Let's play another edition of my annual game called Sample Size Roulette, where I answer whether or not the sample size is big enough to say that... the Hawks are better off without Trae Young (0:47), the Mavs should blow it up and trade AD (11:03), the Magic are closer to a play-in team than an East contender (21:45), the Rockets don’t need to add a guard this year (29:48), the Pistons should be co-favorites in the East (40:57), the Thunder could break the 73-win record (51:01), the Clippers are not a playoff team (57:21), Joel Embiid is completely washed (1:05:11), the Suns are a playoff contender (1:13:40), and Wemby could win MVP this season (1:23:47).

In order to preview the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season, let's discuss all 30 teams by grouping them into 10 tiers based on their prospects to contend this season. This is the sixth episode in the 6-part Contender Tiers series, discussing the following tiers:

Tier 2: Playing for Second Place

4) Cleveland Cavaliers (1:51)

3) New York Knicks (14:17)

Tier 1: Deserving Favorites

2) Denver Nuggets (27:52)

1) Oklahoma City Thunder (39:22)

In order to preview the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season, let's discuss all 30 teams by grouping them into 10 tiers based on their prospects to contend this season. This is the fifth episode in the 6-part Contender Tiers series, discussing the following tiers:

Tier 4: Too Old, Too Injury Prone

10) Los Angeles Clippers (1:52)

9) Golden State Warriors (14:17)

Tier 3: Lurking, With Some Luck

8) Orlando Magic (25:46)

7) Houston Rockets (36:17)

6) Minnesota Timberwolves (46:51)

5) Los Angeles Lakers (55:23)