The opening week of the new NBA season is in the books, and the early returns have given plenty to chew on.
Some teams have hit the ground running, others are still searching for answers, and a few performances are already tempting predictions that might be regrettable a month from now.
But the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season has offered a glimpse of what could transpire for all 30 teams. And this week's slate on ESPN on Disney+ offers two intriguing matchups on Oct. 29.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers tip off at 7 a.m. in a meeting between two Eastern Conference hopefuls, before the still-undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder take on an upstart Dallas Mavericks squad at 9:30 a.m.
From this exciting doubleheader, here are four players -- one from each team in action -- worth keeping an eye on.
LeBron as the playmaker in a star-studded 76ers squad
LeBron James has never needed to score 30 points to control a basketball game. Sometimes, the more interesting question is what happens when he decides to make everyone else's life easier.
Through Philadelphia's first three games, the 41-year-old has averaged 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He has recorded at least five assists in each appearance, including a 17-point, 10-rebound performance in the 76ers' comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the scoring has fluctuated, the playmaking has been a constant.
That is the appeal of James on a team with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown because Philadelphia does not need him to commandeer every possession. It needs him to recognize which teammate has the advantage, get the ball there and make the next defensive rotation somebody else's problem.
James can initiate a possession, draw help off a drive and find a shooter, or let Maxey handle the ball while he operates as a secondary playmaker. The value is in the flexibility: the 76ers have another player who can organize the offense without requiring every possession to begin and end with the same star.
Three games do not tell us whether this version of Philadelphia will become an efficient offensive machine. Assist totals alone cannot answer that, either.
But James' early numbers suggest a useful division of labor: he can remain a scoring threat without being the team's primary scorer every night.
If the 76ers can turn his reads into open shots, timely cuts and easier opportunities for Embiid, James' influence may show up in possessions that never make the highlight reel. That is often where a great playmaker earns his keep.
Haliburton and Indiana still rounding up to form
After missing the entire 2025-26 season with a torn right Achilles tendon, Tyrese Haliburton has wasted little time reminding everyone what makes him so important to Indiana's offense.
Through his first four games this season, the Pacers guard is averaging 21.8 points and 9.5 assists per game on 63.4 TS%.
What makes Haliburton so difficult to defend is that his scoring and playmaking feed into each other.
The 23-point and 12-assist outing against the New Orleans Pelicans showcased his ability to organize the offense and get teammates involved, while his 24-point and 10-assist performance against the Brooklyn Nets demonstrated how dangerous he becomes when he looks for his own shot.
He shot 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from three against the Nets, forcing defenders to respect his perimeter game instead of simply sitting back to take away his passing lanes.
The loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, however, showed that Haliburton's return is only one part of Indiana's recovery. The Pacers shot 4-of-22 in the fourth quarter and missed their final 10 field-goal attempts, allowing the Bucks to erase the halftime deficit.
Haliburton can create advantages, but he cannot finish every possession for his teammates.
His early numbers suggest that his feel for the game and ability to run the offense have returned; the next step is building consistency across four quarters and helping Indiana turn those advantages into wins.
Gilgeous-Alexander must carry a heavier load
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 27.3 points through Oklahoma City's first four games, with individual totals of 32, 17, 34 and 26.
The Thunder are 4-0, but their start has been complicated by injuries to Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace. Williams suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated left ankle, while Wallace sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder; both require surgery, and their recovery timelines remain uncertain.
Williams' absence changes the geometry of Oklahoma City's offense. He averaged 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists through his first three games, giving the Thunder another player who could attack a tilted defense or create a shot when Gilgeous-Alexander drew extra attention.
Without him, opposing defenses have more incentive to load up on SGA and ask Oklahoma City's other players to beat them.
That is the less obvious cost of losing a secondary creator: it does not just remove one player's points; it makes the primary creator's job more difficult, too. Wallace's absence is a separate problem, taking a second-team All-Defensive guard out of the perimeter rotation.
But asking SGA to shoulder more of the scoring burden is hardly a crisis for the Thunder. He is arguably the best scorer in the world right now, combining relentless rim pressure, an elite midrange game and the ability to manufacture efficient looks against even the most prepared defenses.
Extra defensive attention may make his job harder, but Gilgeous-Alexander has repeatedly shown he can still find ways to score when opponents know exactly where the ball is going.
The bigger question is whether Oklahoma City's supporting cast can capitalize on the attention he commands and keep the offense balanced while both players are sidelined.
Flagg is starting to show the creator behind the scorer
Cooper Flagg's early-season numbers have already offered two different versions of his offensive game.
He scored 32 points against the Houston Rockets, then put up 14 points and six assists against Indiana before leaving with a left shoulder injury.
After missing Dallas' next game, he returned against the Miami Heat and finished with 29 points, six rebounds and 11 assists in a 113-109 win. He shot 12-of-23 from the field and scored the decisive layup with 10 seconds remaining.
The 11 assists are the number worth lingering on.
Flagg can already put pressure on a defense with his size and ability to attack the basket; the next step is making that pressure useful even when he does not take the shot himself.
When a defender steps over to cut off his drive, can he find the open teammate? When the defense sends a second body, can he recognize the rotation before the passing window closes? His performance against Miami suggests he can make those reads, although one game is not enough to call it a lasting leap.
There is a distinction between a broader offensive bag and a more efficient one.
Flagg made just two of eight three-point attempts against Miami, so that game does not support a claim that his outside shooting has already taken a step forward. However, the assist number provides a concrete sign of how he can influence a possession without finishing it.
The next indicators to watch are whether his three-point accuracy improves, whether he can consistently create from the perimeter against set defenses, and whether his playmaking holds up when opponents make him give up the ball.