record feedback from new proprietor Tom Dundon that appear to, at the very least, lack a degree of empathy you’d like to see or hear. I just do not like the vibes around the group proper now, and I hope it flips when video games are really performed.

• I appreciated the manner Clingan was moved around last yr, but he wants to take a fairly substantial step as a ball-screen associate and finisher, particularly with the guards in the room.

• With Shaedon Sharpe out for the foreseeable future, what precisely is the wing/ahead rotation behind first-time All-Star Deni Avdija? Jerami Grant is in Memphis. Matisse Thybulle is in LA. I’m a Vit Krejci man, but I do not know if I need him to be this important at work. 

LINEUP TO WATCH: Morant-Lillard-Holiday-Camara-Williams III

The Holiday/Camara/Williams III trio, with Avdija on the bench, was quietly +30 in 139 minutes collectively last season. That’s a sturdy basis defensively, which should, in principle, make the Morant-Lillard backcourt more viable to play. I need to see this one. 

BEST CASE: Play-in Tournament

If they’re in a position to at least flirt with being a top-10 unit defensively this yr, the added offensive firepower could give them a increased flooring than people are giving them credit for. 

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WORST CASE: Outside of the Play-In Tournament

I think it would take some actual harm misfortune for the Blazers to be in worst-in-the-conference/league territory. Still, there’s undoubtedly a world where the protection takes a hit in mild of their smaller backcourt and they do not rating effectively enough to offset that dip.

Utah Jazz

WHAT TO LIKE: Offensive versatility

Similar to the Grizzlies, I’m fairly bullish on the quantity of levers this crew can pull. Will Hardy is a inventive offensive thoughts with spacing rules I take pleasure in. 

There’s guard creation to like with Keyonte George and newcomer Darryn Peterson, with both having a degree of on- and off-ball utility that can be helpful. Lauri Markkanen has long been moved around the board because of the risk of his taking pictures, and he showcased some actual juice as a driver (and foul-drawer) last yr. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a enjoyable inside-out risk, and you can invert the offense with Jusuf Nurkic because of his passing capability.

OTHER LIKES

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• I’m excited to see what Ace Bailey seems to be like in Year 2. His in-season growth flew a little under the radar last yr, but in basic I like the manner he was utilized. So many of his touches began with motion; with more spacing and expertise around him, the context should be even simpler for him.

• To the relaxation of the bench: Isaiah Collier drives all over the place; Svi Mykhailiuk is a good shooter with underrated passing chops. Josh Okogie is keen to guard just about anyone, and is quietly coming off the best 3-point taking pictures season (38.5% on 2.1 makes an attempt) of his profession. If Brice Sensabaugh would not do anything else, he’ll shoot the leather-based off the ball. Kyle Filipowski can be, and has been, used in a multitude of methods offensively. There’s a good bit to play with here.

BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Defense

For whatever you can take from preseason motion, it was notable to me that the Jazz opted to begin in a zone look against the Nuggets in their opener. You could see the seeds of them forcing deeper-in-clock possessions, passing off assignments and working through scram switches. You could also see how perilous issues felt when their guards got poked at, and the rotations behind their help weren’t crisp.

There are enjoyable lineups they can get to — do not be stunned if Okogie becomes more important at work than expected — but in the end they have to get this protection to “serviceable” to complement the offense. They were twenty ninth in defensive score, per Cleaning The Glass, last yr; what does this look like if they’re, say, 18th?

What if they can’t even clear that bar?

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OTHER CONCERNS

• If Nurkic misses any quantity of substantial time — he’s missed at least 20 video games in six of the last seven seasons, so historical past suggests he will — I am fairly frightened about the rebounding of this group.

• Hardy does a great job of scheming issues up and simplifying reads, but this is not a great passing roster total. Like, Nurk is in all probability one of the three or 4 best passers on the crew. I’m curious to see how that actuality performs out, and which groups (or coverages) put that under the microscope.

LINEUP TO WATCH: George-Peterson-Bailey-Markkanen-Jackson Jr.

I can hear all of Memphis yelling. I hear y’all. Jaren at the 5 is not very best because of the rebounding (and fouling) woes. I’ve seen it, and I’ve seen the numbers. I do not think we’re going to get a ton of this look, which is why Nurkic and, to a lesser extent, Jaxson Hayes are on this roster.

I do not think we’re getting zero minutes of that look, though, and I’m curious to see how usually we get this group collectively. In principle, that’s a lot of shot creation and a degree of collective dimension 3-through-5 that should permit a baseline degree of switching. 

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BEST CASE: Play-In Tournament

The offense tasks to be a multifaceted one. They have pick-and-roll creators, off-ball choices, mismatch hunters, and a head coach in Hardy who can dial up some schematic enjoyable. If the protection can be serviceable — Jackson Jr. + switchable dimension could present a roadmap there — people should not be too stunned by them churning out wins. 

WORST CASE: Bottom of the West

I can’t rule out the protection being such a disappointment that the offensive juice is rendered moot, particularly with the firepower they’ll have to deal with in this division — on high of the convention itself.