Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n
Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cJalen Johnson is the one guy they have with room to improve, but he’s going to need players around him. I mean, he can do everything. He is a heck of a player, and he had a great year. He definitely has upside and can get to another level. Him getting to another level is just improving each of the things he does, because he does everything just so good. He can be a little bit better of a shooter, be a little bit better of a driver. All those things will keep getting better. I don’t see him changing into a different player because he’s pretty much an all-around player on both sides of the ball. So it’s figuring out what pieces around him fit.\u201dRead the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Boston Celtics<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI think they’ll be good just because Joe Mazzulla is a really good coach; they’re going to win their games and be competitive. I don’t know if they’re necessarily a contender just because I don’t trust Paul George. \u2026 How much does PG really have? Last year he was relatively healthy, but he was suspended for that stretch. So let’s see where he is at. I think he’s a good complement to Jayson Tatum. I know there were always questions, was it Tatum or Jaylen Brown’s team? It’s Tatum’s team. And I think PG will accept that.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brooklyn Nets<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cBrooklyn has a couple of the young kids that are interesting. Mikel Brown Jr., I’ll be interested to see what he can do. If Egor D\u00ebmin takes a jump, that’ll be interesting. The thing that I don’t understand is you bring in Julius Randle and you have Michael Porter Jr. I know you’re trying to win some games, but those guys aren’t going to help your young guys develop, which is critical for your team. Those guys are about themselves. I don’t know. I didn’t get the Randle trade at all.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cBrandon Miller could be a great small forward if he develops the work ethic to be that. I look at him and I don\u2019t see the physical development. I don\u2019t see the work in the weight room. If you’re going to match up against NBA small forwards, you have to get stronger. He wants to be like Jayson Tatum and those types of guys, but you have to put on muscle and weight for that. So I think he wants it, but I don’t know if he’s willing to do what it takes to get to it.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chicago Bulls<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI think Caleb Wilson is going to be really good. He\u2019s three years out, but I mean, on this team, I could see him getting 15 points per game. He’s going to be really, really good, and that’ll be a nice three-guard lineup. But they’re going to have to go through their growing pains. He’s just a young kid.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI expected Cleveland to get where they got [last year]. I knew they would probably learn from the year before, and they did. I think the questions with them start with Kenny Atkinson. Is he a good enough coach? I didn\u2019t like how he schemed in the playoffs. They didn\u2019t have any answers for the Knicks. Now James Harden is older and I don\u2019t know how their pieces are going to match.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n COVER STORY: Inside the Mind (and Roots) of Luka Don\u010di\u0107, the New Face of the Lakers<\/a>Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cKyrie Irving returning will be a big help. For one thing, he takes the best defender off of Cooper Flagg. In a lot of cases, if a team has one great perimeter defender, he’s going to be on Kyrie. So that helps anybody when that is the situation. And then Kyrie’s playmaking, drawing help, maybe Flagg can get some easier buckets off the ball.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n &amp;lt;section data-block=&amp;#34;SingleChoice&amp;#34;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h2&amp;gt;Who will win the NBA championship in 2026-27?&amp;lt;\/h2&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;span style=&amp;amp;quot;font-size: 12px;&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;gt;Make your pick and continue to the final results page to see how your answer compares&amp;amp;lt;\/span&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;span style=&amp;amp;quot;font-size: 12px;&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;gt; \u27a1\ufe0f&amp;amp;lt;\/span&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;\/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Spurs&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Thunder&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Knicks&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;76ers&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;\/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;\/section&amp;gt;<\/p>\n Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cThe Michael Porter Jr.-Cam Johnson swap didn\u2019t really work out. Johnson is equally a bad defender, but smaller, so it makes him a worse defender. Porter Jr., I would say, is a better offensive player and very good shooter. He’s probably tough to be around, but it did not make them better defensively. It did not make them better offensively. It didn’t help their rebounding. So yeah, it was a net loss.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Detroit Pistons<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cCade Cunningham proved he was a top-10 guy last season. He made a huge leap. The next step for him is playing off the ball. He\u2019s so ball dominant. Once you have a guy that just handles and makes every decision, you can scheme against him in the playoffs. They can have a great regular-season record but once you get into the playoffs, a team can scheme against the one action.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cSteph Curry is amazing. Other than the injuries, there\u2019s no regression. I mean, I’m sure if you watch film from 2017 or something, you would see some differences, but he’s still one, two and three on your scouting report when you play them if he’s healthy. \u2026 I think they’re going to have to make a trade or Jimmy Butler’s going to have to come back a little bit early and be really healthy. Until he comes back, I think they’re going to be in trouble.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Houston Rockets<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cAmen Thompson is an interesting player. He still can’t really shoot, but he put up great numbers. He’s a threat offensively because of how he plays. He’s a good example of a guy that approaches the game in a humble manner because he doesn’t try to force his weaknesses. So if he keeps that up, he’s still going to be a problem. Obviously defensively, he’s one of the most versatile guys in the conference. But he’s still a guy you try to hide someone on. So he’s going to have to probably take a notch up to get the Rockets to the next level.