It almost feels like an eternity since the Denver Nuggets lifted their maiden NBA title in June. Mike Malone’s side was arguably the best team in the league last season and their demolition of the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat en route to the championship proved that.
The NBA hasn’t been without its fair share of drama and off-court actions since the NBA finals though. The next chosen one “Victor Wembanyama is here and he looks like good value for the hype. Damian Lillard had to settle for being Giannis’ new partner in crime instead of the sunny beaches of Miami. Like a partner stuck in a toxic relationship, James Harden still has to deal with Daryl Morey and the city of “Brotherly Love”. And did I forget to mention that the always-revolving trade carousel made at least three teams feel like favourites for this season’s crown in the space of four months?
I’m certain fans of the NBA can’t wait for the drama to start unfolding come Tuesday but until then, I can’t resist having a mini-power ranking of the 15 teams in each conference, starting with the East.
15. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have been stuck in NBA oblivion for God knows how long now — or since 2018-19, when they traded for Blake Griffin and made the playoffs. The Michigan-based team appointed Monty Williams as their new head coach during the offseason but with a young, inexperienced, and seemingly less talented roster, it’s difficult to see the Pistons improving on their 15th-place finish from last season.
14. Charlotte Hornets
Michael Jordan might have sold the Hornets to new owners but I can’t quite picture where the improvement for this team will come from. The Hornets tied the future of star point guard LaMelo Ball to the franchise for five more seasons, however, unless they surround him with better talent, they might need to prepare for his exit in the future — either via trade or free agency.
The Hornets drafted Brandon Miller with the 2nd overall pick in the just concluded draft following an impressive college campaign but unless veterans like Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier step up their game, I can’t picture anything other than a lottery position for the team this season.
13. Orlando Magic
Fans of the Magic have been trusting the process for years now. However, after multiple lottery picks — barring Paolo Banchero — who have failed to hit the heights in the NBA, one can only suggest a change of strategy is needed in Orlando.
Jamahl Mosley’s side picked up veteran guard/forward Joe Ingles in the offseason and will be hoping his experience will help to continue to improve players like Banchero and Franz Wagner. However, with the lack of a proven point guard and the inconsistent play from other young players, it’s difficult to see the Magic making some sort of noise in the East.
12. Chicago Bulls
The new season hasn’t even tipped off yet and there’s already talk of the Chicago Bulls trading star players DeMar DeRozan and Zack Lavine, and hitting the reset button should the season begin on a poor note.
The Bulls finished in a play-in position (10th) last season but without any notable additions during the off-season and the absence of Lonzo Ball from the point, rumors that this might be Billy Donovan’s last season in Illinois might prove to be true should they miss the playoffs once again.
11. Toronto Raptors
Masai Ujiri has proven himself to be one of the best general managers in the NBA, especially after masterminding the trade for Kawhi Leonard in 2018. However, since winning the NBA title in 2019, there has been a lack of consistency and progress with the Raptors.
Championship-winning head coach Nick Nurse has been replaced by Darko Rajakovic while the former starting point guard has skipped Toronto for Houston. The future of all-star forward Pascal Siakam remains in doubt but the biggest problem the team faces is the current indecision over whether to go big or rebuild the franchise. Hence, my reason for expecting them to finish worse off than they did last year.
10. Indiana Pacers
Rick Carlisle’s troops missed out on the play-in positions in the East by five games during the 2022-23 season but can take hope from the fact that starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton became an All-Star last season and continues to look impressive (during the FIBA World Cup).
The Pacers have a roster that includes players like Miles Turner, Buddy Hield, Daniel Theis, and Benedict Mathurin. And with the ink on Haliburton’s contract barely dry, coupled with the addition of Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin during the offseason, the Pacers have what it takes to at least make the play-in tournament this season.
9. Washington Wizards
“Out with the old, in with the new”, was definitely the mantra of the front office for the Washington Wizards this season, as the Wall-Beal era finally came to an end following the latter’s trade to the Phoenix Suns. The Wizards picked up on Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors and following his impressive —be it preseason— performance at the Garden against the Knicks, it’s easy to see why fans and pundits are high on Poole’s stock this season.
