The 2025-’26 NBA preseason has come to an end, stirring basketball fervor amongst devoted fans, including students here at SIS. The preseason, often regarded as a sneak peek into the regular season, places several teams and players into the limelight.

“The [Houston] Rockets are showing notable promise for their offense this season,” Alex Ko (11), last year’s junior varsity basketball player, said. “With the addition of [Kevin] Durant to the team, paired with the solid performance from [Alperen] Sengun and Amen Thompson, I am very excited to see what they will do.”

The Houston Rockets showed immense promise last season, even securing the second seed in the Western Conference of the NBA Playoffs. Many basketball fans see the Rockets’ latest contract with Kevin Durant as a major factor in the upcoming regular season.

“For me, I am personally looking forward to the San Antonio Spurs,” Ryan Bae (12), last year’s varsity basketball MVP, said. “They have been playing really good in the preseason games, with players like [Victor] Wembanyama and Stephon Castle looking like they are stepping up big time. They even have [De’Aaron] Fox, so I think they have a fair chance at around fifth to seventh place in the NBA Finals.”

The Spurs have been receiving a lot of attention for their first pick, Victor Wembanyama, in the 2023 NBA Draft. His size and impact on the court have left many fans speechless, with some even calling him a “cheat code” of the league.

Other players are also stealing media attention, including the “Great White Hope” Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks and “Skinny Luka” Doncic of the LA Lakers. This is just the beginning of this new season—fans will have to wait to see which team emerges victorious as the intensity escalates and the stakes get higher.