The Florida Gators won the SEC volleyball tournament title the last time it was played, but not a single player on this year’s team remembers it. In fact, just over half of the players on top-seeded Kentucky’s roster were alive. To put a finer point on it: Kentucky was still 15 years from becoming the first team in the SEC to win an NCAA volleyball championship. And Texas, a four-time NCAA champion, was still 19 years from joining the conference.

The SEC volleyball tournament returns this week for the first time since 2005. It features four teams ranked in the top 25, including three in the top six. The games begin Friday at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, and a champion will be crowned Tuesday.

The winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

“It reminds me of March Madness,” Texas star Torrey Stafford said. “It’s kind of like that vibe, and I’m excited for it.”

Kentucky, the No. 1 seed, is ranked second in the country. Texas A&M, ranked sixth, is the No. 2 seed, and Texas, ranked third in the nation, is the tournament’s No. 3 seed. Tennessee, the fourth seed, is ranked 18th in the country. The top four seeds get byes into the quarterfinals. The SEC is the only Power 4 conference that will hold a postseason tournament this season.

“I think it’s a good testing and steppingstone for going into the NCAA tournament,” Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye said. “Because it’s one and done, and you kind of can figure out your weaknesses going into the biggest part of the year.”

Here are 10 players to watch in the tournament that has been revived after a 20-year hiatus.

Torrey Stafford, Texas: In her first season in Austin, the junior transfer from Pittsburgh leads the Longhorns in kills per set (4.64) and aces (27). The 6-foot-2 outside hitter warmed up her arm for the postseason with a career-high 32-kill performance against Auburn on Nov. 12. She added 25 in Texas’ regular-season finale against South Carolina on Nov. 16. Stafford delivers booming attacks from both the front and back rows with a heavy arm that can go over, inside and outside blocks. Stafford, who made back-to-back trips to the final four with the Panthers, is surrounded by determined freshmen who will look to her to guide them to postseason success.

Cari Spears, Texas: The 6-3 outside hitter is part of a fantastic freshman class at Texas that is making an immediate impact. Spears has played in every set since joining the team and has had double-digit kills in 19 of the Longhorns’ 23 matches, including a career-high 18 against Baylor. Alongside fellow freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal (225 kills) and freshman middle blocker Taylor Harvey, look for Spears to deliver a dominant postseason debut.

Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky: You won’t find a better pair of pin hitters in the country than the dominant duo at Kentucky. DeLeye, a 6-2 junior, was the 2024 SEC Player of the Year and is still putting up big numbers this season in a more balanced offense. She led Kentucky in kills (401) and points (436) during the regular season, averaging 4.66 kills per set (second-best in SEC) and 5.07 points per set (fourth-best in SEC).

Eva Hudson, Kentucky: There’s no rest for the weary when DeLeye rotates to the back row because it means that Hudson, the 2025 SEC Player of the Year, rotates to the front. The 6-1 senior transfer from Purdue has numbers eerily similar to DeLeye’s: 390 kills (fifth-best in SEC) and 4.94 points per set (sixth-best in SEC). The most noticeable difference between the two Wildcats might be that Hudson plays with fire while DeLeye is mostly ice. Hudson, who led the Big Ten in kills last season, gets one shot at the postseason with Kentucky, so the urgency will be there from first serve on.

Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M: The senior’s dad, granddad and great-granddad were all Aggies. So expect the 6-3 left-handed outside hitter to bring some extra fervor to Savannah for her first SEC tournament. Lednicky, who has 333 kills while hitting at a .312 clip, also averages a team-high 2.81 digs per set. She had 11 double-doubles during the regular season, including a 12-kill, 17-dig upset of Texas on Halloween night.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Texas A&M: The 6-2 senior middle blocker’s name litters the national leaderboards. She’s third in the country in blocks per set with 1.66, ninth in total blocks with 146 and fifth in hitting percentage with a .441 clip. In the Aggies’ five-set win over Texas, Cos-Okpalla had a season-high 15 kills, including four in the fifth set, and a season high in points with 19.5.

Hayden Kubik, Tennessee: The senior outside hitter started her career at Nebraska alongside big sister Madi Kubik, but Hayden became a star at Tennessee. The versatile 6-2 Kubik had 338 kills during the regular season and averaged 4.23 per set. Her 4.67 points per set rank eighth in the SEC. She served 22 aces and racked up 175 digs heading into the postseason.

