15. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were the 5^th seed in the Eastern Conference last year, and that was in large part due to the contributions of Paul Millsap. Now, Millsap is gone, like so many other of Atlanta’s best players. Left on the team are young players like Dennis Schroeder and Taurean Prince. Schroeder displayed growth last year, but was thoroughly outplayed by John Wall in the playoffs. He cannot carry his own team, and that’s what is going to be asked of him this year.  As a rookie, Prince showed potential to be an above average wing in the league, but he did so as the 4^th option on the Hawks behind Millsap, Schroeder, and the traded Dwight Howard. Expect the Hawk’s coach, Mike Budenholzer to give both Schroeder and Prince the ability to learn from their mistakes during what will be a season without many victories.

14. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls may be the worst managed franchise in the whole NBA. They’ve made mistake after mistake. They hired Fred Hoiberg when his offensive philosophy didn’t fit the playing style of their best player, Jimmy Butler. They brought in two ball-dominant players in Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo to form the “three alphas” along with Butler, a move that ended up backfiring spectacularly, with none of the three remaining on the team. They traded Jimmy Butler for a suboptimal package centered around a guard whose best asset was his athleticism before he tore his ACL. They currently have 7 point guards on the roster, none of which are above league average and none who have shown the ability consistently run an offense. It’s time to end the current regime’s time in the Windy City and blow them out of town.

13. New York Knicks

The Mecca. The holiest place to play basketball. Madison Square Garden hasn’t felt like the best place in the basketball over the last few years. Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson are both gone, Anthony to the Thunder, and Jackson to his home in Los Angeles. The franchise passed on drafting Dennis Smith Jr, instead choosing to go with the French point guard, Frank Ntilikina. While Ntilikina may become a fine player, the early returns on Smith Jr. show that New York may have missed on an electrifying player to pair with their star, Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis must become the focus of this team, he can no longer be relegated to second fiddle behind another star. This team still has terrible contracts such as Joakim Noah’s, but hopefully, without Jackson there, they can finally embark on a rebuild.

12. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers may be the most boring team in the NBA. Last year they had Paul George, but he’s now a member of the Thunder. They just don’t have anybody who can elevate an otherwise below average roster. There isn’t much to write about this team, they won’t be terrible, they won’t be great, they won’t wow you, they won’t make you tear out your hair in angst, they’ll just… be there.

11. Brooklyn Nets

This may end up being a bit high for Brooklyn, but what Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson have done there is truly remarkable. Marks was left without draft picks or young talent because of the idiotic moves made by the previous regimes. He’s done incredibly without any valuable resources, acquiring young players with a very high ceiling like Caris Levert and D’Angelo Russell. Atkinson has become one of the NBA’s better coaches without anybody realizing. His record may not show it, but he has the team playing hard every single night even when they face large deficits, which is more than you can say for other teams. As they regain control of their draft picks, expect to see Brooklyn talked about as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

10. Orlando Magic

Orlando has not been relevant since they made the Dwight Howard trade. They play their best young player, Aaron Gordon, away from his normal position (power forward) to the small forward position. Elfrid Payton still can’t shoot, but he’s developed into a good floor general for the Magic. The Magic’s best asset may be the length they can throw at you when they go the bench. Jonathan Simmons, Jonathan Isaac, and Mario Hezonja all have the size and length to smother opposing guards and wings. This team has not made the playoffs in sever years, and it will most likely continue for another year.

9. Pistons

The Pistons have issues all around the roster. Their point guard was not good last year, and there are rumors of dissent in the locker room. Stan Van Gundy’s patented 4 out 1 in system, where 4 shooters surround one strong interior presence, has not succeeded up until this point. The Pistons have not had the required shooters to space the floor, and the one guy they’d put in the middle, Andre Drummond, has not proven himself to be a franchise player up to this point in his career. If this team has another subpar season, it could be heading to a long and painful rebuild, without Van Gundy at the helm.

8. Hornets

The Hornets may be higher, but the recent injury to Nicolas Batum dropped them down a few spots. Kemba Walker is firmly entrenched in the second tier of point guards along with guys like Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. MKG has not made the steps on offense to complement his stellar defensive efforts. Walker and his teammates might be able to give a contender a tough time in the playoffs, but getting there without Batum for a decent portion of the season will be difficult.

7. 76ers

No other team has their success or failure riding on one player like Philadelphia does. Joel Embiid, when healthy, is arguably the best center in the NBA. His blend of raw athleticism and a polished offensive game make him nearly unguardable. On defense, he has the vertical leap and timing to reject shot attempts. Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz have boatloads of potential, but rookies have a long history of not performing well in their first season. Without Embiid, the only thing this team will contend for is a top 5 draft pick.

Heat

The Heat had one of the weirdest years last year. They began horrendously, going 11-30 in the first half of the year. Suddenly, they turned it around, going 30-11 in the second half and missing the playoffs by one spot in the standings. Pat Riley rewarded the players by signing many to long term deals over the summer. He also added Kelly Olynyk, giving head coach Erik Spoelstra a multitude of weapons to work with.

5. Raptors

The Raptors kept many of their big names this year, inking Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka to long term deals. However, this cost them some key role players in PJ Tucker and Patrick Patterson. They traded their backup point guard, Cory Joseph, for a great 3-point shooter in CJ Miles. Now, the onus is on Delon Wright to prove himself to be a capable playmaker for a second unit that is going to rely on many young players such as Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell.

4. Bucks

Giannis Antentokounmpo will be incredible this year. His length, athleticism, and pure skill on offense make him nearly unstoppable. The only thing holding him back is the lack of a consistent 3-point jump shot. If that develops, Giannis could become the most dominant player in the East not nicknamed the King. Around him are solid, yet unspectacular players. Malcom Brogdon, a second-year player from UVA, won Rookie of the Year as a second-round pick just a year ago. He’s shown the ability to lead an offense, but his ceiling is not very high, as he is already 24 years old. Khris Middleton missed 53 games last year due to a hamstring tear, but when healthy he can shoot the ball extremely well. Jabari Parker is one of the most frustrating players in the NBA. Last year, he averaged 20 points per game before tearing his ACL for the second time in his career. Coming back from one ACL is hard, but two may sap Parker of his burst and limit his potential. No matter what, Antentokounmpo gives this team the potential to host a playoff series in the spring.

3. Washington Wizards

Last year, the Wizards won 49 games, their best total in over 40 years. Their players were rewarded with long term deals, as Otto Porter was signed to a 4 year, 104-million-dollar deal and John Wall signed a super-max extension worth 207 years, keeping him in DC till 2023. Last year this team’s biggest weakness was the bench. The Wizards hope that the additions of Tim Frazier, Jodie Meeks, and Mike Scott can get them to 50-win milestone for the first time since the 1972- 1973 season.

2. Boston Celtics

The Celtics had the most active offseason of any team in the NBA. They traded away two of their top 3 players from last year in Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. They added dynamic talents in Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving and in doing so, enraged the King himself. That doesn’t matter to Danny Ainge and his crew, as they are trying to dethrone the King and his team for the first time in over 5 years.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

This might be LeBron’s last year in Cleveland. His contract expires after this season and he’s shown no signs of slowing down. Kyrie is now gone. In his place is Isaiah Thomas. However, Thomas is only going to be able to play about halfway through the season due to a hip injury. Can LeBron step up and carry his team to another finals appearance against improved competition or will this finally be the year the King falls from his throne?