While we expected the Indiana Pacers to fall from grace with the injury and rehabilitation of Tyrese Haliburton, not many people gave a second thought to the Chicago Bulls starting off on top in the first week of the 2025-26 NBA season. All of the eyes were on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons to be the ones flexing – instead they’re in the middle of the pack 3-4 games in.
Chicago Bulls (3-0)
In a city riddled with crime and negativity, the Bulls seem to be on the right path to making restitution for the crimes of the GarPax Era by producing a team that has started putting out the dumpster fires of Gar Forman and John Paxson. Who’d have thought if you took away the talent(s) of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Alex Caruso and left Nikola Vucevic hanging with the likes of Josh Giddey, Kevin Huerter, and Ayo Dosunmu that you’d start the season 3-0?
While they all count and are impressive given the Bulls’ past decade, they have all been with the margin of error – they beat the Pistons by four at home, the Orlando Magic by a half dozen on the road, and then skipped past the Atlanta Hawks by five last night.
Vucevic is averaging a double-double at 20 and 13, Giddey is pumping in 19.3 points a night, and Dosunmu is hitting at a 16.7 ppg clip. Giddey is also averaging 8.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists, while Dosunmu is shooting lights out from three at 60 percent thus far. Tre Jones leads the league with 3.3 steals a night.
This kind of start hasn’t been done since the 2021-22 season – call them the Unbelieva-Bulls.
Cleveland Cavaliers (3-1)
High expectations for the Cavs and head coach Kenny Atkinson after a 64 win season last year to bowing out against the Pacers unexpectedly and underwhelmingly in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Gone is Isaac Okoro … but in is Lonzo Ball, who finally seems healed and raring to go. Donovan Mitchell is still Spida and seemingly finally committed to being a Cavalier and not a rumored New York Knick.
But – stats aside – it seems Evan Mobley is hell bent on making sure he stands tall and talented in this lineup. Mobley is averaging 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists through four early contests. He’s also got a team high two block average and 1.8 steals, doing work on both ends. Ball has been focused on being a facilitator, while Mitchell leads the team in scoring at 31.3 points, shooting 56.4 from the field and 78.8 percent from the line.
Their lone loss was to the Knicks on both team’s opening, on the road, in Madison Square Garden. They seemed to have learned quickly from that sting, and reeled off three straight over the Brooklyn Nets, the Bucks, and the Pistons by an average of 7.67 points.
Milwaukee Bucks (2-1)
Giannis Antetokuonmpo is flexing this season already – and not just the poses where he’s showing his sculpted guns, though those are handy since he’s carrying the load at 36 points (second in the NBA), 16 rebounds (No. 1 in the league), and seven assists. He’s also shooting 66.7 from the arc, third in the league.
The Bucks are on notice as the Greek Freak has been very open about his desire to play for a winner, even if that’s not in the NBA, but back home in Greece – citing any of the four teams in his home country. In fact, wife and children are already over in Greece.
The team has even signed brothers Thanasis Antetokuonmpo and Alex Antetokuonmpo so that they can both keep Giannis company in place of his family as well as be known for something other than being names on the bottom of his signature Nike shoes.
The Bucks opened the season handing former teammate Khris Middleton and the Washington Wizards their first loss by 13 points, then beat the Toronto Raptors on the road, and lost to the Cavaliers Sunday night. They host the Knicks tonight in Milwaukee.
Detroit Pistons (2-2)
Before I dig into the Pistons, let me take a moment to congratulate head coach JB Bickerstaff on 300 career wins.
Kudos, my guy – love your family, the Bickerstaff legacy, and the fact that it’s continuing into the next generation. Closing in on dad’s 419 quicker than expected and this year should add to that significantly.
With that, it’s time for Cade Cunningham (20.3 points, 7.8 assists) to deliver on the promise of his talent when he was drafted; injuries have affected that, but now is his time to shine.
Also for Ausar Thompson (14.3 points, 3.5 assists) to be identical to his brother Amen Thompson from an impact standpoint. And for Jalen Duren (13.3 points shooting 57.6 from the field and 9.3 rebounds) to take that next step in his evolution. This year. The additions of Caris Levert and Duncan Robinson are nice fringe benefits – but this roster is as tough as they come.
And while ‘Bad Boys” is already copyrighted by the 1990s Detroit Pistons (and Bad Boys II would be too arcane and require Gabrielle Union in a bikini), I think these Pistons have the chance to set themselves apart as the name on the outside of Samuel L. Jackson’s wallet in Pulp Fiction.
Indiana Pacers (0-3)
My heart is heavy seeing a winless Pacers team, especially as impressively as they battled into a double overtime home opener against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder (yes, I’m going to write that as much as I can this year – sue me).
With Haliburton relegated to unofficial coaching duties and dapper male model, be very worried about the 2026-27 revenge tour from G-Shock Jr. and the Pacers.
The downside for Indiana this season will be the improvement of teams like the Pistons, the Miami Heat, and, yes, even the Washington Wizards. Standing still is the fastest way of moving backward in a rapidly changing and improving division, conference, and league.
That doesn’t mean that players like Benedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Obi Toppin are standing still and accepting what fate has handed them. Mathurin is averaging 31 points a night shooting 54.8 percent along with seven rebounds. Siakam is putting up 26 points, 10.3 rebounds, and six dimes a night. And Toppin is having to play center quite often with the departure of Myles Turner to the Bucks. At 6’9” that’s a taller-than-Obi order, but he’s chipping away with admirable hustle and effort, which will only make him better.
And while nothing in Indianapolis goes in reverse, I don’t expect these Pacers to either. Forward to the flag. Never try quitting and never quit trying.
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Tracy ‘T-Money’ Graven is the Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com owner of TMoneyMedia.com and also has his posts on SubStack at allballs.substack.com
He has written the NBA, appeared as a guest on NBA Radio, and the last 25+ years for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show, NBARadioShow.com, and also tackles the NFL and NCAA. He’s spent 25+ years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (CBA, G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.
He has raised five kids, and now currently resides in the heart of SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee – home of the 2024 Men’s Baseball World Series Champion Tennessee Volunteers.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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