Alexis Stucky, Florida: The setter’s long list of accolades goes back to her childhood when she was a nine-time 4-H Horse state champion in Wyoming. The 6-2 redshirt junior brings a blend of poise and craftiness to Florida, which lost three of its final four matches heading into the tournament. Stucky, who missed parts of the past two seasons recovering from a torn ACL, had a rare volleyball triple-double in October against Auburn, finishing with 10 kills, 12 digs and 42 assists. Florida, the No. 5 seed, will be looking to win its 13th SEC tournament title.

Maya Sands, Missouri: The back-to-back-to-back SEC Libero of the Year had double-digit digs in all but two matches during the regular season and leads the conference with a total of 490. You can hardly blame her teammates when they claim there’s no need for them to play defense while Sands is on the court. The former UNLV star set a career high with 32 digs in an October win over South Carolina. The senior also has 29 aces this season, including three in a loss to Kentucky earlier this month. Missouri, the No. 6 seed, will count on Sands to help build its résumé for Selection Sunday.

Jurnee Robinson, LSU: She doesn’t overwhelm opponents with her 6-1 frame, but Robinson’s velocity and passion are another story. The Tigers’ junior outside hitter has one of the hardest swings in the country and more kills (495) than anyone in the SEC. For evidence of her dominance, rewind to early October when she totaled 67 kills on 139 attacks while hitting a combined .338 in back-to-back five-setters against Tennessee and Florida. Robinson, who pummeled 23 kills vs. UCLA in her first collegiate game two years ago, tallied her 1,000th career kill earlier this season. LSU, the No. 11 seed, will need a big week from Robinson if it hopes to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.

ESPN’s Alyssa Haduck and Karina Mattera provided reporting for this story.

Schedule

Friday

No. 9 Oklahoma 3, No. 16 Arkansas 1
No. 13 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Alabama, 2, SEC Network
No. 15 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Mississippi State, 5, SEC Network
No. 14 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 LSU, 7, SEC Network

Saturday

Arkansas/Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Auburn, noon, SEC+
South Carolina/Alabama vs. No. 5 Florida, 2, SEC+
Vanderbilt/Mississippi State vs. No. 7 Georgia, 5, SEC+
Ole Miss/LSU vs. No. 6 Missouri, 7, SEC+

Sunday

Arkansas/Oklahoma/Auburn vs. No. 1 Kentucky, noon, SEC Network
South Carolina/Alabama/Florida, vs. No. 4 Tennessee, 2 , SEC Network
Vanderbilt/Mississippi State/Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas A&M, 5, SEC Network
Ole Miss/LSU/Missouri, vs. No. 3 Texas, 7, SEC Network

Monday

Semifinal 1, 6, SEC Network
Semifinal 2, 8:30, SEC Network

Tuesday

Championship, 7, SEC Network

We are one month into the 2025-26 NBA season — a campaign already featuring plenty of spectacular moments. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets played arguably the game of the year in the first battle of the season, and things haven’t slowed since.

A month isn’t long enough to guarantee anything — last season’s Indiana Pacers, for example, started 6-10 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference before their eventual run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals — but it is long enough for storylines to develop that could shape the next few months of play, the run-up to the February trade deadline and the race to the playoffs.

With that in mind, and after speaking with league insiders across the country over the past week, we’re examining one lesson learned for each of the 30 teams.

Stats are updated through Wednesday’s games.

Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GS
HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MEM
MIA | MIL | MIN | NOP | NYK
OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX | POR
SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS

Lesson after one month: There might be a blueprint for a post-Trae Young era

What I’m hearing: Young going down with a sprained knee Oct. 29 has provided the Hawks with a chance to see what this roster could look like if he left as a free agent — or via trade — next summer, when he has a $48.9 million player option. The early returns are promising. Atlanta has gone 7-2 without its All-Star guard and — most interestingly — ranks fourth in defensive efficiency in that span. Atlanta has never finished better than 18th in Young’s seven NBA seasons.

“I think the Trae Young situation is fascinating,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN. “They’re a totally different team with and without him.”

