NBA: LeBron James-Luka Doncic mixture for LA Lakers amongst speaking factors as 2025-26 season begins on Sky Sports activities

Forward of the NBA’s return on Tuesday night, listed here are a number of key storylines to look out for in the course of the 2025-26 season.

Will LeBron-Luka mixture work for Lakers?

Essentially the most surprising second of the earlier NBA season got here when Luka Doncic, one of many greatest stars within the league, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers by the Dallas Mavericks.

The gorgeous transfer, which noticed the Mavs actively search to commerce away a 26-year-old famous person, created a blockbuster pairing of the Slovenian alongside the legendary LeBron James, who’s embarking on his twenty third NBA marketing campaign.

The mid-season transfer did not repay in final 12 months’s playoffs because the Lakers went down 4-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves within the first spherical, however with head coach JJ Redick having had a full summer season to work out how finest to utilise the appreciable expertise as his disposal, all eyes might be on the squad as soon as extra.

Nonetheless, they’ve already been dealt a regarding blow with James set to overlook the beginning of the season on account of a sciatic nerve damage.

There had already been nice curiosity in how Reddick and the Lakers hierarchy would deal with an inevitable transition to the crew being constructed round Doncic quite than the 40-year-old James, with there having been indicators the four-time champion may not be delighted by the state of affairs.

There additionally stays the query of how lengthy James will keep on enjoying. There’s little doubt that he might go on enjoying within the NBA for a number of extra years, however solely time will inform whether or not he retains his outstanding need to maintain going as accidents mount.

No matter the way it performs out, there may be assured to be leisure each on and off the court docket in Los Angeles.

Can the Thunder go back-to-back?

A primary-time NBA champion was topped earlier this 12 months because the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder grinded their strategy to the title after dominating the common season.

Regardless of having appeared to obviously be the very best crew within the league as they achieved a spectacular 68-14 document, the Thunder had been pushed all the best way to seven video games by each the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers on their run to glory.

These tight collection had been proof of simply how difficult it’s to interrupt by within the NBA, however with some strain on the younger squad now doubtlessly relieved, they’ll begin as favourites to triumph once more.

Doing so will rely closely on reigning common season and finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose outstanding ascent to the highest of the game exhibits no signal of relenting.

Whereas the Canadian has change into one thing of a lock for 30 factors an evening to go together with a wholesome handful of rebounds and assists, pulling off the appreciable feat of going back-to-back is more likely to require development from his team-mates.

The important thing pairing in that regard are Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who each performed key roles within the title run however nonetheless have room to develop their video games and to change into extra constant.

Any crew with designs on dethroning the Thunder will know there’s a very excessive probability they’re going to have to beat the reigning champs to take action.

Who can problem Thunder in loaded West?

Whereas the construction of the NBA ensures that just one crew from every convention can attain the finals, there’s a clear energy imbalance between the East and the West in the mean time.

In response to the bookies, seven of the highest 10 favourites to win the title come from the West, so it is truthful to counsel that if the Thunder can advance to the finals as soon as extra, they’re going to have overcome their greatest problem.

The obvious candidate to problem them within the West are the Denver Nuggets, who pushed the Thunder to seven video games within the convention semi-finals earlier this 12 months.

The Nuggets have the very best participant within the league, Nikola Jokic, whose expertise is aware of no bounds and permits him to raise the extent of his team-mates with outstanding playmaking.

Denver have added some much-needed depth to their squad, with veteran trio Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr and Jonas Valanciunas all arriving in the summertime after the Nuggets had already acquired Cameron Johnson in a commerce with the Brooklyn Nets.

If the brand new items match, which they inevitably are inclined to round Jokic, the Nuggets are going to be extremely tough to beat within the playoffs.

One other crew to be careful for are the Houston Rockets, who added Kevin Durant to their younger and proficient squad over the summer season, however have been hit by an damage to key participant Fred VanVleet.

Having been crushed within the convention finals for the final two seasons, Anthony Edwards might be trying to take the subsequent step in his growth by going one step higher with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

There’s additionally the ever-present menace of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who will hope they’ll hold an older squad – that includes Jimmy Butler, Draymond Inexperienced and the newly acquired Al Horford – wholesome sufficient to make some noise within the post-season.

Might Giannis be traded?

There have been rumblings over the summer season about the way forward for the person affectionately often known as the Greek Freak, with uncertainty rising round how for much longer Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay with Milwaukee Bucks.

