When it comes to NBA predictions, I am always suspicious of consensus, so I’ve got a few that go against the grain of popular opinion.
When I see everyone fall in love with the same team, or underestimate another, I immediately get suspect, which is the case with several teams this season, including the Pistons.
Here are some (probably wrong) against-the-grain predictions for the 2026-27 NBA season.
The Detroit Pistons will win the Eastern Conference
Most of the pundits weren’t impressed with the Pistons’ offseason and don’t think they did enough to keep up in the Eastern Conference.
I’ve not seen one person pick the Pistons to win the East this season even though they are fresh off 60 wins, have more continuity than anyone and addressed a major need in the offseason.
Most of the focus was on what they didn’t do, which is add another star player or secondary scoring option, which could come back to haunt them, I will concede.
But I love the early returns on the Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson core and believe in their internal development.
I also love the fact that they are being written off, as this team is at its best when they are underestimated. Everyone is sleeping on the Pistons, which is exactly how they like it.
Detroit may not win 60 games again this season, but they’ll do enough to take the East.
One or both of the 76ers and Heat will miss the playoffs
The major reason cited for the predicted falloff for the Pistons is that the East got better, but games are not won in the offseason, so I’ll need to see it before I put some of these teams ahead of Detroit.
That includes Philly, the darling of the offseason, a team that is stacked 1-5 but has big questions after that, especially at center. If Embiid gets hurt, which seems like a certainty at this point, they don’t have much behind him.
LeBron is pushing 42 years old. He is superhuman but there has to be a fall off at some point (right?)
Maybe it all goes smoothly, they all share the ball, everyone stays healthy, etc... but there is a world in which it goes south, and I don’t see Philly having the depth to hang if they have injuries.
Same with the Heat, who also lack depth after trading a chunk of their roster for Giannis and are also relying on some players on the wrong side of 30.
Miami may be good defensively, but they are going to struggle to score with little creation and guys like Klay Thompson who are well past their prime.
Giannis and Bam may be good enough to drag them into the playoffs, but it feels like Miami is a year away from being a real threat in the East.
The Mavericks are the sleeper in the Western Conference
No, I don’t think the Mavs are going to win the West or even make the playoffs outright, but I do think they’ll be this year’s Suns/Trail Blazers team that surprises people and makes the play-in tournament.
If Kyrie Irving is healthy all season, he might be too good to trade. Cooper Flagg looks poised for an All-Star leap, and I like their collection of wings and bigs who are all competitors and should take a lot of the responsibility off Flagg.
This may not be a wild take, but the Mavericks will win 45 games this year and make the play in.
The Magic will knock one of the Knicks or Cavaliers out of the top four
I think the Magic are quietly a team to watch. If we are being honest, they probably would have beaten the Pistons in round one had Franz Wagner not gotten hurt, and if they had, we’d be talking about both teams very differently.
I like head coach Sean Sweeney and think he’ll add more creativity to an offense that desperately needed it. The Magic also had a slew of injuries last season, so better health may be enough in itself to propel them up the standings.
The Knicks and Cavaliers are in title or bust mode and probably don’t care as much about seeding, especially New York, who just wants to be healthy for the playoffs and won't care as much about the regular season as Orlando.
I like one of New York or Cleveland to drop out of the top four and Orlando to move up, though I feel worse about this prediction than any of the others, as it relies on the Magic to stay healthy.
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