11/13/2022 0 Comments Nba eastern conference standings![]() Bickerstaff and his staff making that click too. This time, it’s twinning a pair of dynamic guards: first-time All-Star Darius Garland and newly acquired Donovan Mitchell. The Cavaliers enter 2022-23 with one of the league’s most potent backcourts in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.Ĭleveland Cavaliers: Last season, the Cavaliers committed to and made work a super-sized front line built around center Jarrett Allen and stunning rookie Evan Mobley. Guys up front such as De’Andre Hunter, Clint Capela and John Collins might feel a little neglected at times but the Hawks should be better defensively and even more explosive offensively. The All-Star and steals champ joins Trae Young, who went Nate Archibald by leading the NBA both in total points and total assists. If that inspired the trade for Dejounte Murray, though, it will have been worth it. Miami in 2022 felt not just like disappointments but setbacks. Best to get busy now, though, because the window won’t stay open forever.Ītlanta Hawks: The Hawks raised their bar so high two seasons ago, reaching the conference finals, that their 43-39 record and first-round exit vs. Plus, freedom from the Simmons melodrama. Tucker, Montrezl Harrell and De’Anthony Melton, along with holdovers such as Tyrese Maxey (poor man’s Ja Morant?), Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris, who should be primed for a pivotal perk-up performance. They have help too with the additions of tormenter/talisman P.J. They could rival Shaq-Kobe in offensive impact. There is considerable intrigue in how potent the tandem of a fully healthy Joel Embiid and a newly re-committed James Harden can be. Philadelphia 76ers: We’re not going to lie. The biggest unknown, at both ends, is at shooting guard. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, if they can get and/or stay healthy, are ideal running mates ready for a late (if not last) hurrah. Two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first- or second-best player in the league, primed to improve yet again. Milwaukee Bucks: From championship to honeymoon/hangover to, hmm, maybe championship again? Two years would be better than the 50 it took the Bucks to win again (1971 to 2021), and there’s a stability here that says it can happen. If their stars can stay healthy, the Bucks look like a serious threat to claim the East in 2022-23. If he plays, his reluctance to shoot won’t stymie Brooklyn, with plenty of star and role players to let it fly. The X-factor is Ben Simmons, who now has sat out two entire seasons of what should be a six-year career. If Kevin Durant can settle into the first year of his four-year extension and Kyrie Irving can get serious in his own contract year, that duo might again prove to be unguardable in big doses rather than the small we’ve seen. But size up front is a concern and there’s no template for losing such an effective coach so suddenly.īrooklyn Nets: Just when it seemed the offseason was going to spin completely out of control on the Nets, well, what d’ya know, nothing. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown seem to have sorted things out. But veteran pickup Danilo Gallinari was lost for the season with a torn ACL, gimpy big man Robert Williams III needed surgery again after probably pushing too hard in the playoffs and then the Ime Udoka situation blew up in Boston. Here’s how we see the East sorting itself out, with teams listed alphabetically within each category.īoston Celtics: A Finals team from June, adding talent to a defensively adept and cohesive crew, should have been a prohibitive favorite to win the East. The Celtics might have had the edge based on their work in the championship round last spring, only to slide back to the pack of elites in the weeks before training camps opened. Heck, according to Markelle Fultz, his Orlando Magic have a shot at the No. Four or five are worthy of title contention. As the 2022-23 season begins, the Eastern Conference appears to be deeper than it has been in recent memory, certainly since the 1980s when giants such as Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Sidney Moncrief, Dominique Wilkins, Bernard King, Isiah Thomas and Moses Malone led the way.Įach of the 15 teams this season can make a reasonable case for reaching the Play-In Tournament, if not the official playoffs. ![]()
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