The 2-time MVP stays one of many highest gamers within the league, however for the reason that Bucks claimed the 2020-21 title, they’ve received only one playoff collection throughout the 4 seasons which have adopted.

Whereas Antetokounmpo is partially answerable for this, his degree has largely remained extraordinarily excessive, and there is a feeling that, particularly for the final couple of years, the Bucks have not surrounded him with sufficient expertise to compete with the very best groups within the league.

The 30-year-old supplied additional proof over the summer season that his powers aren’t on the decline as he led Greece to bronze at EuroBasket, and there could be no scarcity of suitors had been he to demand a commerce.

The issue for anybody contemplating buying and selling for Antetokounmpo is that the form of corridor required to amass him may not go away sufficient expertise round him for a crew to have the ability to contend for titles.

It due to this fact appears unlikely that he would go away Milwaukee throughout this season, however subsequent summer season, when he might be only a 12 months away from having the prospect to depart as a free agent, it could possibly be in play.

How aggressive the Bucks are this 12 months is more likely to be a decisive issue, with something lower than a deep run within the play-offs having the potential to depart Antetokounmpo wanting elsewhere to return to championship rivalry.

An enormous probability for the Knicks?

Whereas the favourites for the title are clearly within the West, there’ll after all be a crew from the Japanese Convention within the NBA Finals come June, and the Indiana Pacers confirmed final 12 months that completely something can occur as they pushed the Thunder to seven video games.

That rivalry has certainly been paused by the devastating Achilles damage Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton suffered in sport seven of the finals, which opens the door for a unique crew to emerge from the East this time round.

Maybe the preferred candidate to do are the New York Knicks, who had been crushed within the convention finals by the Pacers final 12 months however come into the brand new season primed to make one other deep playoff run.

They’ve saved collectively the core of their crew led by star level guard Jalen Brunson, added depth to their bench by signing Jordan Clarkson, and maybe most importantly, have made a head teaching change as Tom Thibodeau was changed by Mike Brown.

Thibodeau helped restore the Knicks as a aggressive power throughout his 5 seasons in cost, however his refusal to make use of his bench and overplay his starters repeatedly let to his squad being floor down by the tip of the season.

The Knicks most evident rivals to come back out of the East are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who’ve had a equally steady summer season after a massively disappointing first-round playoff exit adopted an outstanding common season which noticed them go 64-18 to assert the convention’s high seeding.

The Boston Celtics signify one thing of a wildcard, with the 2023-24 champions hopes of mounting one other title problem resting on whether or not star participant Jayson Tatum could make an sooner than anticipated return from an Achilles damage suffered within the playoffs.

Flagg set to star as high rookie

There may be at all times pleasure across the new crop of rookies that come into the NBA every season, however this 12 months’s No 1 choose Cooper Flagg has lengthy been highlighted as a generational expertise.

Hype across the 18-year-old has solely been heightened by the very fact he miraculously landed with Dallas Mavericks, who had only a 1.8 per cent probability of successful the highest choose within the draft lottery.

A fanbase that had been on the point of despair after seeing Doncic traded to the Lakers has been reenergised, with Flagg becoming a member of a roster that already contains Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, though the latter is predicted to overlook a superb chunk of the season as he continues his restoration from a knee damage.

Flagg is formally listed as a small ahead however ought to be capable of fill varied roles along with his mixture of dimension, energy and ability, and will assist the Mavericks make a playoff run this season.

Additionally price searching for is the No 2 choose, level guard Dylan Harper, who will get the chance to play alongside 2023 No 1 choose Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.

Additional down the board, there’s Ace Bailey, who the Utah Jazz chosen with the fifth choose. He garnered a variety of consideration across the draft amid reviews he was attempting to discourage the Jazz from deciding on him, however they did so anyway.

If it weren’t for considerations about his angle and reliability, a clean scoring capability that has led to comparisons with Durant would have ensured he went even greater within the draft.

Final however not least, seven-foot Chinese language heart Yang Hansen has attracted a lot consideration after being picked greater than most anticipated at No 16 by the Portland Path Blazers (through a commerce with the Memphis Grizzlies).

China’s love of basketball means the 20-year-old can have the chance to change into an infinite star in his house nation must be handle to make it within the NBA.

Watch Houston Rockets @ Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers stay on Sky Sports activities + on October 21, from 12.30am UK time.