The situation underscores the delicate dance between the longtime face of the franchise and a team potentially in transition. And, with several more weeks until Young returns, this stretch will only ramp up interest in whether his long-term future lies in Atlanta or elsewhere.

Lesson after one month: Mazzulla ball isn’t going anywhere

What I’m hearing: With Jayson Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles and 2024-25 starters Kristaps Porzingis (Atlanta), Al Horford (Golden State) and Jrue Holiday (Portland) leaving over the summer, one curiosity around the league was whether Boston would move away from the 3-pointer-heavy approach it has leaned into under coach Joe Mazzulla. It hasn’t taken long for that to be answered, as Boston, despite far less shooting on its roster, sits behind only Cleveland in 3s attempted per game. Mazzulla has always stayed true to his coaching philosophy in his short time on the Boston bench despite the franchise taking a gap year of sorts from its championship aspirations. This year’s team is the latest example.

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Lesson after one month: Jordi Fernandez isn’t fixing things this time

What I’m hearing: League insiders praised the way Fernandez kept the Nets competitive during a 26-56 season that hovered around .500 through Thanksgiving last year before bottoming out. But no amount of coaching acumen will be able to boost a roster designed to ensure Brooklyn lands a top prospect in the loaded 2026 draft. Multiple executives told ESPN this is the league’s least talented roster, with early returns on the five first-rounders the Nets took in June’s draft being mixed, at best.

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Lesson after one month: Kon Knueppel‘s ROY chances are real

What I’m hearing: No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg entered the season expected to win the league’s top rookie honor in a runaway, but the Dallas phenom’s biggest challenger could be his former Duke teammate. Knueppel, behind a rookie-class-leading 18.3 points per contest and his 40% clip from 3, has already impressed scouts with his shooting stroke and feel for the game.

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Lesson after one month: They could be a potential trade destination

What I’m hearing: The Bulls are in a fascinating in-between place. Coach Billy Donovan has done a great job with this group, but the Bulls lack a star to build around. Second-year forward Matas Buzelis has shown intriguing flashes — and the club has the ability to open a bunch of cap space this summer — but Coby White and Nikola Vucevic are set to become free agents.

That means the Bulls could go in a few directions over the next several months, including adding to the current roster. That has led some sources to speculate whether Chicago, with over $80 million in expiring money, could be a suitor for Dallas’ Anthony Davis and bring the Windy City native home.

“I could see it,” said a West executive who saw Chicago play recently. “[Josh] Giddey has worked well with Vucevic, but he could use a roll man to throw it up to.”

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Lesson after one month: Offseason changes are having an impact — just not a good one right now

What I’m hearing: In essentially replacing 2025 Sixth Man finalist Ty Jerome with Lonzo Ball, the Cavaliers knew they were risking a lower regular-season ceiling in favor of a higher one in the playoffs. That’s exactly what league insiders are seeing through the first month of 2025-26. The departure of Jerome and the absence of Darius Garland, who has played just 73 minutes while dealing with a big toe injury, has dropped last season’s top-ranked offense to outside the top 10.

“They’re not great right now, but they’re down at least two starters,” a West scout said, referring to Garland, Max Strus and Sam Merrill all missing time. “Lonzo hasn’t been great.

“Are they better [than last year]? Probably not. They’ve always needed Evan [Mobley] to get even better, and he’s not there yet.”

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Tim MacMahon: Mavs will explore trade market for Anthony Davis

Tim MacMahon reports that Mavericks are exploring trading Anthony Davis when he’s healthy as they build their team around Cooper Flagg.

Lesson after one month: An Anthony Davis trade won’t be easy

What I’m hearing: As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday, the Mavericks are expected to explore a Davis trade between now and February’s trade deadline — something rival teams expect to happen, too. The problem for the Mavericks is that any potential return will be something more akin to the Kevin Durant trade to Houston — a couple of solid players and a draft pick — than, say, the Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell trades out of Utah a couple of years ago that each netted the Jazz control over several first-round selections. “With the lack of picks around the league now, that’s what you should expect for a [Davis] deal,” a West scout said.

Several other sources struggled to produce a deep list of suitors for Davis, who is set to make $54.1 million, $58.4 million and $62.7 million across the next three seasons.

