ESPN standings data retrieved October 6, 2026. NBA comparisons use the completed 2025–26 regular season. Each upcoming fixture labels preseason or regular-season status.
The team numbers
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|
| STANDARD STATS |
|---|
| Points / game | 117.8 | 8 / 30 |
|---|
| Rebounds / game | 45.6 | 8 / 30 |
|---|
| Assists / game | 27.8 | 11 / 30 |
|---|
| Turnovers / game | 14.2 | 20 / 30 |
|---|
| Steals / game | 10.4 | 1 / 30 |
|---|
| Blocks / game | 6.4 | 1 / 30 |
|---|
| FG% | 48.5% | 3 / 30 |
|---|
| 3PT% | 35.6% | 17 / 30 |
|---|
| FT% | 76.3% | 27 / 30 |
|---|
| THE LAB MEASURES |
|---|
| eFG% | 54.6% | 15 / 30 |
|---|
| Turnover rate | 12.3% | 17 / 30 |
|---|
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
|---|
| Free-throw pressure | 0.292 | 5 / 30 |
|---|
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|
| STANDARD STATS |
|---|
| Points / game | 112.9 | 25 / 30 |
|---|
| Rebounds / game | 41.9 | 26 / 30 |
|---|
| Assists / game | 25.0 | 25 / 30 |
|---|
| Turnovers / game | 15.1 | 29 / 30 |
|---|
| Steals / game | 8.0 | 21 / 30 |
|---|
| Blocks / game | 5.5 | 5 / 30 |
|---|
| FG% | 46.3% | 22 / 30 |
|---|
| 3PT% | 35.9% | 16 / 30 |
|---|
| FT% | 76.6% | 23 / 30 |
|---|
| THE LAB MEASURES |
|---|
| eFG% | 53.5% | 21 / 30 |
|---|
| Turnover rate | 13.2% | 26 / 30 |
|---|
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
|---|
| Free-throw pressure | 0.235 | 26 / 30 |
|---|
ESPN team totals and game box scores checked October 6. NBA season averages and ranks use 2025–26; preseason game results are shown separately. Ranks are within the league, with ties sharing a rank; a lower turnover rate is better. Season offensive rebound rate needs opponent defensive-rebound totals, which this feed does not supply. A dash means unavailable. This game’s offensive rebound rate uses the opponent’s actual rebounds.
How we read the Lab measures
eFG% gives a made three its extra value. Turnover rate estimates the share of plays lost before a shot. Offensive rebound rate is the share of available offensive rebounds collected. Free-throw pressure is FTA/FGA. The calculations are (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM)/FGA; TOV/(FGA + 0.44 × FTA + TOV); OREB/(OREB + opponent DREB); and FTA/FGA.
THE LAB READHow this game can be won
This is preseason. Use the team numbers as background and watch how the new lineups play together. No spread or Lab win probability is published for this game.
Detroit Pistons · our 2026-10-03 assessment
Detroit Pistons
Last season 60-22 | 1st in the East | Lost in conference semifinals
2025-26 efficiency 117.3 offense | 108.9 defense | +8.4 net per 100 possessions
Detroit won 60 games, finished first in the East and lost a home Game 7 to Cleveland in the second round. Its plus-8.4 net rating supported the regular-season achievement. The Pistons dominated the paint, but a narrow first-round escape against Orlando and the subsequent exit showed why that advantage did not solve every half-court possession.
Trajan Langdon added Isaiah Joe, John Collins and Taurean Prince, while Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Caris LeVert departed. Joe directly addresses a real weakness after Detroit finished 28th in made threes. Jalen Duren's reported agreement on a five-year, $200 million contract resolves the camp holdout and keeps the core intact. Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson remain central to the team's identity.
The unresolved issue is a second dependable creator when opponents load up on Cunningham. Joe changes the spacing, but does not replace Harris' ability to create a shot. Stewart's exit also removes defensive frontcourt minutes. Duren and Thompson can produce enormous physical advantages together, yet neither routinely pulls a defender away from the paint. Management improved the surrounding shooting without completely removing the underlying geometry problem.
Projected finish is fifth in the East. That is a forecast of a stronger conference and a reworked rotation, not a dismissal of 60 wins. Detroit should remain difficult to beat. The more meaningful improvement would be a reliable half-court answer that survives a playoff series, even if the regular-season record falls.
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Washington Wizards · our 2026-10-03 assessment
Washington Wizards
Last season 17-65 | 15th in the East | Missed postseason
2025-26 efficiency 109.7 offense | 121.5 defense | -11.8 net per 100 possessions
Washington finished last in the East at 17-65 with a minus-11.8 net rating. The team allowed 121.5 points per 100 possessions, so a more entertaining offense will not be enough by itself. Much of the season was developmental, and the veterans acquired during it barely contributed to those final numbers.
Michael Winger and Will Dawkins now have Trae Young and Anthony Davis together after last season's trades. Young played only five games for Washington and Davis none. The Wizards added first pick AJ Dybantsa, Deandre Ayton and Khris Middleton, while Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and the young perimeter group continue developing. The available roster is materially stronger than the one responsible for most of the 65 losses.
The unresolved concern is whether the lineup balances development with a practical defensive plan. Davis and Sarr can change the interior, but several possible combinations compress the paint and demand disciplined perimeter coverage. Young needs players who can finish the opportunities he creates and protect him on the other end. Management added established names without making the minutes distribution obvious. Veteran health also determines how much the youngsters are being asked to solve.
Projected finish is 12th in the East. We credit the large talent change while refusing to treat a collection of veterans as an automatic playoff team. Washington can escape the bottom tier without immediately becoming coherent. The useful evidence will be a lower defensive rating, a defined role for Dybantsa and lineups that make Young's creation easier to convert.
Complete article →
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