Ty's 2026 -2027 NBA Preview: Suns, Magic, Trailblazers
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Welcome back to my NBA preseason countdown. I took a day off to write about one of the better movies I have seen in quite some time yesterday, but with the season officially tipping off in about an hour, let's get back to the countdown. We are at the point in my countdown where the teams from here on out are who I think will be, at the very least, in the play-in tournament. Let's get it started.
At number 18 I have the Phoenix Suns. This team surprised a bunch of people last year, myself included, and I think they may be one of the harder playing teams in the league. They come at you hard and will not stop. They're a pain to play against. Devin Booker is a superstar. He is a legit scoring threat from every level. He has even gotten better defensively. He may be a little upset that the Suns may have made it as far as they can with him as one of the star players, but he did sign a humongous extension last year, so he is with the Suns for the long haul. Like him or hate him, I personally despise him and was stoked when the Grizzlies finally traded him, Dillon Brooks is an important player on this team. He is their best defender, he found some more offensive last season and he continues to talk trash, regardless if anyone is even listening to him anymore. Jalen Green is still explosive, but he may only be that for the rest of his career. He just hasn't seemed to fully figure the NBA out just yet. Sure, he can pop off for 30 on any given night, but he is more apt to struggle shooting the ball and get benched in the playoffs. Collin Gillespie is a fine backup point guard, but some media members seem to think he should start for this team. I don't buy that for one second. He is so much better coming off the bench. They traded for Miles Bridges, which confused me a bit. Sure, he is a solid rim runner, and can still jump out of the gym, but he has off-court stuff to deal with, and his game has regressed a bit the past few years. They just gave Oso Ighodaro a nice extension, but he has to be better on offense. His shot is still a little funky, but I did read that he is working with a shooting coach. They signed Luke Kennard this offseason, and he will bring some added scoring from the outside to a team that needs more of that. I'm excited to see Khaman Malauch in year two. He looks to be a solid modern big man, and I want to see how much he has improved. The Suns are a solid team. Like I said, they play hard every night and they win with their defense. I also truly enjoy watching Devin Booker play basketball as well.
At number 17 I have the Orlando Magic. The Magic are in a kind of limbo right now. They have a very good roster on paper, but they can never stay healthy enough to make any real noise. Defense also used to be their calling card, but they regressed a bit in that area last season. And their offense has never been very good. Paolo Banchero is a good basketball player. He has gotten a little better in every aspect of the game each season, and he has proven his worth in the playoffs. He needs to stay healthy. Franz Wagner can never stay healthy. But when he is on the floor he may be the Magic's best overall player. He is their true jack of all trades. He just cannot ever play more than 50 games a year it seems. Jalen Suggs is one of the best perimeter defensive players in the whole league, but that is all he does. And, like almost everyone else on this team, he can barely play 30 games a year. Anthony Black has been a revelation, but he didn't get a contract extension, and he may not be long for this team. Desmond Bane is the model of consistency, and he stays on the floor. He is a great shooter, plays super hard defensively and you can count on him to be on that court for pretty much every game. Wendell Carter Jr is a very solid center. He won't wow you all that much, but he will produce and provide. Jevon Carter is a hard playing vet. I don't know what Nikola Vucivic will provide, but maybe he will play better since he is back where it all started for him. The Magic have the makings of a top 6 seed, but injuries constantly derail this team. I would have them much higher if I could count on health.
The final team for the day, at number 16 I have the Portland Trailblazers. This team made some changes, but I don't think the outcome will be totally different. Damian Lillard is back and it is so cool to see him in a Blazers uniform again. And he will bring a nice dose of outside shooting to a team desperately in need of that. Ja Morant is now here. This feels like a low risk, high reward trade for them. Morant was unhappy in Memphis, they traded him and he has a new home now. Maybe this will energize him, but he has kind of fallen off since all the gun stuff popped off. Jrue Holiday is probably their best true point guard. He plays that position so well and he is one of their better defenders. Donovan Clingan is coming into his own in the NBA. He has fully bought in on defense and his offensive game is coming along. Denji Avidija is a great offensive player. He will have the ball in his hands a little less, but that may help his shooting percentage from the three, and he will find some great cutting lanes with Holiday, Morant and Lillard passing him the ball. Toumani Camara is a great all around player. I have become a humongous fan of his the past two years. He is really good. Scoot Henderson has gotten just a little better each season. His three is even coming along just a little bit. He may not be a fan of it, but coming off the bench has been great for his progress in the NBA. Robert Williams III is a good backup big who provides some solid offense and really good defense off the bench. And maybe all the Yang Hansen talk from last offseason will show up this season. Portland has a decent enough team to make a push this season. Hell, they even took a game off the Spurs in round one of the playoffs last year. But this team construction is funky. I want to see them play a few games during the season before I fully buy in to them being a playoff team.
That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next 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.
