Teams to look out for in the upcoming 2025/26 NBA playoffs
With teams already clinching their playoff berths for the postseason, there have been surprise packages that could contend for the 2026 NBA Championship.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Lorenzo Gagliotta finds out who might be genuine challengers to take home the glory in the 2025/26 NBA Playoffs.
Detroit Pistons
Considering where the Pistons organisation were a few years ago, it has been a meteoric rise for coach JB Bickerstaff and his team this season.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder being the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth, it was the Detroit Pistons who quickly seconded that, with their commanding lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.
An exciting, youthful group, which has been led by Cade Cunningham for the majority of the season at the head of the snake.
However, the star guard is now out indefinitely with a collapsed lung, which could have repercussions in the post-season.
With Cunningham out for an extended period of time, the reliance falls on other key players this season, with the likes of centre Jalen Duren, the young Ausar Thompson and the experienced Tobias Harris.
Hitting a good run of form in the middle of the season, other players have come into fruition at the right time, like Daniss Jenkins, who’s been a surprise package with his shifty playstyle and putting up big numbers in the last few games.
Coach Bickerstaff will look to make sure to use as many of his valuable assets in the rotation to maintain the top seed, and hope his role players can provide the meaningful minutes necessary to contend in every postseason matchup.
San Antonio Spurs
With long-standing head coach Gregg Popovich stepping down this season, the weight was on young assistant coach Mitch Johnson to get the San Antonio Spurs back to the top of the Western Conference.
Brandishing a free-reigning style of basketball, the Spurs have asserted their presence in the Western Conference, putting the league on notice.
Star man Victor Wembanyama and his team-mates have put their heart and soul into bringing the team together closer with the fanbase, with some excellent displays this season, including their NBA Cup run and their crucial wins against the Thunder.
He’s been an integral part in galvanising this special group of players to adopt a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality with their exciting level of play.
Boasting the highest winning percentage since the start of the year, coach Johnson has managed to get different lineups to fire on all cylinders in the regular season.
Players like Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell rekindled their form on the floor, effective in their shooting and assets added like Luke Kornet, being a defensive presence inside and bringing championship-winning experience to the roster.
It’s fair to say that many tipped the Spurs to slowly mould their team in the future.
However, they’ve flown out of the traps, not only in their respective Conference but emerging as serious NBA Championship contenders.
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Boston Celtics
Despite the assumptions of a let-off season, an organisation as grandiose as the Boston Celtics could not falter out of the playoff picture despite their inconveniences.
They’ve managed to cement their place in the Eastern Conference’s top four, with some crucial performances in the middle of the season, with big wins against other contending teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the return of Jayson Tatum coming at the perfect time, the question remains whether he is ready for playoff basketball, following the lengthy period out from injury.
His sidekick, Jaylen Brown, has grown to put up MVP-level numbers this season, with Brown starring in multiple 30+ point performances to carry the load with his team-mates in tough matchups.
Coach Joe Mazzulla has managed to bring all the pieces of the puzzle in good timing, with meaningful minutes for players like Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, having their impact on the floor.
It’s up to the Celtics to weather the storm of the Thunder to avoid a repeat championship-winning season and get back to winning ways since 2024.
Los Angeles Lakers
With playoff experience and a deep roster under their belt, coach JJ Redick and his team have recently emerged as strong contenders to challenge the top seeds come playoff basketball time.
In a much tighter race at the top in the Western Conference, the Lakers are battling the Nuggets to guarantee a secure spot, with both teams finding their feet in big games in recent times.
The King, LeBron James, has taken much less of the load this season, with Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic taking the baton in remarkable fashion in some stellar performances.
Averaging 40 points in a six-game span is no simple feat, with Doncic coming into fruition with his team-mates and finding his form to stamp his authority, ready for the postseason.
Coach Redick has got his team making the loudest of statements in recent games, emerging as an incredibly solid team to go toe-to-toe at the highest level against the likes of coach Mark Daigenault’s Thunder side.
In James’ 19th postseason appearance, could things all come together for the Lakers to make a remarkable playoff run that defies the odds, considering the level of teams looking to contend for the championship this season?
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