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indiana Pacers<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI don’t know if they’re just going to jump right back to where they were before Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s injury. I think they’ll be good, but it’s just going to be like, how does Tyrese come back? And [Ivica] Zubac, how will they utilize him? Rick Carlisle’s a great coach who will figure it out. \u2026 The problem Zubac had in Clipperland was he just clogged up the paint. The Clippers were better when he was hurt and not playing. He’s a great center, and I guess he’ll be better for Indiana than he was with the Clippers because those guys in Indiana are shooters. Haliburton will be taking the step-back three. He’s not James Harden or Kawhi Leonard playing in the paint, mid-range, where it\u2019s clogged up. The Pacers\u2019 wings are shooting threes. That will help.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n NEXT: We Simulated the 2026-27 Season 100 Times on NBA 2K27. Here Are the Results.<\/a>Los Angeles Clippers<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cThe Clippers are going to be interesting to watch. But I\u2019m not sure there will be any easy answers for them. \u2026 I’m not a big Brandon Ingram fan. I know he had some good games last year, but he backed into the All-Star Game and he has a lot of flaws. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong, but I don’t think he’s the kind of guy you can just run all the actions for, get him all the shots. He’s a more complimentary guy just because you look at him, you see his size and his length. I\u2019m not really sold on him.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201dI think the Lakers are going to be in trouble defensively. Walker Kessler is known for shot blocking, or I guess he’s known for his defense, but really he’s a good shot blocker. He’s not, I don’t think, a great all-around defender. But he can protect the rim. So I guess step one is not to give up layups. I\u2019ll be curious to see how he does. \u2026 Offensively, Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves are great. But which one of them is going to guard?\u201c Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cCameron Boozer is the surest bet of this rookie class. He can shoot the three already and he can pass. In Memphis, he is going to have the ball all the time. I would think he will have a pretty good season in terms of being a playmaker, spacing the floor, and then if he could find a good pick-and-roll partner, hitting that ball in the pocket and making plays with his vision, I think he’d be a pretty good weapon offensively, even though he’s not known as great of an athlete or physical specimen or anything like that. He still has decent size. And when you can shoot, all of a sudden you’re a little bit bigger.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Miami Heat<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cThey need playmaking and shooting. I mean, those two, Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s going to be interesting seeing them playing together. Defensively, they’re going to be really good inside. But they really need a guard that can create and get his own shot, but also find those two guys. There’s only so much of Giannis just taking the ball up the court by himself. You saw what happened in Milwaukee, the ability to take the ball up the court himself\u2014it’s not like they won anything in the last few years.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cMilwaukee is going to be at the development stage. Tyler Herro’s a heck of a player, but I don’t know. It’ll be interesting to see how he does without players around him. He might just put up a lot of points on a losing team. I mean, they had to do what they had to do, and they got good players. Hopefully, Jaime Jaquez continues to develop.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Minnesota Timberwolves<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI don’t know how much LaMelo Ball moves the needle. I don’t know that Minnesota’s any worse. I think clearly they felt the need to have a point guard so that Edwards doesn’t handle the ball as much, and I agree with that line of thinking. I just don’t know how much LaMelo helps with that. They’ve migrated towards being more of an offensive team at times, and they were really selfish last year. I mean, they really played selfish. LaMelo won\u2019t. So that could help.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n NBA Championship Power Rankings: Where Does Your Favorite Team Stack Up?<\/a>\u00a0New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cThey invested a lot in Derik Queen, but I don\u2019t see it. I have a low, low opinion. He doesn\u2019t seem like a real high-motor guy when you watch him in pregame or in the game. I thought he had some fake numbers from the start of the season that he got a little bit of hype on. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s that good. Again, I could be wrong, but when he\u2019s at his best, it feels like you have to play through him, and if you\u2019re playing through him, that means Zion Williamson is a liability because he\u2019s not defending and he doesn\u2019t have the ball in his hands. So, I don\u2019t think they\u2019re a great fit together for that reason.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n &amp;lt;section data-block=&amp;#34;SingleChoice&amp;#34;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h2&amp;gt;Who will win NBA MVP in the 2026-27 season?&amp;lt;\/h2&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;span style=&amp;amp;quot;font-size: 12px;&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;gt;Make your pick and continue to the final results page to see how your answer compares&amp;amp;lt;\/span&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;span style=&amp;amp;quot;font-size: 12px;&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;gt; \u27a1\ufe0f&amp;amp;lt;\/span&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;\/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Victor Wembanyama&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Shai Gilgeous-Alexander&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Luka Don\u010di\u0107&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Nikola Joki\u0107&amp;lt;\/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;\/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;\/section&amp;gt;<\/p>\n New York Knicks <\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cFor the Knicks, it is about staying healthy. Mike Brown did a great job managing minutes last year and he has to do that again. Obviously, losing Mitchell Robinson, can Andre Drummond replace those minutes? That will be huge.