Thunder, Pistons, Heat lead NBA team grades for first month of season
The first month of the 2025-26 NBA season is in the books and teams are starting to figure out what’s real and what’s not on their rosters.
The top of the Western Conference is going according to script, as the Oklahoma City Thunder back up their first NBA championship with another dominating start to the regular season as the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers lurk as intriguing contenders. But other potential challengers like the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are struggling and the Eastern Conference is full of surprises so far, with the Detroit Pistons climbing to the top of the standings and better-than-anticipated starts for the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.
Here are grades for all 30 NBA teams through results on Sunday, Nov. 23, based on record, expectations and roster development:
NBA team grades for 2025-26 season
Records through games played on Sunday, Nov. 23
Oklahoma City Thunder: A+
- Record: 17-1, 1st in the West
The defending NBA champions are rolling again despite the absence of injured star Jalen Williams thanks to a defense that’s more than seven points better per 100 possessions than the No. 2-rated defense in the league. Guard Ajay Mitchell has also emerged as yet another offensive weapon for the Thunder in Williams’ place.
Detroit Pistons: A
- Record: 14-2, 1st in the East
The Pistons are proving to be no fluke in the midst of a 12-game winning streak. They have a legitimate MVP candidate in Cade Cunningham, an early leader for Most Improved Player with Jalen Duren and the best defense in a weakened Eastern Conference with Boston and Indiana ailing.
Denver Nuggets: A-
- Record: 12-4, 3rd in the West
Nikola Jokic is playing more efficiently than ever, notorious slow starter Jamal Murray is averaging a career-best 22.8 points per game and Aaron Gordon was on pace to hit more 3-pointers than he ever has before suffering an injury last Friday. The additions of Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas off the bench have Denver positioned as perhaps OKC’s biggest threat in the west.
Miami Heat: A-
- Record: 11-6, 4th in the East
The Heat have gone through a complete transformation from year-to-year, morphing from one of the NBA’s four slowest teams in terms of pace last season to its fastest team through the first month of the 2025-26 season. Norman Powell might be the best free agent acquisition of the offseason, Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jacquez look revitalized, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware form a fearsome combination inside and Tyler Herro is about to make his season debut after being injured to start.
Toronto Raptors: A-
- Record: 12-5, 2nd in the East
The biggest surprise in the East through the first month might be happening north of the border, where Toronto’s trade for Brandon Ingram last year is starting to pay off. He has provided a needed boost for one of the league’s most improved offenses.
Cleveland Cavaliers: B+
- Record: 12-6, 3rd in the East
The Cavaliers haven’t been quite as good as a year ago to start the season, with injuries to Darius Garland, Max Strus and Sam Merrill slowing them down. But Donovan Mitchell continues to be among the league’s top scorers and Cleveland remains in good position in the wide-open East.
Houston Rockets: B+
- Record: 10-4, 4th in the West
Reed Shepherd is finding his footing as Fred Van Vleet’s replacement at point guard and Kevin Durant is fitting in well with the Rockets, who have a historic offensive rebounding rate through the season’s first month thanks to big men Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
Los Angeles Lakers: B+
- Record: 12-4, 2nd in the West
The Lakers successfully managed an early-season back injury to LeBron James because Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are each scoring at career high rates. With James back, their top three is as good as any in the league. Depth and defense at the rim remain long-term concerns.
Phoenix Suns: B+
- Record: 11-6, 6th in the West
After being one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams last season, Phoenix has been a pleasant surprise during the first month of the 2025-26 campaign. The team’s defense is markedly better with the addition of coach Jordan Ott and offseason acquisitions like Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams.
San Antonio Spurs: B+
- Record: 11-5, 5th in the West
The Spurs were off to their best start in a decade and Victor Wembanyama had entered the MVP conversation with his early-season performances. But Wembanyama, 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper are all now sidelined by injuries ‒ just as San Antonio got De’Aaron Fox back from injury ‒ to temper the team’s short-term outlook.
Atlanta Hawks: B
- Record: 11-7, 5th in the East
The Trae Young situation could get a little awkward in Atlanta. The Hawks are playing well with Young injured as Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Ongonkwu fill bigger roles. If Young can meld with the group upon returning, Atlanta will be a dangerous playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago Bulls: B
- Record: 9-7, 7th in the East
The Bulls winning their first five games this season feels more like fool’s gold as the season wears on, but it was indicative that the group picked up where last season’s team left off after a stronger-than-expected finish. Coach Billy Donovan has Chicago’s nucleus led by Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis playing hard, even if their ceiling is still limited and center Nikola Vucevic remains a trade target.
Minnesota Timberwolves: B
- Record: 10-6, 7th in the West
Minnesota remains in the mix beneath Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston in the Western Conference with Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle one of only two tandems in the league in which both players average more than 25 points per game. But point guard issues, with 2024 first-round pick Rob Dillingham seemingly not ready to take over for veteran Mike Conley, might need to be addressed.
New York Knicks: B
- Record: 9-6, 6th in the East
The Knicks are playing faster and more efficiently on offense under new coach Mike Brown and effectively weathered an early injury to Jalen Brunson. New York has eight players averaging at least nine points per game thus far after having just five players reach that mark last season.
