NBA Swing: Opening Week Hot Takes

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On Tuesday, the NBA would start its 81st season with a three-game slate that saw a shocking 22-point turnaround between Boston and Detroit, followed by a close battle between the Knicks and 76ers following the Knicks 2026 championship banner raising. Opening night would close with a rematch of the 2026 Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder. With most teams having played at least one game, hot takes can be made for some of those teams.

Boston Chose the Wrong Star

The 2026-27 season would open with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. Nearly halfway through the 3rd quarter, Boston would be up by over 20 points but would end up blowing a 22-point lead as Detroit was able to storm back by the midway point of the 4th quarter. Paul George would have a career debut for Boston, finishing with a game-high 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jayson Tatum, on the other hand, would have an extremely disappointing start to his season. In a game-high 38 minutes, Tatum would finish with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists, shooting 6 of 23 from the field. Tatum would have several defensive lapses and would struggle on the offensive end as well.

Just a couple of hours later, Jaylen Brown would make his regular season debut as a Philadelphia 76er, with the Sixers stunning the defending champion New York Knicks on the banner night. In 35 minutes, Brown would finish with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal,l and a block. Brown would have a more complete game in comparison to his former teammate, while the Sixers looked more complete than the Celtics. With Boston trading Jaylen Brown to the Sixers in July, the Celtics have to prove they’re still a contender without Brown, Tatum has to prove he can carry Boston to a top seed in the East without Brown, and Brown has to prove he can still be a dominant player in a new jersey.

Detroit Will Still Be a Dominant Team

After a summer filled with drama focusing on Jalen Duren and his contract extension, the Pistons would open the 2026-27 season with a 22-point comeback win against the Celtics. Cade Cunningham would finish with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists. Duncan Robinson would have a hot start to the season with 21 points on 5-for-9 shooting from three. The focus would be on Jalen Duren, who would finish with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Detroit would also see a heater from Javonte Green off the bench, who would score 19 points on 5 of 8 shooting from three.

For Detroit, many believed the Pistons would regress tremendously falling the offseason drama following Jalen Duren’s contract discussions and the departure of Tobias Harris, who was Detroit’s most reliable player behind Cunningham during the playoffs. In just one game, Detroit showed they can still be the same team they were last season. While Detroit arguably still needs a second star next to Cunningham, Duren showed he can still be the All-Star caliber player he was last season and help lead the Pistons towards the top of the Conference again.

Anthony Edwards Will Win 2027 MVP

On Wednesday night, the NBA would see its first full night of action with over half the league playing. One game would see the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves led by Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball play against the new-look Miami Heat, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Minnesota would beat the Heat by 25 points, led by a monstrous opening night from Anthony Edwards. In 33 minutes, Edwards would finish with 45 points, on 9 of 17 from three, in addition to 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Many would question the fit of LaMelo Ball next to Anthony Edwards, but on opening night, Melo would give Edwards the opportunity to score the ball without having to focus on distributing the ball as well.

SHEESH. 😮‍💨 https://t.co/3eBLMD6O4d

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 22, 2026

In two of the last three seasons, Ant would finish top 10 in MVP voting. After opening night, Anthony Edwards has shown he is going to have an MVP-caliber year. In the recent NBA GM survey conducted before the start of the season, most GM’s would rank Minnesota as the third-best Western Conference team behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio, but more importantly, they would rank Ant the third most likely to win 2027 MVP behind Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic. With the new-look Wolves and Anthony Edward being able to focus on what he does best, he should be seen as a legitimate contender for the MVP this season.

The Houston Rockets are a Legitimate Contender

The Houston Rockets would start their 2026-27 season in an 18-point win over the Dallas Mavericks. 38-year-old Kevin Durant would open his 20th NBA season with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jabari Smith Jr. would also open the season with 30 points. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson would add 23 points and 16 points, respectively. In his first game in over a year after suffering a torn ACL during a workout in 2025, Fred VanVleet would return, putting up 6 points and 11 assists.

While the Rockets would beat a young Mavericks team, they would get the piece they were desperately missing last season: the veteran leader. While the Rockets were a 52-win team last season, the chemistry was lacking for multiple reasons. With VanVleet on the court and able to provide that veteran presence, it allows the younger stars to grow while also allowing Kevin Durant to do what he does best: score the ball. With questions in the West outside of Oklahoma City and San Antonio, Houston is shown in one game that, with everyone healthy, they should be seen as the first team most likely to come out of the conference, if not one of the top two teams.