Last season’s injury wave left a few teams patched together and a few playoff races warped beyond recognition. This year, the rebound stories are front and center, and a handful of returning stars could swing the shape of the league if they come back right.
Tyrese Haliburton sits at the top of that list. Indiana’s run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals had a Haliburton stamp all over it, from the Pacers’ +14.7 net rating in the playoffs to the way he made everyone around him look sharper.
Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell and others all seemed to level up beside him.
Then came the torn Achilles in Game 7, and Haliburton has been off an NBA floor for 15 months. The Pacers unraveled without him and won only 19 games last season, tanking included.
They’ll look different when he returns, too, with Ivica Zubac in at center instead of Myles Turner. Zubac brings the kind of screen-setting, rim touch, quick decision-making and interior defense that can work with Haliburton in pick-and-roll and secondary actions.
But the whole thing still hinges on Haliburton. If he gets back to the form that powered Indiana’s back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals trips, the Pacers belong in the East conversation again.
Kyrie Irving is another name that could reshape a season, even if his situation feels far less settled. Dallas could have pushed to bring him back late last season, but instead slid into draft mode and ended up with the No. 9 pick, selecting Morez Johnson out of Michigan.
Irving is back now, though the Mavericks around him are very different. Anthony Davis is gone to the nation’s capital, Klay Thompson is in South Beach, and the organization is clearly centered on Cooper Flagg, who should fit well with Irving - for as long as that pairing lasts.
Around the league, plenty of teams are watching Irving as a possible trade chip before the February deadline. He’s not on Flagg’s timeline, and Dallas may move him if the return is strong enough.
Before that happens, though, he has to show he’s still the same player at 34 after a major knee injury: the handles, the shot-making, the All-NBA-level impact. Expect the rumor mill to stay busy.
Damian Lillard’s return to Portland brings a different kind of comeback story. The greatest Trail Blazer of all time is back where he started, and the last time he played was in the 2025 playoffs in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform - a stretch that is easy to file away and forget.
Portland is coming off a playoff trip, with a defense that held up and an offense built around Deni Avdija. That sets up the big question: what does Lillard have left at 36, especially after signs that Father Time was already closing in before a major injury?
And how does new coach Micah Nori fit Lillard, Avdija and the rest of the roster together?
Portland’s backcourt and frontcourt mix gets even more intriguing with Ja Morant in the picture. He arrives with a real opportunity: the ball in his hands, a future Hall of Famer in Lillard beside him, Avdija as a big to play off, and useful pieces like Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan around him.
But the pressure on Morant is obvious. He has played just 79 games over the last three seasons because of injuries and suspensions, and he missed the end of last season with a ulnar collateral ligament injury in his left elbow.
He also has to prove the burst is still there, or that he can evolve into a more crafty version of himself. And beyond that, he has to show the same drive and energy that made him a fan favorite in the first place.
That’s a lot to sort through, which is why Portland may end up being one of the league’s most watchable teams.
Fred VanVleet rounds out the group, and Houston’s case for a leap starts with how much it missed him. The Rockets needed exactly what he provides: a floor general, a scorer, a creator and a defender.
His absence showed up everywhere, especially against the Lakers in the playoffs. Houston was eighth in offensive efficiency during the regular season, but the clutch numbers told a different story, with a minus-8.8 net rating in the clutch, 24th in the league.
In the playoffs, the late-game offense fell apart, posting an awful 86.2 offensive rating in the clutch. VanVleet should steady all of that.
He can get Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun where they need to be, and that also takes pressure off Amen Thompson, who had to do more shot creation than planned last season, even as he grew into it. Reed Sheppard could benefit too.
VanVleet is cleared and ready, and Ime Udoka said he has “looked really good lately.” If Houston is going to challenge Oklahoma City and San Antonio, VanVleet’s return will be a huge reason why.
In Other News...
Blazers Suddenly Need One Overlooked Player To Fix A Real Problem
Portlands backcourt already has big names, but the roster still has a familiar issue hanging over it: the Trail Blazers need more reliable shooting and a little more help on the perimeter. Even with Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday setting the tone, the team was among the leagues lower marks in three-point percentage last season despite putting up a heavy volume of attempts, which makes every extra spacer matter as the season takes shape.
Jakub Krejci is suddenly one of the more important quiet pieces in that equation. His earlier work showed real value as a three-point threat, and Portland is counting on him to bring that version of himself back if the offense is going to open up the way it needs to. The opportunity is there, but so is the pressure, because the Blazers do not have many obvious fixes if the outside shot still lags. [Read more 🡒]
Jrue Holiday Enters Blazers Camp With More At Stake Than Expected
Portlands revamped roster is bringing a very different feel to training camp, with a new owner, a new coach and a pair of headline additions that have pushed the Trail Blazers into a more crowded, more complicated place heading into the 2026-27 season. Jrue Holiday is entering the third year of his contract, and for a player with his reputation and versatility, there is suddenly a lot more to sort out than just how he fits.
Holidays place in the rotation is now tied to how the backcourt shakes out once camp begins, and Micah Nori has made clear the answer will come from performance and fit rather than status. Holiday has already signaled a willingness to adapt to whatever is asked of him, which only adds to the intrigue around a group that now has multiple veterans and a lot of overlapping responsibilities at point guard. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Enter Camp With One Roster Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Blazers head into training camp with a familiar kind of hope attached to an unfamiliar kind of roster puzzle. After bringing in Ja Morant, welcoming back Damian Lillard and hiring Micah Nori as head coach, Portland suddenly has more talent in the backcourt and more questions about how it all fits. The guard rotation is the obvious place to start, but the bigger picture also includes how Lillard looks after his injury, what kind of role he settles into, and whether Deni Avdija can emerge as the steadying presence the team needs.
Portlands margin for error gets thinner because Shaedon Sharpes injury removes one more source of shot creation and athletic punch from a group that already needs clarity. That leaves the Blazers trying to solve several issues at once, from lineup balance to leadership, while camp is still just beginning. For a team trying to turn a promising collection of names into something coherent, the next few weeks could tell them more than the preseason ever will. [Read more 🡒]