Trending Topics: Which Western Conference team has been the most impressive to start the season?

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are riding a 10-game win streak into Friday’s action.

Throughout the 2026-27 season, NBA.com

’s writers will share their opinions on the biggest storylines and trends around the league. Today’s question:

Which Western Conference team has been the most impressive to start the season?

Brian Martin

Spurs

Yes, it is a chalk pick to go with the team riding a 10-game win streak, but a few numbers stand out for the defending West champs. First, they are the only team to rank in the top five in both offensive (119.3, 2nd) and defensive (108.3, 5th) efficiency. Second, the three-guard lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle is starting to click.

In San Antonio’s first six games, that trio shared the court for 66 minutes, posting a plus-18.5 net rating. In the subsequent 66 minutes they’ve logged together over the past six games, that number has skyrocketed to plus-48.1. And, of course, there’s Victor Wembanyama. He ranks second in scoring (30.3 ppg), fifth in rebounding (11.7 rpg), and first in blocks (4.4 bpg) while putting up

career-best numbers

across the board.

Shaun Powell

Lakers

The Lakers don’t have the largest point differential, and on a few nights, they didn’t pass the eye test. But all things considered? They’re the most impressive team. Let’s skip past Luka Dončić, who has the No. 1 spot on the

Kia MVP Ladder

, and JJ Redick, who is clearly among the league’s better coaches. L.A. is getting solid play and a return on its investment from two very expensive starters in Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, while a collection of role players are delivering consistently. The Lakers won in Detroit without Dončić and the next night in Atlanta without Reaves.

John Schuhmann

Rockets

Through Wednesday, the Rockets had eight wins (they were 8-2) against

other teams

that are currently over .500. No other team had more than four wins against that group. You could argue right now that the Spurs and Celtics look like the best teams in their respective conferences, and the Rockets have beaten them both.

Houston is also one of two teams (the Knicks are the other) that haven’t lost a game that wasn’t within five points in the last five minutes. It’s no surprise the defense is in the top 10, but the Rockets rank

third

offensively, with Kevin Durant registering

his lowest usage rate

(23.8%) in his career. Alperen Sengun is having a terrific s

eason and Fred VanVleet has made a big impact on that end of the floor.

Jeff Zillgitt

We know Luka Dončić can score. We know Austin Reaves can get buckets. We know Lakers coach JJ Redick loves creative offense. We didn’t know the Lakers would start this hot: 11-2 and winners of seven consecutive games, all while scoring a league-best 122.2 points per game and a league-best 121.6 points per 100 possessions. They are also No. 1 in field goal percentage and No. 3 in 3-point shooting percentage. New Lakers big man Walker Kessler is efficient near the rim and collects offensive rebounds. His defense helps jumpstart the transition offense, and Los Angeles is getting enough scoring from role players.