Ty's NBA Season Preview: Rockets, Timberwolves, Knicks
/
Day nine of my preseason 2025-26 NBA countdown starts with my number 6 team, the Houston Rockets.
They did it. They got what they needed this offseason. They needed a deadly, knock down shooter, and they got one of the best the game has ever seen in Kevin Durant. KD instantly made this team a contender the moment he was traded there. I know they had to part ways with Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to get him, but the price was a small one to get a player like KD. He makes them an easy pick for the playoffs and a possible long run in the playoffs. Fred VanVleet going down with a season ending injury hurts. They need his veteran leadership, but with him out all year, they will need to find a quality point guard. Amen Thompson is awesome. He is the defensive leader, he is long and he can defend all five positions. When he finds a shot, he will become elite. Alperen Sengun is a great hub for the offense. He isn't all that great defensively, but his ability to run the offense from the post is a big plus for this offense. Steven Adams is the enforcer that they have and every team wants. He is out there to intimidate the opponents, and he may be the best in the league. Reed Sheppard didn't have that great of a rookie season, but maybe with some more run, and wide open shots, he could be a good knock down shooter. If Tari Eason can stay on the court he could provide some great bench depth. He is also a very talented player. Jabari Smith Jr may already be the player he is going to be in the league, and that is just fine. He is a very solid fourth or fifth option on a decent team. Getting Clint Capela, Josh Okogie and Dorain Finney-Smith were all really good additions and they will help this team a ton. Okogie is one of the better rebounding guards in the NBA. DFS is one of the premiere three and D players in the NBA. And Clint Capela had his best years while playing in Houston with James Harden. Maybe going back there, sans Harden, will help him find his old groove as a rim runner. The Rockets are going all in and trying to make a run. I'm here for it. I'd like to see them continue to be relevant in the league. I always enjoyed watching them when Hakeem Olajuwon was there, and now with one of my favorite players, KD playing there, I am more inclined to watch them again.
At number 5 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Some people are down on them, but I am not. There's a reason this team has been to the Western Conference Finals two years in a row. They are good, and it all starts at the top with Anthony Edwards. He is just getting started on his ascent, and I'm more than ready for it. Edwards is probably my favorite player in the league. He has surpassed Ja Morant for me. He has improved one area of his game every offseason, and apparently he is working on his post game during this offseason. I can't wait. I'm hoping he makes a run for MVP this year. Rudy Gobert seems to be playing like his former self when he was in Utah. He is still as good a defender as always and he is a solid rebounder. He has also improved his offense in the post. Mike Conley is a good veteran point guard, but he is old. His time may be up. If they trade him or move on, Rob Dillingham has deserved the right to take some of those minutes. He had flashes last season, he just needs consistent playing time. Naz Reid is the best bench big man in the league. He has always had a great offensive game, and his defense continues to get better. He is so good at feasting on second units. Donte Divincenzio can shoot, and only shoot, but he is very good at that one skill. Joe Inlges can still frustrate opponents with his trash talk. Jaden McDaniels is so good on defense, and he has improved his shooting every year. And Julius Randle is a great scorer from the post, and he can take his game out to 10 to 12 feet and hit shots from there. The Timberwolves have more than inserted themselves into being a perennial playoff contender who make deep runs. They just need to take that next leap, and with Edwards continuing his ascent, the Timberwolves can do the same.
The final team for the day, coming in at number 4, I have the New York Knicks. I'm still a little confused by them letting go of Tom Thibodeau, but they hired Mike Brown, and he will diversify the offense and play more players. It may end up being a good thing in the long run. Jalen Brunson has more than proven his worth, and he has done everything to help this team get better. Brunson has won me over since signing with the Knicks and I'm stoked to see how he plays with a new coach who is an offensive genius. Karl Anthony-Towns is a great shooter and his post game is solid as well. He is not a very good defender, but he has help on that end. Speaking of said help, Mitchell Robinson is a great rim protector. He is also a wonderful rebounder and he gives his all when he is on the floor. He just needs to stay relatively healthy. OG Anunoby is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He flies all over the court on defense, and when he is called upon to shoot, he has shown that he is willing and able. Mikal Bridges fits right in with this team. He isn't asked to be the offensive hub and he can focus on his defense and outside shooting. He gets to play like he did while he was on the Suns, and that is the best version of Bridges. Josh Hart will probably come off the bench, and I think he will feast on second units. Miles McBride is a good bench scorer. And I like that they brought on Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele. Clarkson can shoot and he is more than willing to shoot. Yabusele is an undersized big, but he doesn't let that slow him down. He will attack anyone on defense. The Knicks are really good. I believe that Brown will help this team stay healthy and that the offense will be better. The Knicks may be the East's representative in the NBA Finals this season.
That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the final three teams.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.