Emirates NBA Cup 2026: East Group C Preview

With Group Play of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup tipping off Oct. 30, we’re breaking down each group as teams prepare to take the court, continuing with East Group C.

With four of the five teams in East Group C having made significant roster changes from last season, the Emirates NBA Cup will serve as an early measuring stick for these new-look teams to evaluate themselves in games with elevated stakes.

Boston

enters its first season without Jaylen Brown in a decade

Charlotte

features two new starters after trading LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges

Chicago

debuts a new coach and a new franchise cornerstone in No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson

Washington

pairs veteran stars in Trae Young and Anthony Davis with No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa

Atlanta

mostly stood pat, adding perimeter depth with Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins from OKC

This group features two 2026 Playoff teams — Boston and Atlanta — both of which were eliminated in the first round. Charlotte made the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament but was bounced in the second elimination game. Meanwhile, none of these five teams advanced out of Group Play last season. Which one will punch the guaranteed ticket to the Quarterfinals?

TEAMS

CHA

BOS

CHI

ATL

WAS

TOTAL

x

1-2

3-1

4-0

11-4 (.733)

2-1

2-2

3-0

9-4 (.692)

1-3

8-5 (.615)

0-3

6-9 (.400)

0-4

1-13 (.071)

In head-to-head matchups among East Group C teams last season, the Hornets, Celtics, and Bulls all finished above .600, while Washington won only a single game against its four group opponents.

Charlotte posted the best overall in-group record at 11-4, but Boston did not lose a single season series to the rest of the field. How much can we truly gauge this group based on last year’s results given the significant offseason changes among the teams?

Teams breakdown

Boston Celtics:

It’s a new era for the Celtics, who had the league’s best record and the most playoff wins (86) over Jaylen Brown’s 10 seasons in Boston. Brown is now in Philadelphia, leaving Jayson Tatum as the Celtics’ lone star. The Celtics have been a regular-season machine under head coach Joe Mazzulla. Now, they should have Tatum for a full season, while replacing Brown with Paul George and adding Mitchell Robinson. –

John Schuhmann

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Atlanta Hawks:

The Hawks are deep and defensive-minded, especially on the perimeter with Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Lu Dort. Jalen Johnson (22.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 7.9 apg, 1.2 spg) earned his first All-Star appearance and first All-NBA selection last season. Alexander-Walker (20.8 ppg with efficient shooting) won Most Improved Player with his breakout season. CJ McCollum (18.7 ppg) gives the Hawks three players who hover around 20 points per game. –

Jeff Zillgitt

Charlotte Hornets:

The Hornets traded two of their best players from last season (LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges) and decided to build around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Their 44 victories represented the Hornets’ best season since 2015-16. The front office made moves that set the Hornets up for the future with a mix of youth and veterans, cap space flexibility and draft assets. –

Chicago Bulls:

Following a fourth straight year without a playoff appearance, the Bulls enter a season of change in 2026-27. There is new leadership in the front office in Bryson Graham, a new voice on the sidelines in head coach Tiago Splitter, and a new potential franchise player in No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson. >>

Washington Wizards:

It’s time for the Wizards to start showing progress in their rebuild after winning 17, 18 and 15 games in each of the past three seasons. The Southeast Division and Eastern Conference are deep, but with a mix of veterans who have playoff experience and young talent accumulated in the draft and through trades, the Wizards should yield an increase in their win total over last season. –

Six games to watch

Wizards at Hawks (

Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. ET, League Pass

):

Trae Young returns to Atlanta to face his former squad for the first time since being traded last January. Young accompanied the Wizards to Atlanta in February, but was unable to play due to injury. He was greeted with a tribute video and a standing ovation from the Hawks fans he played in front of for eight years. Now, those same fans will root against him as he takes the court for Washington.

Celtics at Hornets (

Get ready for a 3-point shootout in Charlotte. The Celtics and Hornets were the top two Eastern Conference teams in 3-point volume last season and both rank in the top four so far this season. Remarkably, Charlotte ranks near the top despite missing last year’s 3-point leader, Kon Knueppel, who is nursing a hamstring injury, but is expected to return during Group Play.

Hornets at Hawks (

Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. ET, League Pass

A clash of two Eastern Conference teams on the rise. Charlotte made a 25-win improvement to reach 44 wins last year, while Atlanta made a six-game leap to hit 46 wins and secure a guaranteed playoff berth. Keep an eye on Brandon Miller vs. Jalen Johnson as two talented young wings go head-to-head.

Wizards at Bulls (

Friday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass

Two of the top four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft — Washington’s AJ Dybantsa (1) and Chicago’s Caleb Wilson (4) — meet for the first time as pros when the Bulls host the Wizards in Group Play.

Celtics at Wizards (

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

Dybantsa

grew up in Boston as a Celtics fan

. He attended Jayson Tatum’s basketball camps as a child. Now, he will face Tatum and the Celtics when the Wizards welcome Boston to open an NBC doubleheader.

Hawks at Celtics (

Friday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass

The two teams from East Group C that reached the 2026 Playoffs will meet on the final night of Group Play as Boston welcomes Atlanta to TD Garden. Will this Group Play finale determine which team emerges from Group C and makes the Quarterfinals?

Prediction

With four of the five teams in this group making significant changes from last season, the vote here goes toward the team with the most continuity from a year ago — the Atlanta Hawks.

Group Play begins Friday, and teams with new-look rosters and rotations will likely need more time to hit their stride. And considering Charlotte’s Knueppel and Washington’s Dybantsa each missed the first week of the season, those teams are even further behind the eight ball.

The Hawks made their major moves last season and closed the regular season strong. If they can carry that momentum into the new season (they are 2-1 through Week 1) and into Group Play, they will be in a strong position to reach the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2024.