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Lesson after one month: Late-season Jamal Murray has arrived early

What I’m hearing: Murray has long been seen by opposing scouts and executives as a player who eases his way into the season. But if the guard’s first handful of games is any indication, Murray could be changing that narrative. The 28-year-old is averaging a career-high 22.5 points, production Denver will need to continue with Christian Braun out until around New Year’s with a serious left ankle sprain.

“He’s moving well, his body looks good. … I’ve been impressed with him,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “He’s been a huge part of their hot start. They’re in the inner circle of contenders in large part because of the work he’s been doing next to Jokic.”

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Lesson after one month: Jalen Duren made the right decision

What I’m hearing: There was virtually no talk of Duren and Detroit getting a deal done heading into the league’s rookie extension deadline Oct. 20, with sources saying at the time that the two sides were pretty far apart in price. Duren has responded with the best month of his career, with not only career highs in points (20.6) and rebounds (11.9) per game but also a significant defensive improvement. Duren, after allowing 62% shooting at the rim last season, is down to 53% this season. That has led to league insiders putting him firmly in the running for Most Improved Player — and projecting a nice payday when he becomes a restricted free agent in July.

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Lesson after one month: The Kuminga situation remains unresolved

What I’m hearing: It wouldn’t be a Warriors season without drama surrounding the future of Kuminga, who, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported, remains in limbo with the team. While Kuminga’s role has again fluctuated from starter to reserve before dealing with a knee issue, the same underlying inconsistencies that have followed him through his first few years have cropped up yet again.

“He is who he is, even though he’s on the younger side,” an East scout said. “He has looked better, and has been trying to fit in, but he still falls back into his old habits.”

The calculus for a potential Kuminga trade remains complicated since Golden State isn’t going to give him away, and with the Warriors being right up against the second apron, there’s difficulty in finding value for him and a team that will acquire the 23-year-old.

“Who is going to take him?” the scout said. “And are they going to move him for stuff they don’t want, or just wait? It’s very hard to find a trade that makes sense for everyone.”

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Houston Rockets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Highlights

Houston Rockets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Highlights

Lesson after one month: Houston has a chance to be the best offensive rebounding team ever

What I’m hearing: The Rockets are grabbing more than two out of every five shots they miss. To put their absurd 40.5% offensive rebound rate into perspective: The gap between Houston and second-place Portland is the same as between the Trail Blazers and the 16th-place Nets. No team since 1996-97 has eclipsed 38% across a full season. This is how the Rockets have the league’s best offense while being dead last in 3-point shooting volume as the only team taking fewer than 30 per game.

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Lesson after one month: It’s a good time for a gap year

What I’m hearing: It was expected that Indiana would take a step back with All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the season with a torn Achilles and center Myles Turner leaving for Milwaukee as a free agent. But no one could have predicted this start for the defending East champs, who have begun with a rash of injuries beyond Haliburton. The Pacers have the worst offense in the league with the second-worst net rating, ahead of only Washington. The consolation for Indy is that, after reacquiring its 2026 draft pick from New Orleans in June, the team can look forward to landing an elite prospect next spring.

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Lesson after one month: You can get old fast in the NBA

What I’m hearing: Entering the season, the Clippers were seen by plenty of scouts and executives I spoke with as the better team in Los Angeles, praised for essentially replacing the departed Norman Powell with John Collins and Bradley Beal and then signing Brook Lopez and Chris Paul to buttress their depth. But Beal is out for the season with a hip injury, and Lopez and Paul have looked every bit of 37 and 40 years old, respectively. It all has left the Clippers — with Kawhi Leonard once again injured — in a position where they could send an unprotected lottery pick to the Thunder next spring as the Paul George trade keeps on giving to the defending champions.

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What is the Lakers’ ceiling with LeBron? Stephen A. weighs in

Stephen A. Smith explains why the conference finals are the ceiling for the Lakers this season with LeBron James back.

Lesson after one month: They’re good — but how good?

What I’m hearing: It has been a fascinating opening month in L.A. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have put up gigantic numbers, and LeBron James has basically missed all of it. Deandre Ayton has been productive … but the Lakers are several points better per 100 possessions with him on the bench than they are with him on the court.

