We’re a week away from opening tipoff for the 2025-26 NBA season with a few familiar faces and some new ones ready to take the court starting Oct. 21.
Victor Wembanyama will be back and healthy to start the season after being shut down last February because of a blood clot in his right shoulder. And Zion Williamson will be back after playing in only 30 games last season for the New Orleans Pelicans because of various injuries.
But you’ll have to wait to see a few notable superstars debut this season. Los Angeles Lakers front man LeBron James is expected to sit out three to four weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Plus, Kyrie Irving appears to be working his way back from his season-ending ACL tear last March.
Before we get caught up in the whirlwind of the regular season, our NBA insiders provide updates on the injury status of key players and break down who is primed to make a notable return during opening week and who to keep an eye on as the regular season progresses.
Zion Williamson, F, New Orleans Pelicans
There was skinny Jokic. Then skinny Doncic dazzled on the cover of Men’s Health. Now it’s skinny Zion who has many buzzing about the Pelicans this season, as he appears to be in his best shape since looking like a once-in-a-generation prospect at Duke. Williamson credits Daniel Bove, the Pelicans’ director of performance and sports science, for helping him transform his body through boxing and working out on a football field while rehabbing from a hamstring injury that plagued him all last season.
In six seasons in the league, Williamson has played 60 or more games only twice and was shut down last season in March after dealing with a bone bruise, having played only 30 games.
“I really felt a shift in my body to where I would look at [Bove] and say, ‘Dude, it feels good to feel good.’ I haven’t felt like this since college, high school, where I can walk into a gym, I feel good.” — Ohm Youngmisuk
Anthony Davis, F, Dallas Mavericks
Davis was fully cleared weeks before training camp, having recovered from offseason surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye. He will spend the preseason getting used to the protective glasses he’ll have to wear the rest of his career, per doctor’s orders, as well as shedding the 15 extra pounds he carried into training camp. The 6-foot-10 Davis, now listed at 268 pounds, downplayed any worries about his weight, saying it’s normal for him to report to camp a little heavy. “I never want to come in at my playing weight, because then I lose weight during the season and then I’m too small,” Davis said. “I lose about 10 to 12 pounds very quickly. … So I’m never concerned about that. I feel great. I’m moving great. I feel good.” — Tim MacMahon
Kristaps Porzingis, C, Atlanta Hawks
Porzingis has a new home in Atlanta and the center, after dealing with a mysterious ailment that allowed him to play over 20 minutes in only one of his final six games with the Boston Celtics, says he’s feeling good again.
“Honestly, I still don’t have an exact answer,” Porzingis said at Hawks media day when asked about what was bothering him. “They had some sort of explanation for it, but it was lingering. That was the toughest part. Some days I was OK, energy was good and some days, boom, I had a crash. I’m glad it’s gone now.”
Porzingis played for the Latvia national team at EuroBasket this past summer and the center said the tournament helped him get back into shape for the upcoming season. The Hawks will need a healthy Porzingis to stretch the floor and provide a defensive presence at the rim for Trae Young and the Hawks to contend in the East.
“I don’t know, maybe it was just my system needed some reset during the summer,” Porzingis said. “I was really happy I had this summer, got in shape, played the tournament, I felt confident again like I have the gas tank again.” — Youngmisuk
LaMelo Ball, G, Charlotte Hornets
Ball spent time in the weight room this offseason to get stronger. After playing in a total of 105 games over the past three seasons combined because of injuries — most recently being shut down last season to have surgery on his ankle and wrist — Ball is determined to stay on the court.
So far this preseason, coach Charles Lee and Ball have talked about the star point guard stepping up and leading the Hornets more this season. Lee said he has seen his point guard show some of his leadership in the weight room by adding muscle.
“I’ve noticed a different commitment level in that area,” Lee said at Hornets media day. “Melo noticed that he is always drawing the best, most physical defender. At times, they made it difficult on him.
“So this year, adding that weight room piece for him was really important. … I think he has increased his lean muscle mass, he has increased his weight.” — Youngmisuk
Victor Wembanyama, C, San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama was limited to 46 games last season because of right shoulder deep vein thrombosis. It motivated him to push himself physically and mentally this offseason in ways he has never experienced. He approached the offseason looking to try unconventional training methods, such as a 10-day retreat at a Shaolin temple in China, replete with meditation and kung fu training, and spent time working with Houston Rockets icon Hakeem Olajuwon.
