Zach Kram

30 NBA teams, seven tiers, one clear title favorite: How the league stacks up ESPN's Zach Kram and Kevin Pelton sort NBA teams into seven tiers based on outlook for success at the end of the regular season and beyond.

30 teams, 7 tiers! It's my new piece with @kpelton.bsky.social

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

NBA rookie rankings: Where do Flagg, Edgecombe and more land early this season? From top-10 picks to late first-round draft steals, who are the top rookies that have impressed early this season?

The first edition of ESPN's 2025-26 NBA Rookie Rankings features not one, not two, but *three* Charlotte Hornets, plus a surprising player at no. 1

There's a ton of really exciting NBA action tonight, but watching Victor Wembanyama in person in this 4th quarter has been a religious experience

Nikola Vucevic posted career-best efficiency numbers last season, and he's been even better to start 2025-26. He just hit a corner 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to complete a Bulls comeback from a 24-point deficit against the 76ers.

Pretty cool story for the 35-year-old center.

Are the Spurs actually a contender? Debating four early-season storylines ESPN national analysts Zach Kram and Kevin Pelton debate the biggest early-season questions about Victor Wembanyama, Austin Reaves, Cooper Flagg and more.

I teamed up with @kpelton.bsky.social to debate some early-season storylines, including:

- Are the Spurs true contenders?
- Magic or Hawks?
- Is Austin Reaves the Lou Gehrig to LeBron's Wally Pipp?

Little Big League’s Billy Heywood also did some important 1924 Game 7 guy remembering during an important baseball game

I can’t believe you’ve replaced me with another 1924 World Series remembrance partner. I thought that was my niche.

Sports are amazing because our great-great-grandchildren are going to know Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s name because of what he did this week

But the Blue Jays' closest equivalent to a technicolor dreamcoat is the home run jacket, and homers don't count for BABIP

Important analytical question: Do the Thunder keep playing overtimes because Oklahoma Thunder abbreviates as OT?

Is your NBA team built to win a title now or later? Where all 30 teams stack up ESPN analyst Zach Kram analyzes our Now or Later rankings, where the first-place team is the most desperate to win now and the 30th-place franchise is the most content to win later.

It's my last big 30-team preview as the season begins: the Now or Later rankings, which measure each team's urgency to win now

Overtime between two title contenders in the opener seems like a good omen for this NBA season

It’s cool that every key Thunder player is back this season, so they can all receive their rings together tonight

NBA 2025-26 season preview: Rankings, predictions and what to know for all 30 teams What do you need to know for all 30 NBA teams for the 2025-26 season? Here are the stars, stats and bets ahead of opening night.

I also wrote 30 bold predictions, one for each team, for the big season preview from the ESPN staff

What's next for OKC? Three paths forward for SGA and the champs ESPN analyst Zach Kram breaks down whether Oklahoma City is past, in or entering the best version of its roster.

The defending champs might be on the verge of a dynasty, so I explored the possible futures for the Thunder as they attempt to become the NBA's first repeat champion since the Durant-era Warriors

An NBA dynasty reborn? Why the Warriors could be more dangerous than you think ESPN analyst Zach Kram details why Golden State's championship window might not be closed after all.

I've seen a lot of people say the Warriors' window is closed—but I think they're still a dangerous contender in the West this season. Here's why:

Wemby, Luka, Ant? Examining the players primed to become the face of the NBA ESPN analyst Zach Kram explores the paths and players who could follow in Curry and James' footsteps.

The "face of the NBA" title has shifted neatly from Magic and Bird to Jordan to Kobe to LeBron and Curry. But who comes next?

My new story on the possible paths for Wemby, Ant, Luka, Flagg, and more:

Why Dwight Howard absolutely belongs as a first-ballot Hall of Famer The long, undistinguished final arc of Dwight Howard's career masks just how high he climbed at his peak.

Earlier this week, I also wrote about new Hall of Famer Dwight Howard, one of the most underrated stars in league history

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

Who's next? Tiering Hall of Fame chances for 50 active NBA stars From top-75 locks to vets on the bubble, Zach Kram runs down the active NBA players on the path to Springfield.

With the new Basketball Hall of Fame class being inducted this weekend, I surveyed the active players who are most likely to join them in the future

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

The stat that could swing every NBA team's 2025-26 season What numbers are teams focused on with just over a month until camp? Zach Kram runs down the big stat for all 30 franchises.

I have fun with this piece every year: Here's the key statistic for all 30 teams entering the 2025-26 season

Franchise-shifting trades to draft disasters: Roster mistakes for all 30 NBA teams since 2020 Zach Kram examines the deals, trades and picks that all 30 NBA teams would like to take back from the 2020s.

This was a fun one to write: I ranked all 30 NBA teams' worst mistakes of the 2020s thus far, from confounding contracts to disastrous draft picks to franchise-altering terrible trades

I don't understand the sentiment I've seen online that Bradley Beal is an upgrade over Norm Powell at this stage of their careers

The NBA is closing in on its first $1 million per game player The reigning MVP will get close, but the league is still waiting for its first $82 million per year player.

SGA will earn almost $1 million per game in the final year of his new supermax contract. The first NBA player to cross that threshold is coming soon.

I dove into all the implications of this financial milestone in a new piece for ESPN.

NBA free agency 2025: New West tiers after flurry of moves Did any West team do enough to challenge the champs? Zach Kram runs through a new-look conference.

I tiered the 15 Western Conference teams after the initial offseason flurry. The Thunder are in a group of their own, but who's closest to catching the champs?

NBA free agency winners and losers: Where Houston, Atlanta -- and, yes, the Lakers -- check in From big-man depth to the New Orleans Pelicans, here are the early winners and losers of early NBA free agency.

Offseason winners and losers!

Lillard news is the first of the offseason that literally caused my jaw to drop

Wrote about Luke Kornet in today's piece (espn.com/nba/story/_/...). Advanced stats *love* his impact on both ends.

Only two players with at least 800 minutes last season averaged at least 20 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 3-pointers per 36 minutes. One was Chris Boucher. The other was Victor Wembanyama.

Featuring one of my favorite stats I've discovered in a while

Seven underrated NBA free agents -- and teams that should sign them As the Finals showed, a deep bench can make the difference. Here are seven players to watch this week, including former champions and a Hall of Famer.

Before the free agent frenzy begins, here are 7 underrated targets this summer, from post-prime award-winners to unheralded analytics darlings and more:

My draft value chart has the difference between the 13th and 23rd picks as equivalent to no. 28.

In other words, as long as the Pelicans and Bucks aren't 2 of the 3 best teams in the NBA next season, the Hawks won this trade based on pick value.