Atlanta Hawks- (20–47, 14th), Lloyd Pierce
PG- Trae Young Rajon Rondo Brandon Goodwin
SG- Bogdan Bogdanovic Kevin Huerter Kendrick Nunn
SF- Cam Reddish DeAndre Hunter Tony Snell Solomon Hill
PF- John Collins Danillo Gallinari
C- Clint Capella Onyeka Okongwu Bruno Fernandez
The Hawks are going to have one of the biggest jumps in the NBA and go from 14th in the East to a potential playoff team. Trae Young is a superstar. Collins/Capella are a young and incredibly talented front court if they can stay healthy and off the horse tranquilizers. The foursome of Bogdan, Huerter, Reddish and Hunter has such a high ceiling and gives Pierce so many options to plug and play the hot hands at the guard/small forward positions. I still think the Hawks will have their struggles as every young NBA team does, but they’re going to have many more highs than lows this season.
Boston Celtics- (48–24, 3rd), Lost to Heat in ECF, Brad Stevens
PG- Kemba Walker Jeff Teague Carson Edwards
SG- Marcus Smart Romeo Langford
SF- Jaylen Brown Semi Ojeleye
PF- Jayson Tatum Grant Williams Amile Jefferson
C- Daniel Theis Robert Williams Tristian Thompson
The Cs are a good team, but in an improved East, they are a candidate to take a step back. Incredibly strong starting 5, but overall depth is going to end up hurting them. They should have beaten the heat in the EFC and losing that series could motivate them, but I think it does the opposite and hangs over them like a lingering fart. That’s not to say the Celtics dont still end up in the top 4 or 5 in the East. Tatum should be ready to carry a team, Kemba is an elite point guard and Jaylen and Smart are absolute gamers, but they’ll be closer to a 40 win team this year than a 50 win team.
Brooklyn Nets- (35–37, 7th) Swept by TOR in first round, Steve Nash
PG- Kyrie Irving Spencer Dinwiddie Bruce Brown
SG- Caris Lavert Landry Shamet Tyler Johnson
SF- Joe Harris Taurean Prince
PF- Kevin Durant Rodoins Kurucs
C- Jarret Allen DeAndre Jordan Jeff Green
The Nets are kind of a mystery since Kyrie Irving has refused to speak to the media….But really, theNets should contend for a 1 seed in the East. With KD coming off a bad injury and Kyrie being injury prone himself it wouldn’t be surprising if the Nets are very careful with them and the 1 seed isn’t a top priority. Caris LaVert, another guy who just can’t stay on the court, is poised for a breakout year and Jarret Allen is an extremely talented young center. Spencer Dinwiddie could start in most other places and gives Nash even more leash to make sure Kyrie stays healthy. KD being back is the peak of the excitement for Brooklyn thought. Arguably the best in the NBA when healthy and if he stays that way all season the Nets will be a wagon.
Charlotte Hornets- (23–42, 9th/10th) James Borrego
PG- LaMelo Ball Grant Ritter
SG- Deveonte Graham Terry Rozier Malik Monk
SF- Gordon Hayward Cody Martin Caleb Martin
PF- PJ Washington Miles Bridges
C- Cody Zeller Bismack Biyombo
Some exciting guards and a nice player in Gordon Hayward but not a roster that is going to be competitive in the East. LaMelo is going to be a Jeckyl and Hyde of awesome lob and no look passes and endless turnovers, elite NBA defenders are going to swallow him up. Graham and Rozier are solid guards but just dont stack up against other teams around the league. The glaring weakness they have is at the center position. Zeller and Biyombo, despite solid defense, are bottom tier NBA centers. They’ll stay right around the 10 spot in the East but it won’t be on the higher end of it.
Chicago Bulls- (22–43, 11th) Billy Donovan
PG- Colby White Tomas Satoransky Ryan Arcidianco
SG- Zach Lavine Denzel Valentine Garret Temple
SF- Otto Porter Jr Patrick Williams
PF- Lauri Markkanen Thad Young
C- Wendell Carter Jr. Daniel Gafford Luke Kornet
Billy Dovovan and some young pieces going into the post GarPax reign in Chicago is a fine start but theBulls have no super star, little depth, and will have serious growing pains. Zach Lavine is a baller and Wendell Carter Jr. could blossom into a great player this year. The forward combo of Otto Porter and Lauri isn’t awful but it isn’t intimidating either. The Bulls are in a better place than last year, but the East is better than it was so they won’t be improving on their 22 wins, even going from 65 games to 72.
Cleveland Caveliers- (19–46, 15th) J.B. Bickerstaff
PG- Darius Garland Dante Exum Delly
SG- Collin Sexton Kevin Porter Jr. Daymean Dotson
SF- Isaac Okoro Cedi Osman
PF- Kevin Love Larry Nance Jr.
