by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 10/2/2026 Photo by Greg McCabe/AP The wait is over. A new NBA season is on the horizon, and all 30 teams enter the year with a clean slate and something to prove. Some teams are seemingly playoff bound. Others are trying to force their way into contender conversation and prove everyone wrong. But before the season actually starts and everything we think we know gets thrown out the window, it's the perfect time to take an actual l