Opponents are having a field day at the rim, with the Lakers giving up 69% shooting inside of 5 feet (fourth worst in the NBA). While they have an 11-4 record, they have middling overall efficiency numbers (11th in offense, 17th in defense, 14th in net rating). Add it up, and while it has been an impressive opening few weeks in the standings, it’s still unclear just how high this team’s ceiling really is — which was reflected in conversations this week with sources around the league.

“Are they up there with Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston? No,” an East scout said. “But they’re clearly in the top six. Their depth overall isn’t good, but their top-line talent makes them a team I wouldn’t want to see in the playoffs.”

A West scout, though, was much more optimistic: “They’re top three for sure. When you have Luka, you’re always going to be in the mix.”

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Lesson after one month: Ja Morant isn’t the same player

What I’m hearing: There’s one very easy way to prove the above statement: the percentage of Morant’s shots that are taken inside of three feet.

That number, per Basketball Reference, has gone from 39.6% of his shots as a high-flying rookie down to a remarkable 15.4% this season and has dropped in each of his seven seasons. Given Morant hasn’t improved as a shooter — he was an abysmal 10-for-60 from 3 before his latest calf injury — it’s easy to see why he’s not the same player who electrified the league and appeared to have Memphis on a championship-caliber trajectory a few short years ago. Sources expect Memphis to explore the trade market for Morant but, like Davis, believe it will be difficult to get value for him.

“I do think they’ll move him,” a West scout said.

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Stephen A.: You have to pay attention to the Heat right now

Stephen A. Smith weighs in on whether the Heat or the Magic are a bigger threat in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Lesson after one month: Last year was no fluke for Norman Powell

What I’m hearing: There’s been plenty of discussion about Miami’s new offensive system, but no one has taken to it more than Powell. When the Clippers chose not to extend him this past summer and sent him to Miami in a three-team deal that saw the Heat land him for almost nothing, it was seen as a win-win for both sides. But even the most optimistic Heat partisans would have had a hard time envisioning how Powell has taken to life on the shores of Biscayne Bay, where he’s averaging a career-high 25.5 points on an absurd 46% from 3 and has kept Miami in the top 10 on offense with Tyler Herro yet to play this season and Bam Adebayo missing a good chunk of it.

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Lesson after one month: Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the NBA’s MVP

What I’m hearing: Through the opening month of the season, when Antetokounmpo has been on the court, the Bucks have had an offensive rating of 123.5 points per 100 possessions — the equivalent of the NBA’s best offense. When he’s been off it, however, Milwaukee has had an offensive rating of 102 points per 100 possessions — a couple of points lower than the league’s 30th-ranked team (Pacers). With Antetokounmpo sidelined for up to two weeks with a groin strain, coach Doc Rivers must figure out a system that will prop up this group without its star — a path sources believe will be tough for them to navigate.

“Of course not,” one executive said bluntly when asked if they believed Milwaukee could stay afloat without Antetokounmpo, pointing to the lack of other on-ball creators on the roster.

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Lesson after one month: Rob Dillingham remains a work in progress

What I’m hearing: When Minnesota swung a bold draft-night deal in 2024 to jump to No. 8 and take Dillingham, it envisioned the team’s point guard of the future to replace Mike Conley. But while Conley has shifted to the bench this season, it’s been in favor of Donte DiVincenzo. Dillingham’s minutes have been a struggle.

The second-year guard is shooting 39% overall, 23% from 3 and is being outscored by 14 points per 100 possessions in the Timberwolves more than 100 minutes with him on the court — a staggering 24-point swing from the plus-10 net rating they have in the over 500 minutes with him on the bench.

“I’m not sure that’s ever going to work,” an East scout said. “Maybe things come around, but it’s hard to see it.”

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Lesson after one month: They are what the league thought they were

What I’m hearing: As the Pelicans have careened through the opening month of the season, going 2-13 and firing coach Willie Green, sources around the league have continued to express bewilderment in New Orleans not only deciding to trade Atlanta its unprotected draft pick in 2026, but also to give Indiana back its selection — which happened just before Haliburton tore an Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

In an alternate reality, the Pelicans have two lottery picks in a loaded draft to add to their core. Instead, a season spiraling out of control won’t come with any benefit. And while sources have been impressed with the team’s two lottery picks, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen — both have performed well enough to crack the starting lineup — it doesn’t make the sting hurt any less.