The Wizards also lost Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics but with Danilo Galinari, Tyus Jones, Kyle Kuzma, Landry Shamet, and Taj Gibson alongside Poole, they possess enough talent and experience to be the surprise package in the eastern conference.
8. Brooklyn Nets
Like a pendulum, the Nets have been swinging back and forth between going for the big stars and developing young players for about a decade now. The current iteration of the team is made up of young players, who don’t just have talent but also with a point to prove.
Despite losing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant made it to the playoffs last season where they lost to the Sixers in the first round. However, with the expected return of Ben Simmons and budding players like Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson have enough in their arsenal to secure a top-eight finish in the East.
7. New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson probably seems like a modest person, because iif I were to be in his shoes, I would definitely be writing back or at least ticking off every fan or pundit who wrote him off after the Knicks signed him for just over a hundred million dollars last offseason.
The former Dallas Mavericks point guard was a tad unlucky not to make the All-Star team and after his impressive performances in the playoffs that saw the Knicks eliminate the slightly more talented Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s only natural to expect that he leads the team back to the playoffs once again.
The Knicks could have easily been placed higher on this list but the improvement of the teams around them and their obvious lack of notable additions sees them take a step back from last season’s fifth-place finish.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
Whilst they might have disappointed massively in their playoff loss to the Knicks, the Cavs still have enough about them to be regarded as a top-six side in the Eastern Conference. The All-Star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland remains a formidable backcourt pairing and the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are still a defensive nightmare for opposition teams. And with emerging young talents like Isaiah Mobley, Isaac Okoro, and Emoni Bates, the question for JB Bickerstaff and the Cavs is, how far can they go in the Eastern Conference?
5. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks continue to divide opinion amongst the NBA experts and the fact that I have them finishing in the top five in the East could see my basketball analyst card come into question. However, I’m convinced that at some point, they are going to figure it out considering the level of talent on their roster.
The chemistry between the backcourt duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray is expected to be much better as they head into their second season together whilst the likes of Bodgan Bogdanovic and Saddiq Bey continue to improve. And with the veteran additions of Patty Mills and Wesley Matthews to provide experience and leadership, the Hawks are a lock for the playoffs in my books.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
The fans of the Sixers might have hoped for the team to take some sort of inspiration from their NFL sister team ahead of the upcoming season. However, the most recent "Harden drama" has a new home in Philly, with the former MVP demanding a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, putting a huge cloud of uncertainty over the 76ers.
With the current roster, the Sixers are a lock for an easy top-four finish despite having a new coach at the helm of affairs in Nick Nurse. The former NBA champion with the Raptors will be hoping to have the James Harden situation resolved as soon as possible and a fit Joel Embiid —last season’s league MVP— if he’s to make a positive impact on the Sixers this season.
3. Miami Heat
It’s hard to imagine a team that finished in 8th place last season making the leap to 3rd this time around. However, the Miami Heat are no ordinary team and proved that by becoming the first 8th-seeded team to make it to the NBA finals last season.
The Heat might have failed to pick up Damian Lillard after a public pursuit all offseason but should they play with the same effort and desire they showed in the playoffs last time out, they have everything they need to be one of the top three teams in the East.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
Failure or not, the Bucks had a disappointing 2022-23 season after they fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs losing in five games to the Miami Heat. The Bucks saw their odds of becoming favorites for the title drop in just a few days after picking up Damian Lillard via trade from the Portland Trail Blazers but with two proven superstars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard to go along with a healthy Khris Middleton, the Bucks will fancy their chances against any team in the league.
New head coach Adrian Griffin replaces Mike Budenholzer —who was fired following the team’s first-round playoffs elimination— and will be looking to foster the confidence and drive of the 2020-21 season, which saw the team go all the way and win the NBA title.
1. Boston Celtics
Joe Mazzulla’s troops are the odds-on favorites for this season’s NBA title and rightfully so. They can boast of a roster of players like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, and Derrick White to mention but a few.
A lot of people questioned if the Celtics could be considered favorites after they traded former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies but the additions of Holiday and Porzingis and the expected improvement of second-year head coach —who, let’s face it, made some mistakes last season — the Celtics are on course to secure their first title since 2008.
Commenti