C- Andre Drummond Javale Mcgee Thon Maker
The Cavs stunk last year, and frankly, they’re going to stink again this year. Darius Garland was underwhelming last season and it’s a stretch to think Dante Exum is going to take the Ryan Tannehill 7th year leap. Collin Sexton is a fine yong guard. Andre Drummond may be a double double machine but he doesnt change games and isnt going to single handedly win some games like other players in the league. There’s no idea how much production you’ll get from Kevin Love. The Cavs are going to stay bottom feeders in the East once again.
Detroit Pistons- (20–46, 13th) Dwyane Casey
PG- Killian Hayes Derrick Rose
SG- Delon Wright Wayne Ellington
SF- Jerami Grant Sviatoslov Mykhailiuk Rodney Mcgruder Saddiq Bey Josh Jackson
PF- Blake Griffin Doumbayo
C- Mason Plumlee Jahlil Okafor
The Pistons were not a good team last year, and may be in for a worse go of it this year. Jerami Grant is a good role playing forward and hopefully Blake of the Year, Blake Griffin can play more than 18 games, but the loss of Christian Wood severely hurts them. Tough to even be excited about Saddiq Bey since hes lost behind some other forwards. Mason Plumlee and Jahill Okafor are not a strong combo at the center position. Killian Hayes and Derrick Rose are an exciting point guard combo but Hayes is going to shoot a terrible percentage and have some bad turnover nights. The overall firepower just is not there for this team and are looking at the bottom 5 of the East.
Indiana Pacers- (45–28, 4th) Swept by the Heat in ECS, Nate Bjorkgren
PG- Malcolm Brogdan Holiday/McConnell
SG- Victor Oladipo Jeremy Lamb+
SF- TJ Warren+ Justin Holiday
PF- Domantas Sabonis Doug McDermot
C- Myles Turner Goga Bitadze
The Pacers may not have that one superstar that jumps off the page at you, but they are a very good basketball team. The loss of Sabonis in the bubble was a devastating blow to them, but he’s healthy, Oladipo is healthy and Nate Bjorkgren is going to have them playing a more upbeat pace of basketball this year. Myles Turner is a freak athlete who didn’t have his best season last year but has a huge upside and Malcolm Brogdan has a strong upside as well. TJ Warren plantar fasciitis is not what you want to see to begin the year but the Pacers should stay a top 4 team in the East.
Miami Heat- (44–29, 5th) EC Champs, Lost to Lakers in Finals, Eric Spolstra
PG- Goran Dragic Kendrick Nunn
SG- Duncan Robinson Tyler Herro
SF- Jimmy Butler Andre Iguadala
PF- Meyers Leonard Moe Harkless
C- Bam Adebayo Kelly Olynyk
The Heat were incredible in the bubble. They’re run to finals was really impressive and even with a banged up squad gave the Lakers some trouble. They really did not add any one and are basically running it back with the same squad. You never know how the championship loss hangover is going to carry over into a new season, especially since the bubble style was extremely mentally draining, but Spo is a great coach and the Heat have some chip on their shoulder guys. The chainsmokers at SG should only continue to improve and Bam is a monster. Just because they won the east doesnt make them favorites to win the East this time around, but they’ll finish higher than 5th this year.
Milwaukee Bucks- (56–17, 1st) Lost to Heat in ECS, Mike Budenholzer
PG- Jrue Holiday DJ Augustine
SG- Donte Divincenzo Bryn Forbes Pat Connaughton
SF- Kris Middleton Jordan Nwura
PF- Gianns Antetokounmpo DJ Wilson
C- Brook Lopez Bobby Portis
The Bucks had a disappointing ending in the bubble after an incredibly strong regular season, but vibes should be good in Milwaukee. Giannis is there long term, Jrue is a nice improvement at point guard and the Bucks should be once again competing for the top seed in the east. Giannis struggled to close games on his own last year and Jrue Holiday should help with that. Bucks will have more of a fight this year for the tops in the East though.
New York Knicks- (21–45, 12th) Tom Thibodaeu
PG- Payton Rivers Frank DSJ
SG- RJ Barrett Alec Burcs
SF- Kevin Knox Reggie Bullocks
PF- Julius Randle Obi Toppibn
C- Mitchell Robinson Nerlens Noel
Hopefully Leon Rose has begun to turn this franchise around, but it won’t begin to show this season. Hopefully there is noticeable growth in RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. Obi Toppin is an exciting draft pick who has done all the right things so far. Their point guards are far too inconsistent although Austin Rivers has potential to take the strong hold on that position. Kevin Knox isnt going to grow into the player they thought they were going to get. They have a roster that will compete in a lot of games, Thibs will have them playing hard, however it’s unlikely the wins will come all too often.
