The NBA Season Has Finally Arrived

Real, tangible basketball! We are finally here. As we head into the 2026-27 NBA season, we have a few questions for our opening trio of games: Will Ausar Thompson ascend to Detroit’s second option alongside Cade Cunningham? What does Joe Mazzulla regular-season basketball look like without Jaylen Brown? Who will play off the ball in San Antonio’s three-guard lineup? Will the Knicks have a championship hangover? Then, we’ll head to the pressure meter to assess Nick Nurse’s job security in Philadelphia, Chet Holmgren’s to-do list this season, Luka’s expectations and more. And finally, we’ll check in on Ben Simmons’ devastating Achilles injury and how Oklahoma City can build around Cason Wallace’s new contract. Host: Dave DuFour With: Es Baraheni Producer: Zuri Irvin Audio/Video: Josh Sexton 00:00 - Intro 02:58 - Celtics @ Pistons Preview 05:42 - Sixers @ Knicks Preview 11:50 - Thunder @ Spurs Preview 17:05 - Pressure Meter 35:29 - Latest news Sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union Thumbnail credit: Gregory Shamus, Ethan Miller, Joshua Gateley, Ronald Cortes, Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Full Episodes Playlist:    • Full Episodes | The Athletic NBA Daily   Shorts Playlist:    • Shorts