Ty's 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Wizards, Jazz, Mavericks
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Welcome to day four of my NBA countdown. We are officially in play-in territory. The three teams today, given health and a little bit of luck, could very well see themselves, at the very least, competing for the 7 or 8 seed in their respective conferences.
At 21 I have the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have been moribound as a franchise for some time now. But boy oh boy did they make some moves last season, and they picked the right guy first overall in the most recent draft. I am an AJ Dybansta fan. This kid is going to be good, and it may happen right away. He has all the tools to lead this team for the foreseeable future. He can score, his jump shot looks better, he is going to become a solid defender and he seems to love playing basketball. I was stoked when they took him because he was the right choice. Dybansta has star written all over him. The Wizards did give Trae Young far too much money, and that contract will be tough to move if they end up wanting to move him, but he is still a good point guard. He can get the ball in your hands at the perfect release point on some of his passes. He may fire up too many threes, but when he is on, he can light up the scoreboard. He is a zero on defense, but the guy can score and distribute the ball. I don't know if Anthony Davis is long for this team, but he will have to show the other NBA teams that he is still a viable player, so however long they have him, he needs to play well. He is a former all NBA guy, and while he may not return that form, Davis is still a decent modern big man in the league. Bilal Couliboly is an okay enough player, but his defense has not translated to the NBA just yet. I like Bub Carrington, and he showed a few things last season, but that may have been hollow due to how bad they were last year. Deandre Ayton is here, and he is another big body that they can throw out there. He just doesn't play as big as he is in real life. Tre Johnson is decent, and can score, but again, we don;t know if that was all hollow due to how awful this team was at the end of the season. Khris Middelton is too old now and too hurt. He got his ring with the Bucks, and ever since then he has been either hurt or traded. Alex Sarr is the best defender on this team, he is a good rim runner and he has gotten so much better since his rookie year. I wouldn't be shocked if he takes a big leap this year. The Wizards have an odd roster construct, but if it hits they could find themselves fighting for a playoff spot all season long. I don't believe they're a top six team in the East, far from it, but they have the potential to be in that 8-9 conversation if they click and stay relatively healthy all season.
At 20 I have the Utah Jazz. The time is not for this team to play full games and try to win. They have a roster that makes sense and they have a coach that is too good to keep playing awful lineups in the fourth quarter so they can tank for draft position. I do think Lauri Markanen is a bit overrated, but he is still a good basketball player. I believe he is more of a type of potential on a good team player, but that is neither here nor there. He is the focal point of this team and they will go as he goes offensively. I like the Jaren Jackson Jr trade. He may not be the defender he was a few years ago, and his shot comes and goes, but he is still a good player and he brings more height and rim protection to this team. Ace Bailey had a much better rookie season than I anticipated he would. He's a willing cutter to the rim and his shot is coming along. He should maybe start on this team, but he will feast coming off the bench on second units. Daryn Peterson has all of the potential in the world. He is such a good basketball player. There were real conversations on if he should have been the number one overall pick. But he did look disinterested at times at Kansas last season, and if he starts slow, who is to say that won't happen again. Isaiah Collier is already a proven scorer, but last year he looked like a more willing passer, and that will only help him stick around longer. If you listen to the Zach Lowe's of the world you may think Kyle Filipowski is a viable center, but I think he is wildly overrated by certain media members. Jaxson Hayes is a better backup big man option. Keyonte George is about to take a leap. The Jazz have a good team in place here. They have a good coach. I don't like saying that because I have never liked the Jazz, but this team could be good. They just need to play full games at full strength and see if they can make a real push at not just the play-in, but a top six spot in the West this season.
The final team for the day, at 19 I have the Dallas Mavericks. This team has pretty much fully remade themselves in the two years since the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade. Some familiar faces are still around, but they have new guys and a fully new coaching staff. I think Dusty May was a home run hire. I'm already a fan of his, he returned Michigan basketball to glory, so I will always root for him. He has a great young player in Cooper Flagg. Flagg is one of the faces of the future in the NBA, right along with Wemby and Dylan Harper and SGA. Flagg is a great do it all offensive player. He needs to buy in more defensively, but the offensive bag he already has is pretty impressive. Kyrie Irving is back, coming off a torn ACL, and he has looked like himself in the preseason. I don't know if he will stick around with the Mavs all season, but while he is there, if he can continue at this current pace, he and Flagg are going to be a dynamic duo for this team. Dereck Lively is still hurt, and I fear for him that he has already played his best basketball during his rookie year. The guy simply cannot stay on the floor. I wonder how long PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford will be on this team. Washington can shoot the corner three and is a solid rebounder, but he may want to be playing deeper in the playoffs. Gafford is a solid rim runner, and Irving will be able to feed him the ball, but he has got to stay healthy. They acquired Zaccahrie Risaccher, a former number 1 overall pick, but who knows what he is going to bring to this team. He has never been fully effective since entering the league. I am a humongous morez Johnson Jr guy for obvious reasons. But he knows how Dusty May wants to play and he has a never ending motor. He is also a great rebounder. I think he will see his minutes increase exponentially during the season. Naji Marshall is a solid backup point guard. I think they got a great bench scorer and stretch big in Santi Aldama. The Mavericks have some dudes and they have a lethal duo in Flagg and Irving. I think the Mavericks could have a nice bump in wins, especially if this team plays the way May wants them to earlier than expected. I think the Mavs are coming, and this season will bethem announcing themselves as a future perennial playoff team.
That's it for the week. Come back next week for more of the preseason NBA countdown.
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.