Orlando Magic- (33–40, 8th) Eliminated in first round 4–1 by Bucks, Steve Clifford
PG- Markell Fultz Michael Carter-Williams
SG- Evan Fournier Terrance Ross
SF- Dwane Bacon James Ennis
PF- Aaron Gordon Al Faroqu-Aminu
C- Nikola Vucevic Mo Bamba Khem Birch
Just like in years past, it’s another Magic team that won’t be at the bottom of the East, but also won’t be overly competitive. They won a playoff game last year which is a nice feather in the hat, but in a conference that has a few improved teams, the Magic will be the ones falling out of playoff territory. Gordon and Vucevic are no slouches in the frontcourt and Fultz showed signs of bright spots last year. If they didn’t lose Johnathan Isaac to injury they’d have a much brighter outlook but that’s a tough player to replace. They will stay in the hunt, but they will not ever make a real push for that 8 seed.
Philadelphia 76ers- (43–30, 6th) swept by Boston in round 1, Brett Brown
PG- Ben Simmons Shake Milton
SG- Seth Curry Furkan Korkmaz
SF- Danny Green Matisse Thybulle
PF- Tobias Harris Mike Scott
C- Joel Embiid Dwight Howard
The 76ers have a ton of talent but aren’t necessarily a great team. 13 wins over .500 is certainly a nice season however the sweep by Cs in the first round is more indicative of the type of team they are overall. Simmons and Embiid are wildly talented players but clearly don’t mesh well. Seth Curry and Danny Green are too similar players to both be in your starting 5 and although Green has a knack for finding the finals he isn’t too much of a threat anymore. Tobias Harris wasn’t great last season so an improvement by him is needed for Philly to stay where they were at last year. With the way the East is looking this year it isn’t crazy to think the 6ers fair worse than the already less than ideal 6th seed.
Toronto Raptors- (53–19, 2nd) Lost 3–4 in the ECS to Boston, Nick Nurse
PG- Kyle Lowry Malachi Flynn
SG- Fred VanVleet Norman Powell
SF- OG Anunoby Stanley Johnson
PF- Pascal Siakam Oshea Brissett
C- Aron Baynes Chris Boucher
The Raptors didnt skip a beat with the departure of Kawhi last season. They defended their title with a 50+ win season and a 7 game battle vs. the Cs in the Eastern Conferece Semis. Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are no longer there so youd once again think the Raptors are set up to take a few steps back in the East. While another 50 win season does seem unlikely, the Raptors will be very competitive once again. Siakam has MVP potential talent, FVV has turned into such a solid player, OG is an elite defender and Lowry and his peach emoji ass is a great leader. Nick Nuse is a top coach in the NBA as well so he will get the most out of this squad.
Washington Wizards- (25–47, 9th/10th) Scott Brooks
PG- Russell Westbrook Ish Smith
SG- Bradley Beal Jerome Robinson
SF- Troy Brown Jr. Deny Avida
PF- Ruia Hachiamura Davis Bertans
C- Thomas Bryant Robin Lopez
The Wizards added one of the biggest names of the offseason and the combo of Westbrook and Beal is worth well over last season’s 25 wins. Russell is an incredible stat getter but if he is capable of leading a team to championship is still in question. It’ll be real fun to watch him and Beal together though. Itll be interesting to see how the Westbrook addition effects the growth of Hachiarmura and Bryant who are talented players. The lack of depth will hurt the Wizards over the course of the season but they will be competitive in the East.
PREDICTIONS:
1st: Brooklyn Nets
2nd: Milwaukee Bucks
3rd: Indiana Pacers
4th: Toronto Raptors
5th: Miami Heat
6th: Boston Celtics
7th: Atlanta Hawks
8th: Philadelphia 76ers
9th: Washington Wizards
10th: Orlando Magic
11th: Detroit Pistons
12th: Charolette Hornets
13th: New York Knicks
14th: Chicago Bulls
15th: Cleveland Cavaliers
First Round:
“7–8 Game” — Atlanta Hawks over Philadelphia 76ers
“9–10 Game”- Washington Wizards over Orlando Magic
“8 seed game”- Washington Wizards over Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets over Washington Wizards in 5
Milwaukee Bucks over Atlanta Hawks in 5
Indiana Pacers over Boston Celtics in 7
Miami Heat over Toronto Raptors in 7
Brooklyn Nets over Miami Heat in 6
Milwaukee Bucks over Indiana Pacers in 7
Brooklyn Nets over Milwaukee Bucks in 7
