Now that we are about a quarter through the 2025-2026 NBA season, multiple trends or topics have stood out. Whether players/teams are exceeding the expectations set on them before the season or not meeting those expectations, let’s take a look at some of the most noteworthy topics so far this season.
The Zion Williamson experiment has officially failed
Now, I believe there is one thing that needs to be set straight. Zion Williamson is an exceptional talent. When he’s on the court, he is widely recognized as one of the best talents in the sport, from his pure freakish athleticism to his mind-boggling ability to assert force near the rim. However, in most instances related to Zion, the best ability is availability.
According to StatMuse, Zion has missed 280 out of the 504 games he could have played due to injury, which converts to 56% of his games. This pattern of constant injuries has started to frustrate not only New Orleans Pelicans fans, but the front office as well. In recent reports by several sources closely connected to the Pelicans organization, the Pelicans front office is prepared to take the first “somewhat reasonable” trade offer for Williamson, officially signifying the end of the Zion Williamson era in New Orleans.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA’s new dynasty
If the Thunder’s dominant performance throughout the 2024-2025 NBA season wasn’t enough to solidify their legitimacy, their performance this year definitely is. The Oklahoma City Thunder currently hold the best record in the NBA at 24-1, which ties the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors team with the best record through the first 25 games of an NBA season in history! One thing to note with this impressive start is that Jalen Williams, All-Star forward for the Thunder, missed the first 19 games of the season.
Leading the charge for this dominant Thunder squad is last season’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has continued right where he left off last season. The 2024-2025 NBA season was a historic one for the 27-year-old superstar, winning regular season and finals MVP to go along with a NBA championship. We are 25 games into this season and Shai has shown no signs of slowing down! In fact, what some would argue to be the weakest aspect of his game offensively has only improved from last season, with his three-point-percentage increasing from 37.5% to an astounding 45.4% so far this season. If the reigning MVP and the rest of his stacked Oklahoma City squad continues this trajectory, the rest of the league may be in trouble for years and years to come!
The Boston Celtics are in better hands than we may have thought
Going into this NBA season, fans across the world seemed to agree that their expectations for the Boston Celtics were severely lower than years prior. Their superstar forward Jayson Tatum is expected to be sidelined for the entirety of the season, their depth at the five seemed to wear thin and they lost one of their two elite defensive guards Jrue Holiday in a trade to Portland, in which Boston acquired young guard Anfernee Simons and some draft capital. However, they may be in better hands than us fans have assumed.
All-star wing Jaylen Brown has stepped up massively for this Celtics squad, currently averaging 29 points, six rebounds and five assists per-game as the team’s lead playmaker this season. On top of this surge in individual production, the Celtics team as a whole ranks second amongst the rest of the league in offensive rating at 120 and currently holds the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
This production can be attributed to numerous different things. One of, if not the most noteworthy, contributors to this success is head coach Joe Mazulla. Mazzulla has incorporated several different lineups of players this season, with standout performers like Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez standing out. If a Tatum return is possible, the Celtics look to be in great position to regain their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference come playoff season.
The Los Angeles Clippers need to start over
After this past offseason, many fans believed that the Clippers were a team to look out for in the Western Conference. The Clippers made three noteworthy signings: Veteran guards Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and veteran big man Brook Lopez. Now, 25 games into the regular season, Bradley Beal is sidelined for the remainder of the season with a fractured left hip, Brook Lopez is not a consistent member of the rotation and Chris Paul was released from the roster earlier this month, halting his final season in the NBA.
The Clippers currently have a record 6-18, which places them at the fourteenth seed in the Western Conference. On top of this, Kawhi Leonard isn’t getting any younger or any less injury-prone, James Harden’s value will not remain as high as it may be now and the Clippers don’t own a single first-round draft pick until the 2028 season. With their playoff hopes desperately in jeopardy and with their future not being clear, it may be time for the Clippers to hit the reset button.