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Lesson after one month: The offense is still good, but different

What I’m hearing: This summer, new Knicks coach Mike Brown repeatedly talked about wanting to add more ball movement and 3-point shooting to New York’s offensive arsenal. A month in, he has done that: The Knicks, after being in the top half of the league in passes per game only once in the five years under Tom Thibodeau, rank fifth this season, and jumped from 27th in 3s attempted per game last season to third.

Sources have praised New York’s offensive changes, and with the Eastern Conference more than up for grabs, the Knicks are betting on those changes in possibly reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

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Shams: OKC viewed as best-positioned franchise in all of sports

Shams Charania explains why the Thunder might be in the best position of any sports franchise.

Lesson after one month: 70 wins is absolutely in play

What I’m hearing: As Oklahoma City continues to mow through the opposition to start the season — it is winning by an average of 15.9 points — rival scouts and executives have marveled at the way the Thunder machine keeps rolling. In polling several sources on whether it was realistic that the Thunder could become the third team in NBA history to win 70 games in a regular season, I didn’t receive a single no. The only thing standing in the Thunder’s way, according to those sources: whether Oklahoma City would prioritize going for 70.

Considering the team has begun the season 15-1 and has a staggering net rating of 15.3, almost three points per 100 possessions better than last year’s record-setting mark– all without All-NBA forward Jalen Williams — the Thunder might not need to make it a priority. To back this up, here’s a remarkable stat: ESPN’s Basketball Power Index favors Oklahoma City to win every single game for the rest of the season.

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Lesson after one month: Desmond Bane couldn’t fix this offense by himself

What I’m hearing: One of the NBA’s most remarkable stats is that the Magic haven’t finished inside the top 20 in offensive rating since the 2011-12 season. Acquiring Bane this summer was supposed to change that. Instead, he has gotten off to a slow start, shooting a career-low of 31.5% from 3 on the second-lowest number of attempts (4.9) of his career. The result: Orlando is sitting at No. 20 offensively.

That, coupled with a 1-4 start, had some sources briefly wondering how hot the seat of coach Jamahl Mosley is getting. But that was before Orlando ripped off wins in five of its past six games. Bane has started to get more comfortable, including scoring at least 22 points in five of the Magic’s past eight contests.

Sources are still monitoring what happens as Orlando heads into a stretch featuring nine straight games against teams currently above .500, which could either reignite questions about this team’s direction or squash them completely.

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Lesson after one month: Quentin Grimes is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate

What I’m hearing: As Kuminga’s restricted free agency saga was making headlines, Grimes’ negotiations with the 76ers barely created a ripple. At the time, the team and league sources said the 76ers were maintaining future flexibility, with Grimes signing the $8.7 million qualifying offer kept Philly below the first apron and within a few million of the luxury tax line. Grimes, meanwhile, has picked up where he left off last spring after arriving in Philadelphia in the other trade former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison made in February, averaging 17.1 points and 40.9% from 3. Grimes should be in line for a very nice payday as an unrestricted free agent next summer, something he is already looking for after changing representation and signing with CAA earlier this month.

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Lesson after one month: There’s an early-season identity

What I’m hearing: After the disastrous way last season played out — and as a precursor to moving on from Durant and Beal over the summer — Suns owner Mat Ishbia declared that his team needed to have an identity, one that included “some grit, some determination, some work ethic, some grind, some joy.” It’s early but the Suns have at least begun to follow through on that vision with their 9-6 start.

Phoenix has one victory over an opponent above .500, but scouts I’ve talked to have praised new coach Jordan Ott’s work and surrounding Devin Booker — who is back to playing like an All-NBA player after a down 2024-25 season — with hard-nosed defenders and some shooting is a formula that could allow Phoenix to sneak into the playoffs in the incredibly soft bottom half of the West.

Considering where the Suns were last season, that would be a huge win. “They’ve been way better than I thought,” a West scout said. “They’ve got enough pieces around Devin where they’ll win the games they should win. [Ott] has them playing the right way and competing.”

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Lesson after one month: Deni Avdija might be an All-Star

What I’m hearing: When Portland acquired Avdija on draft night in 2024 from the Wizards for a couple of first-round picks, it was met with confusion by sources around the league, given how far away the Blazers were from contention at the time. But after Avdija took a step forward last season in his first campaign in the Pacific Northwest, he has made a gigantic leap through the first 15 games this season. He’s averaging 25.9 points — almost 10 more than his previous high — and is smack in the middle of the All-Star conversation. Portland (6-9) has put itself in position to be a play-in team.

