Victor Wembanyama is the overwhelming choice to build a franchise around, but NBA executives still give Nikola Jokic an important edge. Boston’s lineup experiments, Phoenix’s playoff pressure and Denver’s injury uncertainty offer more useful clues than another preseason score.

1. Wembanyama owns the future vote, while Jokic keeps one important edge

Victor Wembanyama received a record 93 percent of the franchise cornerstone vote in the NBA’s newly released GM survey, up from 83 percent last year. He also took 77 percent of the MVP predictions and 97 percent of the votes for best defender. Yet the same executives preferred Nikola Jokic as the league’s best center, 63 percent to 37 percent, according to RealGM’s breakdown of John Schuhmann’s NBA.com survey.

Those answers measure different things: choosing a foundation for years is not the same as identifying today’s best player at a position. Powcast’s reading is that executives expect Wembanyama to take another leap without unanimously declaring that he has already surpassed Jokic. The season must supply the evidence that a preseason survey cannot.

2. Ginebra’s playoff race runs through a changing Phoenix team

Phoenix resumes against Meralco tonight at 4 wins and 3 losses, with a new import and little room to waste the strong start BJ Johnson helped build. The Philippine Star reports that Marcellus Earlington replaces Johnson, whose contract ended in August before a prior commitment to Russian club Parma BC. This is not a newly announced signing; tonight is the competitive test of that transition.

Spin’s Reuben Terrado highlights the wider stakes: Phoenix still faces Meralco, Ginebra and Rain or Shine, all directly involved in the Group B quarterfinal race. Ginebra sits at 3 wins and 5 losses before Sunday’s Phoenix meeting. The tactical question is how quickly Phoenix can establish its new import’s role while every remaining opponent has something significant to gain.

3. Tatum’s Celtics are testing combinations, not handing out permanent roles

Boston’s 114 to 93 victory over Charlotte featured a revealing experiment: Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson together, with Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman. CelticsBlog’s Adam Taylor detailed the combination and Joe Mazzulla’s explanation that he wants to examine different looks before the season. That matters more than treating every preseason substitution as a fixed depth chart decision.

Jayson Tatum finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Pritchard delivered 11 assists without a turnover. Boston also collected 16 steals despite shooting only 28.2 percent from three. Our analysis: the useful signal is that Boston found offense through passing, interior threats and defensive disruption when its outside shooting struggled. Three exhibition wins remain a small sample, not a championship forecast.

4. Strawther’s injury interrupts Denver’s rotation audition

Julian Strawther’s left leg injury against the Clippers has put a potentially important Denver rotation decision on hold. RealGM, citing Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, reported that he was due for an MRI after leaving Wednesday’s game. Coach David Adelman’s postgame comments emphasized concern for a player who had worked throughout the summer, rather than providing a diagnosis.

Denver has been hoping Strawther can secure a consistent role in his fourth season. If he misses time, that would reduce the options available while the Nuggets settle their perimeter rotation. The reports reviewed did not establish an MRI result or a firm return timetable, so neither a lengthy absence nor a quick recovery should be assumed before Saturday’s Philippine time meeting with the Lakers.

Recent Results from Our Watchlist

NBA

• Thursday, October 15, 2026: Hornets at Celtics, Boston won 114 to 93. Jayson Tatum had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Important Games to Watch This Week

All dates and tipoff times are Philippine time.

NBA

• Saturday, October 17, 2026, 7:00 AM: Celtics at 76ers
  Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, United States
  Why watch: Boston gets another test of its frontcourt combinations against Philadelphia.
• Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:00 AM: Trail Blazers at Warriors
  Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, United States
  Why watch: Golden State gets a final preseason look at its rotation.
• Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:30 AM: Nuggets at Lakers
  Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, United States
  Why watch: Denver’s wing availability and the Lakers’ execution deserve attention.

PBA

• Friday, October 16, 2026, 7:30 PM: Phoenix vs. Meralco
  Location: Ynares Center, Antipolo, Philippines
  Why watch: Earlington’s debut comes against a direct quarterfinal rival.
• Sunday, October 18, 2026, 7:30 PM: Ginebra vs. Phoenix
  Location: Ynares Center, Antipolo, Philippines
  Why watch: Ginebra faces a team immediately above it in the Group B race.