\u00a0They had an awesome run [in 2026]. They really executed the game plan against the Spurs. Jalen Brunson was unreal. I feel like it’s going to be pretty hard to replicate that next year to the same level. They’ll probably be tough in the playoffs because of the experience they have if they’re healthy, but I probably wouldn’t put them as a clear-cut favorite right away. Losing Robinson’s going to hurt a little bit. He may help Boston more than he hurts them because of the way Joe [Mazzulla] likes to play the rebounding game. But, I mean, he’s the best rebounder in the league, so it’s going to hurt a little bit.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI think they will miss Lu Dort a little during the year because he understands how they’re trying to play and he\u2019s a guy that has a level of every-night competitiveness. But in the playoffs, the guy to me that they probably will miss more is Isaiah Joe. I think Joe is a legit shooting threat and defensively is more than capable as what people would consider a minus defender. Now, maybe Jared McCain grows as a player and gets better, but I think he\u2019s a worse defender than Joe.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Orlando Magic<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cThe Magic\u2019s problem last season was that their pieces were the same. Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner were all the same player. They all need the ball. They all need to create with the ball. They didn’t have a point guard that could get guys shots. If they had an offensive point guard that was a better decision-maker that can run the team and get guys shots and make sure everybody was happy getting enough shots, then that might’ve worked.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cThe question with the 76ers is like, who\u2019s your go-to guy when you need it? Because they got a bunch of guys that can create. I know everybody\u2019s saying it\u2019s Tyrese Maxey, Maxey\u2019s the guy, but Jaylen Brown was an MVP candidate last year. He had an unbelievable season. He carried a Boston team, and I don\u2019t think he wants to take a back seat just because he got traded. And then you got LeBron who is going to want the ball. I don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to all play out with that group. Who\u2019s going to fill what role? And you still have freaking Joel Embiid, what are his expectations?\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cMiles Bridges is one of those guys that passes the eye test. Analytics test, he’s not as strong. But I think he’ll help the Suns just with the size. They’re going to be a pretty big, physical team on the perimeter. So I would expect him to be able to switch and guard some bigger guys with him, Dillon Brooks, even Devin Booker’s not slight. Booker is not an A+ defender either, but he’s no slouch and he can fight. Bridges adds quite a bit of the same to that, so they’ll be pretty hard to attack with your small-small stuff.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n NEXT: Predicting the 2026\u201327 NBA Award Winners: MVP, Rookie of the Year and More<\/a>Portland Trail Blazers<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI don\u2019t like how things look in Portland. Bad ownership, a coach with a bad contract and bad players together. Bad fits. Everything in Portland is a bad fit right now, top to bottom. They\u2019ve got some guys. I like Toumani Camara. I like Shaedon Sharpe when he is healthy. But if you are asking me which team falls out of the playoffs, they are at the top of the list.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sacramento Kings<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cEveryone expects Sacramento to be bad, and they will be. But if Domantas Sabonis is healthy, they are going to win some games. He raises the floor on whatever team he is on. He can help a bad team compete and win a game, but he’s never going to get you over the level you need to win consistently. But he can get a triple-double one night, and if someone else gets hot, maybe they can win a few games that way.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cVictor Wembanyama is going to have a monster regular season. If the Spurs take the minutes restrictions off, he\u2019s going to put up some ridiculous numbers. We can assume that he’s a little stronger and healthier, and will get a bump just from that.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Toronto Raptors<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cToronto is a good team if Kawhi Leonard is healthy, which is always a big if. But the one thing they need is some shooting around him. They have Immanuel Quickley, but Quickley didn’t shoot the ball well last year. So if he can step up and make shots, that will help. RJ Barrett’s not a great shooter. They still haven’t addressed the center position. Jakob Poeltl, he’s always hurt, and then the next guy up is a 6′ 8″ Collin Murray-Boyles, who I really like, and I think he’s going to be really good, but he shouldn’t have to play center. But their bench isn’t very strong.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Utah Jazz<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI like Will Hardy as a guy, interested to see what Will as a coach is now able to show. He\u2019s perceived as this great coach who has been dealt a bad hand. Maybe he is. Now we get to find out. Darryn Peterson’s going to be really interesting to me to see how he does with all the controversy around him last year, but clearly has a skill set. I’m not a Keyonte George believer, so we’ll see what that looks like.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Washington Wizards<\/p>\n Anonymous NBA scout: \u201cI really like some of their young guys. I\u2019m a big Bub Carrington fan. Kyshawn George, too. They’re young athletes that can play and have upside. They can play with the ball. Carrington is a smooth-handle athlete, point guard. George, just on the wing, his ability to show upside and his skill set with his size. I just think they’re young players that can grow. The fear has to be that it\u2019s going to turn into an AD-Trae Young show that nobody else develops. Trae just loves to dribble, dribble, dribble, and it’s going to be those two guys getting the majority of shots.\u201d Read the full anonymous scouting report here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n PODCAST\u00a0\ud83c\udfa7: Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast,\u00a0Open Floor, below or on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on\u00a0SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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