Through Week 5 (and the early part of Week 6), the 2025-26 NBA season has continued to live up to the drama of its first month. The Rookie of the Year race is starting to show some real teeth (welcome to the league, Mr. Flagg), the West looks more like a bloodbath every day, and early-season darlings like the Trail Blazers and Bulls are starting to show their limitations.
It's still early, but these are the biggest and hottest takes from NBA action before Thanksgiving hits:
1. Ja and Zion are the two most disappointing busts in NBA history
There is going to be a lot of wordplay throughout this list, starting with this take. Neither are quite the biggest bust in NBA history. That (dis)honor likely goes to Anthony Bennett or Kwame Brown. But we are now seven years into the careers of both of the prizes from the 2019 rookie class, and never before has sheer off-the-court attitude prevented such potential from being realized. Ja Morant made headlines from the bench yet again, and Klay Thompson's comments about the run-in the two had sums it best:
"“He has a lot to say, all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability...It’s kind of been the story of his career so far, leaving us wanting more. We all want to see him out there and do his best...When you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.”"Klay Thompson
And Thompson's right, especially now. Through the early portion of the NBA season, Morant has actually earned negative win shares for the Grizzlies, scoring his lowest average since his rookie year on one of the highest usage rates in the NBA, all on under 17 percent shooting from 3.
Meanwhile, 2019 rookie classmate Zion Williamson's own issues have been well-documented -- to the point that, earlier in his career, Ja was seen as the actual level best of the 2019 class. But while he's finally committed to getting (and keeping) his in shape, Williamson has still failed to play in even half of New Orleans' games, while also putting up career-worst stats in several categories.
Meanwhile, both the Pelicans and Grizzlies are bottom feeders in the West, and the players that they drafted to lead them out of the basement aren't even able to stay on the court to battle the miasma of bad vibes around their careers. And what makes it even sadder is that fans were able to catch just enough of a glimpse of what both Zion and Ja could have been to be disappointed that they will likely never reach those heights.
Again: not biggest busts. Just the most disappointing.
2. Cade Cunningham is the best Piston since Isiah Thomas
Remember that wordplay? It's back.
Cunningham isn't the greatest Piston of all time, let alone since the Bad Boy era. That honor belongs to either one of Chauncey Billups (although...), Rasheed or Ben Wallace -- basically any player from that legendary 2004 team.
However, the 2025-26 Pistons are now the reigning number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and riding the longest win-streak that they've had since. And at the front of this new mighty Pistons squad is Cunningham himself, averaging the third-most single-season points in franchise history. You won't find anyone from those historic 1992-93 and 2003-04 squads on that list, at least not the top 25. And that's not the best bit, either: Cunningham's Pistons are still following in the defensive tradition of Detroit teams past, ranking fourth in the NBA in points allowed per game (112.4).
No, Cunningham isn't nearly as great as those Pistons legends of old. But he's poised to lead the Pistons to their best regular season in years, and is blossoming into a true superstar the team hasn't had since before the Clinton administration.
Not the greatest but he's the best.
3. The Raptors will finish as a top four seed in the East
The Bulls have fallen. Without Giannis in tow, Ryan Hollins isn't enough to keep the Bucks out of even play-in conversations. The Suns have ridden a lighter record to climb the standings, and one believes that Dillon Brooks will average over 20 points per game for a legitimate playoff team. Of all the over-performing teams in the NBA, only Toronto seems to be building a sustainable record of success.
Their 'Big Three' aren't world beaters on their own, Toronto runs a deep team -- you have to go down eight spots to find a player that doesn't have at or above a league-average PPR, 10 spots to find anyone with a negative box plus/minus, and only Ochai Agbaji holds a negative VORP rating. Toronto has a higher net rating than the Spurs and Lakers, all while trailing only the Heat in team assists per game. They likely won't go anywhere in the playoffs, as they lack the top-level star power needed to overcome a lot of the East's best, but Toronto will be one of the best regular season teams by the end of the year.
4. Kon Knueppel is already the Hornets' best player
If the Hornets' record isn't enough to get them off the LaMelo Ball train, the sheer readiness of their newest rookie should be enough. Kon Knueppel's Summer League explosion isn't a fluke, and he's done enough to play early-favorite VJ Edgecombe out of the ROY race for now. And not only that, Knueppel is putting up numbers efficiently in a true leadership role.
Only Miles Bridges averages more minutes per game, owns the best true shooting percentage (65%) of any player that takes threes on meaningful minutes, and is a leader in both box plus/minus and VORP. All this on just under 20 points per game as a rookie. At the very least, Knueppel and fellow rookie Ryan Kalkebrenner are the leaders of Charlotte's future core. But there is an argument to be made that Knueppel is already the Hornets' MVP, or at least competing with Miles Bridges for the nod.