Philadelphia 76ers: B
- Record: 9-7, 8th in the East
After last year’s debacle, Philadelphia should savor the first month of this season. Tyrese Maxey is emerging as the face of the franchise in the wake of Joel Embiid’s ongoing injury concerns and ranks second in the NBA in scoring. Rookie VJ Edgecombe got off to a fast start alongside him. Paul George and Jared McCain also recently returned from injury. Embiid’s availability remains in doubt moving forward.
Boston Celtics: B-
- Record: 9-8, 10th in the East
The Celtics continue to hover around .500 without Jayson Tatum and have launched even more 3-pointers than before under coach Joe Mazzulla this year. But the team is currently in no man’s land, neither bad enough to finish at the bottom of the standings nor good enough to be a serious threat.
Golden State Warriors: B-
- Record: 9-9, 8th in the West
The Warriors are enduring some early season headwinds with a road-heavy schedule, the league’s worst turnover rate and the lingering uncertainty surrounding Jonathan Kuminga’s role with the franchise. But the trio of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, along with a top-notch defense, has ensured they’re still competitive with the other West contenders chasing the OKC Thunder.
Milwaukee Bucks: C+
- Record: 8-9, 11th in the East
The Bucks were off to an intriguing start with some new faces surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and Antetokounmpo was playing at an MVP level. But he’s now out with a groin injury and the team is sliding with losses in five of its past six games before Monday’s schedule.
Orlando Magic: C+
- Record: 10-8, 9th in the East
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for this team with elevated expectations as offseason trade acquisition Desmond Bane finds his way with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic still have one of the league’s best defenses and they had won six of their past seven games before Sunday’s loss to Boston on the second night of a back-to-back.
Utah Jazz: C
- Record: 5-11, 11th in the West
Lauri Markannen is one of six players in the NBA averaging more than 30 points per game and a huge reason the Jazz are on pace to beat their projected preseason win total after the opening month of games.
Portland Trail Blazers: C
- Record: 7-10, 9th in the West
The Trail Blazers got wins over the Thunder, Nuggets and Lakers after losing coach Chauncey Billups in the NBA’s gambling scandal to start this season but are just 3-8 in the month of November.
Charlotte Hornets: D
- Record: 4-13, 12th in the East
Indiana Pacers: D
- Record: 2-14, 14th in the East
Nobody expected the Pacers to be contenders with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined and Myles Turner now with the Bucks, but the drop-off has been more dramatic than anticipated so far. Indiana has the second-worst NET rating in the league after additional injuries to Benedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin. It could be a long year before the defending Eastern Conference champions benefit with strong NBA draft lottery odds.
Memphis Grizzlies: D
- Record: 6-11, 10th in the West
The Grizzlies have gone from an emerging Western Conference contender a few years ago to a team discussed mainly within the context of potential trade rumors involving Ja Morant. The Memphis star is hurt again and reportedly clashed with new Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo before the injury occurred. Rookie Cedric Coward has been a bright spot and the return of Zach Edey has helped in recent games.
New Orleans Pelicans: D-
- Record: 2-15, 15th in the West
The Pelicans were bad enough to start this season that the team already had to fire coach Willie Green. Zion Williamson is already missing games due to injury, but rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears have been a breath of fresh air. Still, the team appears lottery-bound again after trading away this year’s first-round draft pick to take Queen.
Washington Wizards: D-
- Record: 1-15, 15th in the East
The Wizards have the worst NET rating in the league so far, and it’s not close. But seeing as next year’s lottery odds seem to carry more weight for the organization than wins, everything is going according to plan. Alex Sarr’s improvement early this season is a development to watch.
Brooklyn Nets: F
- Record: 3-13, 13th in the East
The Nets have the NBA’s worst defense and none of their record-setting five first-round draft picks have popped yet in a meaningful way. The objective this season was to again be in position to select a top draft pick, but the lack of foundational pieces makes this situation seem more rudderless than other rebuilding franchises.
Dallas Mavericks: F
- Record: 5-13, 13th in the West
The disastrous Luka Doncic trade has come home to roost quickly with Anthony Davis sidelined again by injury and general manager Nico Harrison fired less than 10 months after pulling off the stunning move. Cooper Flagg is starting to round into form, but the Mavericks could be in rebuilding mode because of how poorly the start to this season has gone.
Los Angeles Clippers: F
- Record: 5-12, 12th in the West
There is perhaps no team underperforming relative to preseason expectations more than the Clippers through the opening month of the NBA season, even as James Harden continues to play at a high level. Kawhi Leonard’s availability is as unreliable as ever, the Clippers lost Bradley Beal to a season-ending injury and offseason acquisitions Chris Paul and Brook Lopez haven’t made a big impact yet.
Sacramento Kings: F
- Record: 4-13, 14th in the West
The Kings have one of the NBA’s five worst offenses and defenses this season with two players making more than $40 million (Zack LaVine and Domantas Sabonis) and another earning $24.5 million (DeMar DeRozan). Unlike many of the teams trending as poorly as Sacramento, the Kings are attempting to be competitive this season. They just haven’t been very often so far.