“He’s been awesome,” a West scout said of Avdija, who already has tied Damian Lillard for the second-most 30-point triple-doubles in Blazers’ history, according to ESPN Research. “He’s much better than I thought he was going to be when Portland traded for him.”

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Lesson after one month: It’s time to start over

What I’m hearing: Not only did Sacramento fall to 3-12 after Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City, but coach Doug Christie also removed Zach LaVine from the starting lineup. It was the latest low moment in a season full of them for the Kings, who have already benched the team’s top summer acquisition, Dennis Schroder, for Russell Westbrook and getting demolished defensively.

Sources have been openly wondering about Christie’s long-term job status as things have fallen apart — he was given the permanent job over the summer — as well as whether Sacramento could begin to trade some of its high-priced veteran talent — assuming there are any takers for LaVine, DeMar DeRozan or Domantas Sabonis, who is out at least several weeks with a partially torn meniscus, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.

“They’re a disaster,” an East scout said. “They’re going nowhere fast. They just have to put a rock on the accelerator and keep going into the tank … they’re expensive, bad and aging.”

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Lesson after one month: Stephon Castle has made a leap

What I’m hearing: The big question surrounding San Antonio before the season centered around how the team’s three high-profile guards — Castle, rookie No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and February trade acquisition De’Aaron Fox — would fit together. And that’s still a lingering question, as there hasn’t been a single game yet where all three have been available.

But Castle, at least before recently exiting the lineup with a hip injury, has made a significant leap, as last season’s Rookie of the Year is averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 assists and 1.7 steals. One sign for concern, though: He’s under 25% from 3 and 70% from the foul line, highlighting the biggest concern scouts have had about playing him, Harper and Fox: None is an above-average shooter.

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Lesson after one month: Depth can create wins

What I’m hearing: Between moving on from longtime lead executive Masai Ujiri, this being coach Darko Rajakovic’s third season, the Brandon Ingram trade and extension in February and new ownership taking over next year, the belief around the league entering this season was that the Raptors needed to make progress. Early on, Toronto has delivered — in large part by having a mostly full healthy rotation of players for Rajakovic.

The team’s top four players — Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett — have played in all 15 games, and their other 10 players have missed only a handful of games combined. In a league where there’s been an epidemic of injuries early, just starting with the same group daily is enough to give teams a leg up. The 10-5 Raptors have taken full advantage of it, moving up to second in the muddled East.

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Lesson after one month: Lauri Markkanen is back

What I’m hearing: As the Jazz were fully invested in maximizing their draft positioning last season, Markkanen took a significant step back from his 2023-24 All-Star campaign, leading some sources around the league to wonder whether that had been a fluke. Instead, Markkanen has been outstanding, averaging 30.6 points on 48.5% shooting as Utah has gotten off to a respectable 5-9 start. The fact that he’s under contract for another three seasons makes him a fascinating topic in potential trade discussions between now and Feb. 5 — one that sources around the league are monitoring closely. If Utah chooses to go that route under new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge, there are few players who could become available who would have as big an impact as Markkanen.

“He’s putting up monster numbers,” a West executive said. “They’re running everything through him. If he goes to a place that he’s an additive piece … you have to have the right team around him to go after him.”

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Lesson after one month: Kyshawn George is their best player

What I’m hearing: As the Wizards have torn down their roster and began to build it up again over the past couple of seasons, they’ve leaned heavily into taking as many first-round talents to maximize their number of opportunities. Doing so is exactly what gave the Wizards the player who scouts and executives say is their best talent: George, who was taken with the 24th pick in last year’s draft. The 6-foot-7 forward is shooting 50% from the field, 45.5% from 3 — up from 32.2% as a rookie — and has quickly developed into one the few bright spots for a team that is clearly hoping to land at the top of the lottery next year after the disappointment of falling down to sixth this past spring.

The play of George and 7-footer Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in 2024, who has also made some strides this season, are the strands of optimism amid yet another dismal start — now 1-13 with a league-worst negative 15.7 net rating.