15. New York Knick
The New York Knicks were not a good team last year by any stretch. They were one of the worst teams in the East last season, finishing only 1.5 games ahead of the 15th seeded Cavaliers. But unlike the other poor teams in the East, the Knicks had a lackluster offseason. The Knicks lost Damyean Dotson, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson, Mo Harkless, Theo Pinson, and Bobby Portis. They all played over 15 minutes per game. To make up for their losses the Knicks were able to acquire Nerlens Noel, Austin Rivers, and Alec Burks through free agency and trades. Additionally, they picked up Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley in the draft. Although both have shown some promise in the preseason, they haven’t been anything special. The rookies coupled the Knicks’ other additions are comparable to their losses. The problem for the Knicks is that the Cavs are a better team than they were last year, so they will likely pass them in the standings. Even with some marginal improvements from RJ Barrett this team doesn’t look much better than it did last year, which is why they will be the last seed in the East.
14. Detroit Pistons
Similar to the Knicks, the Detroit Pistons were one of the worst teams in the East last season. They finished as the 13th seed, half a game ahead of the 15th seed. The Pistons had a chaotic offseason, adding many forwards, but also losing some of their best players. They signed Mason Plumlee, Jahil Okafor, Josh Jackson, and Jerami Grant. Grant was their marquee addition, and he will have to act as a replacement for one of the most impactful losses, Christian Wood. Wood started the season off slowly, but as it progressed, he quickly became one of the best players on the team, peaking after Andre Drummond was traded. This all merited him $41 million contract with the Houston Rockets. Additionally, the Pistons played the majority of their season with Drummond, who is no longer on their team. The last notable loss for the Pistons was Luke Kennard. He had shown a lot of promise, and his loss will definitely be felt. In the Draft, the Pistons drafted three players in the top twenty, Killian Hayes, guard; Isaiah Stewart, center; and Saddiq Bey, forward. Hayes and Bey will likely be the only two to have an impact, but they haven’t done much in preseason, even with Hayes starting. One thing the Pistons can look forward to is some recovery from Blake Griffin. The former all-star played much of last season injured, and it showed. Having had some time to recover from his knee issues, Griffin should be a very impactful player for this weak squad. All in all, the losses of Drummond, Wood, and Kennard outweigh the offseason additions they made. Even if someone steps up to their heightened role, it’s doubtful that this team will be any better than last year.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have a very impactful offseason. After finishing in last place in the Eastern conference last year they didn’t have any noteworthy acquisitions in free agency. However, in the draft they took forward Isaac Okoro with the fifth pick. The biggest difference from last season for this team will be Andre Drummond. He was traded to the Cavaliers near the end of the shortened season, and we have yet to see him play with the Cavs for a long period of time. We should see some improvements from this team, as they will have some advancements from Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, as well as a full season of Andre Drummond and Isaac Okoro. This should give the Cavaliers some more wins, but they still aren’t good enough to get out of the bottom of the East.
12. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls finished in 11th place in the East last season, but they made no moves to improve themselves this offseason, and they will likely finish with a very similar win percentage. The only free agency move that will impact them is losing Kris Dunn, and as mentioned before, they signed no one noteworthy. In the draft the Bulls took sixth man of the year Patrick Williams. This was a very strange move, as Williams wasn’t even good enough to start on his own team in college. In the preseason he has shown no promise. One thing that the Bulls can look forward to is some marginal improvements from Lauri Markkanen and Coby White, but this shouldn’t be enough to give the Bulls a higher standing than last year.
11. Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets have quietly put together a great team. After finishing 10th in the Eastern conference last season, only 6 games back of the 8th seed, they signed Gordon Hayward and drafted Lamelo Ball and Vernon Carey. These additions put them in contention for the playoffs. The issue, however, for the Hornets is that the East became far more competitive this season, and some of the other teams are undoubtedly better than them. The Hornets can also look forward to seeing improvements from their younger players: Devontae Graham, Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, and PJ Washington. If they see significantly better play from all these players, and LaMelo has a great rookie season, the Hornets could sneak into the playoffs.
10. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic finished as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference last season. This offseason they made no had free agency losses or additions that will drastically affect their record. In the Draft they took Cole Anthony, who showed promise in the preseason, and could be a key player on the Magic for years to come. However, during this season its unlikely that he’ll have an extremely large impact. The most notable difference between this upcoming season and last season is the injury of Jonathan Isaac. After tearing his ACL, Isaac will be out for the entirety of this season. He was a key player for the team last year, and his loss will hurt immensely. Because other teams made more impactful moves than the Magic, they will likely overtake them in the standings, leaving the Magic as the tenth seed.
9. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks finished as the 14th seed in the Eastern conference last season, 0 games ahead of the 15th seeded Cavaliers. This offseason they made a splash, signing Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danillo Gallinari, Rajan Rondo, and Kris Dunn. Additionally, in the draft they selected Onyeka Okongwu with the sixth pick. This season Clint Capela will also be able to play significant games and minutes, providing a nice pick and roll partner for Trae Young. Outside of their offseason additions, the Hawks also have some improvements to look forward to from their younger players: De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, and Cam Reddish. The downfall for this team will be defense. Almost none of their players are good defenders, rather almost all of them are practically liabilities on that side of the court. Although this team is undoubtedly in contention for the playoffs, they will likely fall just short of the eighth seed.
8. Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern conference last season, losing in the first round the future Eastern conference champions, the Miami Heat. This was a very talented team last season, as their record indicates. However, some other teams made better offseason moves, and that’s why the Pacers are near the bottom of the playoff race. This offseason the Pacers made no noteworthy free agency signings, and had no noteworthy losses. Furthermore, the Pacers didn’t have a pick in the first round this season. All in all, this team is essentially the same as it was last year. The only possible difference for the Pacers will be how Victor Oladipo plays. Before his injury, Oladipo was the best player on the Pacers, and he led them to the playoffs. But after his injury, he has struggled immensely, playing as a shell of himself, and shooting very inefficiently. If Oladipo can get back to playing like he did at his best, the Pacers could easily get as high as the 5th seed. Lastly, the difference between the 9th and 2nd seed in the East will be extremely narrow, so don’t be surprised if the Pacers are able to end up a few spots higher in the rankings
7. Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors finished as the the second seed in the East last year. After the egregious play from Pascal Siakam in the playoffs coupled with their offseason losses, they will drop in the standings. This free agency the Raptors lost Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, who both played substantial minutes for them last season. To partially replace them the Raptors brought in Aron Baynes, but he won’t bring the same value either Ibaka or Gasol had. The Raptors also drafted Malachi Flynn in the first round of the draft. He has shown some promise in the preseason, and he will help replenish the Raptors depth that was lost. As mentioned before, the seventh seed will not be very far behind the 2nd or 3rd seed, so they could easily be higher if Pascal Siakam can play better.
6. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards finished right outside of the playoffs last season as the ninth seed. The reason they are in the hunt for homecourt advantage in the playoffs now is their great offseason moves. The Wizards gave up injury prone John Wall, in exchange for Russel Westbrook. They also drafted Deni Avdija with the ninth pick in the draft, and he has shown a lot of promise in the preseason thus far. He will continue his success with Westbrook’s great passing and creation skills. Although we have yet to see how the dynamic between Westbrook and Beal will be, we have many reasons to believe that it will work out well. Although it may seem as if the fit between Harden and Westbrook was poor in Houston, both Harden and Westbrook played extremely well, and led the team to the fourth seed in the ultra-talented Western conference. The relationship with Westbrook in Washington will likely be even better, due to Beal not being as ball-dominant as Harden, and also more capable of playing off-ball.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers finished as the 6th seed last season, only 5.5 games behind the third seeded Celtics. After bringing in Daryl Morey as the general manager, the 76ers made two trades. First they got rid of Al Horford, who was very expensive and clogged up the paint for Embiid and Simmons. In return, the 76ers got Terrance Ferguson, a promising defender, and more importantly, Danny Green, a much needed shooter to spread the floor. Secondly, the 76ers got rid of another big contract, Josh Richardson to the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for a historically great shooter, Seth Curry. These two additions not only add more depth at the guard positions, but they also provide floor spacing for Simmons to drive and Embiid to operate in the post. Additionally, the 76ers have recently been involved in some trade rumors surrounding Simmons and Harden. If the 76ers are able to pull off this trade they will be undeniably a title contender, and they will likely finish around the second or third seed in the East. Harden would fit better with Embiid due to his shooting ability, which Simmons completely lacks.
4. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics finished as the third seed in the Eastern conference last season. In the playoffs they made the Eastern conference finals, losing to the Miami Heat in 6 games. In the offseason the Celtics brought in Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague, who will both play some valuable minutes off the bench. But more importantly, they lost Gordon Hayward. This loss will hurt them for sure, but with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continuing to improve, they could replace his scoring. Another loss for the Celtics is Kemba Walker. Although he is still with the team, he is recovering from an injury, and is “in no rush to return”. This means he could be out until February. This will hurt their regular season rankings, so they will likely finish as the fourth seed in the Eastern conference playoffs.
3. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat surprised everyone by making it to the NBA finals last season after finishing as the 5th seed. This year they’ll move up in the rankings. This is due to the expected improvements from Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, as well as the addition of Precious Achiuwa from the draft. The only significant loss for the Heat is that of Jae Crowder. He provided defense and shooting for the Heat, but he will be replaceable. All in all, the team that we saw in the playoffs last season warrants a top three seed in the East this season.
2. Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets finsihed as the 7th seed last season, despite having Kyrie Irving miss substantial time throughout the season. The Nets didn’t lose anyone noteworthy from their squad last season, so that Kyrie’s increased playing will boost the Nets in the standings. More importantly, we’ll finally be able to see Kevin Durant play again. In the preseason Durant showed flashes of his former self, and it didn’t look like the injury fazed him much. If Durant can play like he did at the peak of his career just two seasons ago, this Nets team will be a top seed in the East, and a title contender in the playoffs.
1. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are easily the favorite to win the East for their third straight season. They improved their roster during the offseason, and there is no reason to doubt them. It is important to note that this ranking solely reflects regular season success. The Bucks have choked in the playoffs the last few seasons, and it could happen again this season. However, the Bucks have showed that they can consistently win in the regular season, and they will continue to do just that. In free agency, the Bucks made the much needed move of replacing Eric Bledsoe at point guard. Although they gave up a lot of picks, in the short run, acquiring Jrue Holiday will be very valuable. Outside of this acquisition nothing really changed for the Bucks, so just like last season, they’ll finish as the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
All-Star Analytics 