Early returns look promising. He has bullied defenders in the preseason and swatted shots from all over the court. Wembanyama is fully healthy and has improved his body control, adding upper- and lower-body strength. And according to the 21-year-old, the chances for a recurrence of DVT are very low. — Michael C. Wright
Tyrese Maxey, G, Philadelphia 76ers
After sitting out the final few weeks of last season because of a finger injury — one of many maladies during a season that, even by 76ers standards, felt particularly cursed — Maxey is healthy and ready to go for the start of this season.
He played in the two exhibition games in Abu Dhabi last week and is on track to begin the season as the starting point guard. Given the number of other injuries Philadelphia is already dealing with, the fact that Maxey is ready to go will be music to the ears of coach Nick Nurse. — Tim Bontemps
Ja Morant, G, Memphis Grizzlies
Morant’s goal to “play 82,” as he stated at media day, is already in jeopardy. He’s considered week-to-week after spraining his left ankle during practice the day before the Grizzlies’ preseason opener. Morant’s acrobatic game makes durability an issue for the star guard. That’s why Morant, whose popularity is fueled by his high-flying highlights, declared last season that he is “not trying to dunk at all,” prioritizing protecting himself over entertaining fans. Since serving a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 season, Morant has played in only 59 games. He has been sidelined during that stretch by a variety of injuries — shoulder, hip, thigh, knee, back, foot, hamstring and ankle. — MacMahon
Jaren Jackson Jr., F, Memphis Grizzlies
Jackson’s availability for the Oct. 22 season opener is in doubt as he works his way back from an early July surgery to repair a turf toe injury in his right foot. The Grizzlies announced entering training camp that Jackson would be able to return to play in four to six weeks, putting the two-time All-Star’s timetable in late October or early November. The surgery occurred a couple of days after Jackson officially agreed to a five-year, $240 million contract extension, but the Grizzlies’ front office was aware of the severity of the injury when that deal was finalized. — MacMahon
LeBron James, F, Los Angeles Lakers
James will make history whenever he appears in his first game this season, becoming the only NBA player to have played 23 seasons. But for the first time in his career, James is injured before the season opener, ending his streak of playing in Game No. 1 for 22 straight years. James is dealing with sciatica down the right side of his body, according to the Lakers, and won’t be reevaluated for another two to three weeks and has been limited to light shooting in training camp thus far, sitting out every practice and preseason game.
James hinted at the injury — which was sustained sometime in late July or early August during an on-court workout, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania — during the team’s media day when he told ESPN, “I’m not where I want to be [physically].” James also said he would be sure to stay connected to the team while he rehabilitated. “My presence is going to be important,” James told ESPN. “Making sure that even if I’m not on the floor, I’m always in tune to what we’re doing — so I know what’s going on at all times.” — Dave McMenamin
Zach Edey, C, Memphis Grizzlies
Edey sit out at least the first two weeks of the season while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, according to the timetable the Grizzlies announced entering training camp. At the time, the team said that Edey could return to play in six to nine weeks. The longer end of that timetable would be the final weekend of November. Backup center Brandon Clarke also will sit out time to start the season while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, so the Grizzlies will have a glaring lack of depth in the frontcourt. Memphis will have to rely heavily on journeyman Jock Landale, an offseason addition who has averaged 12.8 minutes while playing for three teams in his four-year NBA career. — MacMahon
Jalen Williams, F, Oklahoma City Thunder
Williams initially suffered a fairly severe wrist injury — a torn scapholunate ligament — late in the regular season while grappling for a loose ball with Devin Booker in Phoenix. He played through it, estimating he needed nearly 30 painkilling shots during the Thunder’s run to the title. That delayed surgery until July 1, attached to a 12-week reevaluation clock, which expired right before training camp.
The team hasn’t officially ruled Williams in or out for the regular-season opener, but he hasn’t been in the contact portions of practice and has been spotted working only individually on the side, predominantly using his left hand. “Still got some ways to go with it,” Williams said at media day. — Anthony Slater