The first night of the 2026-27 NBA season gave fans a fresh look at a league that suddenly feels very different. LeBron James is in Sixers colors, Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami, Walker Kessler has landed with the Lakers, and a hyped rookie class got its first taste of the league.
Some debuts popped. Others got exposed fast.
LeBron’s first game for Philadelphia was not a fireworks show, but it fit what the Sixers need from him. He finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a 106-100 win over the defending champion Knicks, and his value showed up in the way he linked everything together.
He created easy chances for Jaylen Brown, including a sharp post entry pass and a bounce pass that led to an uncontested dunk. Later, LeBron found a little more rhythm as a scorer, leaning on transition and downhill drives.
It was a solid, controlled opening night.
Giannis, meanwhile, wasted no time making his new team look dangerous offensively. He put up 35 points on just 19 shots, plus 6 rebounds and 1 assist, in Miami’s 131-106 loss to the Wolves.
He was overpowering on his drives and repeatedly got all the way to the rim, bulldozing his way to layups. The problem was everything around him.
The Heat’s lack of depth showed up in a big way, and Klay Thompson had a rough defensive debut as Minnesota kept targeting him. Thompson scored 10 points and hit 3-of-6 from 3, but the Wolves were able to attack him over and over, and that kind of issue can’t linger if he’s going to stick in the starting group.
Minnesota’s offense had another gear thanks to LaMelo Ball. He scored 21 points with 6 assists and 2 steals, and he and Anthony Edwards formed a shot-taking machine from deep.
The two combined to go 14-of-30 from 3 in the Wolves’ 131-point outburst. Ball was pulling up from the logo, hitting one-legged 3s, and even had a questionable long-range attempt that became one of the night’s talking points.
He also helped unlock Edwards, who went off for 45 points by taking some of the ballhandling burden off his shoulders. If this version of Ball sticks, Minnesota’s offense could be serious.
The Walker Kessler trade already looks like it might pay off for the Lakers. Kessler turned in one of the cleanest debuts of the night, finishing with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks while going a perfect 12-of-12 from the field in a 127-105 win over the Warriors.
His entire shot diet was built on 10 dunks and two layups, exactly the kind of easy work you’d expect when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are drawing attention everywhere else. He also helped anchor a defense that smothered Golden State.
Shaquille O’Neal called him “the best big man in the NBA” on Inside the NBA’s postgame show. That may be a step too far, but the Lakers have every reason to feel good about what they got.
The biggest individual debut may have belonged to Paul George, who looked completely at home in Boston. He scored 38 points, added 3 assists and 5 steals, and set a franchise record for most points in a player’s first game as a Celtic.
George was raining in heat-check 3s and finished 7-of-12 from deep. He looks like a natural fit in a Celtics offense built around spacing and 3-point volume, and he also fits the switch-heavy defensive scheme.
Boston already had a defense that finished No. 4 last year, but George should help it create more turnovers. When he’s rested and right, he’s still an All-NBA player.
As for the rookies, opening night mostly belonged to the veterans. AJ Dybantsa sat out with an ankle injury.
Darryn Peterson struggled in a Jazz blowout loss. Cameron Boozer had one strong power dunk but went 2-of-15 otherwise.
Darius Acuff shot 5-of-24 in a Kings loss by 25. Caleb Wilson was a brutal minus-45 in a 43-point loss to the Raptors.
The one rookie who gave his team real juice was Keaton Wagler. Coming off the bench in a Clippers win, he posted 15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.
He kept the ball moving, knocked down 3s and held up on defense. For a Clippers team dealing with the Kawhi Leonard tampering penalties, Wagler gave them something useful right away.
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The concept is not being framed as a full-time shift, but rather a situational tactic for moments when Embiid is sidelined or in foul trouble. For a team trying to preserve its lineup flexibility and survive the minutes when its anchor is unavailable, it is the sort of unconventional adjustment that can keep games from slipping away while the coaches look for more permanent solutions. [Read more 🡒]