The China Mail - NBA teams ring changes but Thunder still fancied to repeat

The Thunder will raise a championship banner on Tuesday when Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets visit while the Los Angeles Lakers entertain the Golden State Warriors in the other opening-night clash.

"It would suck to lose the NBA championship in 2026," Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. "That's the new focus. That's the new goal."

The 27-year-old Canadian guard was last season's NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Finals MVP and league scoring leader with 32.7 points a game. The three-time NBA All-Star added 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocked shot a game.

A survey of NBA team general managers had 80% predicting Oklahoma City would repeat as NBA champion with Cleveland and Denver sharing a distant second on 7%.

The executives survey had Denver and Houston as the best of the rest in the Western Conference with Cleveland and New York atop the East.

Denver center Nikola Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP from Serbia who sparked the Nuggets to the 2023 crown, has his club in contention once again.

Durant, a two-time NBA champion and 2014 NBA MVP who is a 15-time All-Star forward, was traded from Phoenix to Houston in July. He joins Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith in making the Rockets a threat.

Bradley Beal joined the Los Angeles Clippers while Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton landed with the Lakers.

It's the first full season for Luka Doncic with the Lakers while four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, sidelined by injury to start of the Lakers' campaign, prepares at age 40 for a record 23rd season.

"I don't know when the end is, but I know it's a lot sooner than later," James said.

Better off-season conditioning for Doncic has the Slovenian ready to spark the Lakers.

"I would just say way less tired, probably a little quicker because of that," Doncic said.

Ayton had 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds last season in Portland but the Bahamian seven-footer (2.13m) is ready for more in LA.

"This is the biggest opportunity of my career," Ayton said.

The San Antonio Spurs assembled veteran talent around French playmaker Victor Wembanyama while Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler try to lift Golden State back into the playoffs.

In the East, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and six-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell are joined on the Cleveland Cavaliers by Lonzo Ball, who missed two of his past three seasons in Chicago with a knee injury.

"He's a guy that sees the floor naturally," Mitchell said of Ball. "He has always been a pesky defender, but his knowledge, his I.Q., his mental part of the game I think will help us a lot."

Mobley looks for improvement after helping the Cavs capture the East last year with a 64-win season.

"Every year I've been making leaps and leaps, and the past few years has been bigger leaps and this year I'm planning to do the same thing," Mobley said.

"In the offseason, I just go hard and try to prepare myself to make that big leap and I know what I'm giving and know how good I feel."

The New York Knicks remain a threat under new coach Mike Brown while Orlando is improved after obtaining guard Desmond Bane from Memphis.

- Torn tendons abound -

Torn Achilles tendons have sent several stars out for all or most of the upcoming campaign.

Damian Lillard returned to Portland from Milwaukee after suffering one. New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray is out with a torn right Achilles.

Indiana forward Tyrese Haliburton is out for the entire season with a torn right Achilles after sparking the Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals.

Boston forward Jayson Tatum is out with a ruptured right Achilles tendon and Celtics star Jaylen Brown suffered a left hamstring injury in a pre-season game.

With their teams undone, the Celtics moved Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and Pacers center Myles Turner signed with Milwaukee.

V.Liu--ThChM