The Boston Celtics kick off this season as the reigning NBA champions, poised to potentially clinch the top spot on another league ranking in the near future.
Among active franchises in the NBA’s all-time won-lost standings, the San Antonio Spurs stand tall at the beginning of this season with the best record.
However, the Celtics have a clear pathway to surpassing the Spurs and claiming the leading position in the coming months.
San Antonio boasts a winning percentage of .596, while Boston closely follows with .594.
Let’s envision a scenario where San Antonio achieves a 41-41 record this season. In such a case, Boston would only need to secure a 47-35 record to overtake the Spurs in the historical standings.
The Los Angeles Lakers step into the season as the third top-performing team in all-time records, boasting a .591 winning percentage, positioning them as contenders for the first or second spot this season.
It’s probable that the Spurs, Celtics, and Lakers will dominate the top three positions for the foreseeable future, with Utah entering this season in fourth place on the all-time list with a .540 winning percentage.
Over the past decade, from 2014-15 to 2023-24, the Spurs have consistently closed out each season as the frontrunners in winning percentage among active NBA teams.
The last time Boston reigned supreme in the all-time standings was back in 1996-97.
The Lakers subsequently took the lead for 17 seasons before San Antonio claimed the top spot.
Team Milestones on the Horizon
This season presents several team milestones within reach:
New York (26 wins away) and Golden State (31 wins away) are nearing 3,000 all-time victories, a feat achieved only by Boston, the Lakers, and Philadelphia.
Indiana needs 45 or more wins to reach the .500 mark all-time, currently standing at 1,930-1,938.
Denver is closing in on 2,000 wins, being 46 wins away.
Memphis is on the verge of reaching 1,000 wins, just two victories shy.
Detroit is set to play its 6,000th game this Friday in Cleveland, marking the second game of the season.
Luka’s Pursuit of Jordan and Chamberlain
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks showcased an impressive performance last season, averaging 33.9 points in 70 games.
This elevated his career average to 28.7 points per game, the third-best in NBA history.
Doncic stands to inch closer to the top spots this season. If he replicates his previous season’s performance in 2024-25, he will move closer to surpassing Michael Jordan (30.12 points per game) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07 points per game).
Maintaining his pace from last season could see Doncic surpassing Jordan and Chamberlain for the best scoring average by the 2026-27 season.
Durant’s Pursuit of 30,000 Points
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns is nearing the 30,000-point milestone in his career, requiring 1,076 points to reach this significant achievement. Upon reaching this mark, Durant would become the eighth player in NBA history to do so.
Furthermore, Durant boasts exceptional efficiency, averaging 1.46 points per shot attempt entering this season, surpassing the efficiency of the seven players ahead of him on the all-time scoring list.
Additionally, his true shooting percentage of 61.9% outshines the seven players ahead of him as well.
Chris Paul’s 20th Season and Coaching Milestones
Chris Paul embarks on his 20th NBA season, joining the San Antonio Spurs this year.
With this milestone, Paul becomes the 11th player in NBA history to reach the 20-season mark, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to continue playing at a high level.
Paul currently ranks third on the all-time assists and steals list, within striking distance of Jason Kidd, who retired with 12,091 assists and 2,684 steals.
Several coaching milestones are also in sight this season, with notable achievements expected from coaches such as Erik Spoelstra, Doc Rivers, and Gregg Popovich, who is set to face off against new coaching opponents during the upcoming games.
