Top 5 Surprising & Disappointing NBA Teams This Season

We’re over a month into the 2025-26 NBA, and there have been some fascinating surprises across the league – good and bad.  Oklahoma City has been ridiculously good and poised to make another title run.  But for this list, we’ll leave the defending champions off the list as we break down the top five disappointing starts to the season, as well as the best surprising starts.

Disappointing Starts

1. Indiana Pacers

After falling one win short of an NBA championship back in the spring, the Indiana Pacers have had one of the roughest starts in the league.  Injuries have decimated the core: Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, and Andrew Nembhard all dealt with issues. The Pacers are 3rd last in points (110.1) and dead last in 3-point shooting, making just 30.7%, one of the worst numbers in the last two decades.   

2. Washington Wizards

The Wizards’ start has been just as bleak. According to projections, they could be on track for one of their worst seasons in NBA history.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as many analysts pegged them to be a bottom team, but did they expect the Wizards to be this bad? The defense is abysmal, giving up nearly 130 points a game, the worst in the NBA. If you follow some social media forums, many fans feel this season will go down as one of the worst years in history.  

3. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets’ suffering is very real as they started the season 1–10, one of the worst starts in franchise history.   Their roster issue is compounded by other setbacks — for example, Cam Thomas is sidelined for about a month, while coach Jordi Fernández has fielded very short benches in some blowouts.  What’s worse?  The Nets started 0-7 at home, not ideal to keep fans interested.

4. New Orleans Pelicans

Once a team with optimism (new front office, new direction), New Orleans is now facing deep disappointment. The Pelicans opened with a 0–4 stretch and have just 2 wins after 14 games.  The Pelicans aren’t even close in games, losing three by at least 30 points and averaging losses by 17 points.  The roster has major issues, and to make matters worse, the Pelicans don’t have a first-round pick in 2026, having already traded it to Atlanta.

5. Dallas Mavericks

After trading away superstar Luka Doncic back in February, the Mavericks looked like a team in disarray.  Then, they were able to win the draft lottery and select Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.  Hope was restored.  But after a 3-10 start, GM Nico Harrison was fired, and the Mavs remained near the bottom of the league, averaging 110.8 points per game. For a young core expected to grow together, this early turmoil is a deeply deflating surprise.  

Surprising Starts

1. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have been red hot. After dropping the season opener, Detroit has won 14 of 15 games, including 12 in a row. Last year, the Pistons went from the worst team in the league to a playoff team.  Now, they are one of the best teams in the league under second-year coach JB Bickerstaff. Cade Cunningham has been the catalyst, 27.4 PPG and 9.9 REB per game, while Jalen Duren is posting a double-double (20 PPG, 12 REB), becoming one of the best centers in the league.  

2. Toronto Raptors

After going 30-52 last season, many expected the Raptors to be in rebuild mode, but now they are making noise in the East with a recent stretch of 10 wins in 11 games, which included clinching a spot in the knockout stage of the NBA Cup. Head coach Darko Rajakovic has this squad playing solid defense while having a top-10 offense. Led by Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, Toronto is making noise in the top half of the Eastern Conference.

3. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets were one of the best stories last year and have picked up where they left off with a strong defense, as Alperen Sengun is becoming one of the league’s newest stars. Adding Kevin Durant in a trade has made a massive difference as the Rockets are a top-three scoring team (122.9 PPG) with Durant and Sengun. Plus, the defense is stout, which is needed in the tough Western Conference.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

The expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers were huge as the head coach had superstar Luka Doncic from the start of the season.  And Doncic hasn’t disappointed, leading the league in scoring (34.6 PPG) as the Lakers are near the top of the tough West. All this without Lebron James for a month (he is back).   L.A. also has had incredible play from Austin Reaves. Showtime appears to be back in Hollywood.

5. San Antonio Spurs

At the start of the season, the Spurs were considered a team ready to break through. Victor Wembanyama was healthy again after a blood clot scare, and he was finally surrounded by a solid team.  However, no one expected San Antonio to be this good, so quickly as the Spurs have had a tremendous start. Wemby is playing like an MVP candidate, and De’Aaron Fox is playing like an All-Star. Stephon Castle is playing well in his second season, while the Spurs are getting contributions from rookie Dylan Harper.

Conclusion

While it’s just a month into the season, we’re seeing some incredible runs by some teams, good and bad. The Pistons and Thunder look unbeatable, while Washington and New Orleans can’t seem to win.   With more than 60 games left, it’ll be interesting to see how these teams fare.  If these starts continue, some of these teams could shift from underdogs to real threats, or continue tanking for a lottery pick.