ESPN Aug 23, 2023, 7:21 p.m. ETRead: 7 min.
NBA: who will be the most valuable, the rookie of the year and the best defender?
Sebastián Martínez Christensen comments on who his candidates are to win three of the most important individual prizes in the competition.
How many wins will the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics get? What record will accumulate a drama-filled 76ers or a rising Knicks? Our panel of experts reveals their predictions for 2023-24.
The 2023-24 Eastern Conference race has a lot to look forward to after last season’s eighth-seeded Miami Heat defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the number one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, then the fifth-seeded New York Knicks. , and then to second-seeded Boston. Celtics, before finally succumbing to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
The Bucks and Celtics look to stay strong as the reigning favorites in the East, according to our expert panel, while the Cleveland Cavaliers edge out the Philadelphia 76ers, who are mired in drama that could significantly affect their season.
Will the defending conference champions prove themselves worthy again and exceed their projection? Is there another hidden?
Our panel of experts predicts the win-loss records of the 15 teams in the East.
Note: Our NBA Summer 2023-24 forecast continues Thursday with Western Conference standings predictions. On Tuesday, we reveal our picks for which players will win the league’s top awards, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and more.
Eastern Conference Standings
The Bucks and Celtics finished first and second in the East, respectively, during the regular season.(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
the contenders
1. Boston Celtics: 55-27
2. Milwaukee Bucks: 54-28
3. Cleveland Cavaliers: 50-32
4. Philadelphia 76ers: 47-35
5. Miami Heat: 46-36
6. New York Knicks: 46-36
The Celtics and Bucks are once again at the top of the summer forecast rankings this season as both teams come off a strong 2022-23 campaign and regain a healthy core.
The Celtics crashed out of the playoffs last season after an epic battle with Miami, and this season they will continue to play with a starting five that includes Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum. But they also acquired Kristaps Porzingis during the offseason (and lost Marcus Smart in the process) and the Celtics are counting on Porzingis to play a big role alongside Tatum and Brown.
Despite finishing with the best record in the conference last season, the Bucks lost in five games to Jimmy Butler and the Heat. Under new coach Adrian Griffin this season, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, now finally healthy, will lead a great trio alongside veterans Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Our panel holds the young Cavaliers in high regard, despite a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Knicks. With a young core made up of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, we project a third-place finish.
And despite the off-court spectacle surrounding the Sixers, MVP Joel Embiid keeps Philadelphia in contention as the East’s inner circle contender.
In fifth place are last season’s Easter Conference champions, who despite returning with the starting five could have a completely different look if they finally land Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
The Hawks won their entrance game last season to reach the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Boston.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The play-in group
7. Atlanta Hawks: 41-41
8. Brooklyn Nets: 39-43
9. Indiana Pacers: 38-44
10. Orlando Magic: 38-44
The Hawks have the best chance of this group to break through after two consecutive appearances in the gate tournament. Much of that promise will depend on the continued partnership between Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Quin Snyder enters his first full season as Atlanta’s coach and will have one of the East’s strongest back lines with Young and Murray, who signed a four-year, $120 million deal this summer. You should expect Onyeka Okongwu to take on a bigger role in the frontcourt after the departure of John Collins.
In Brooklyn, preseason expectations are understandably lower after the midseason departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson made an immediate impact after arriving from the Phoenix Suns in the Durant trade, and both will keep the Nets in the playoff hunt. If Ben Simmons comes back and contributes, it will be a huge win.
It’s been three years since the Pacers made the playoffs, but Rick Carlisle’s team plans to take a big leap forward after signing Bruce Brown from Denver, trading for Obi Toppin from New York and, most importantly, securing a supermax deal for point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Brown’s versatility and his Finals experience will propel a team that features veterans Myles Turner and TJ McConnell.
The Magic, still a work in progress, continue to build around 2022-23 Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero. But for Franz Wagner and Markelle Fultz to build on their performances from last season will be steps in the right direction.
The Bulls finished below .500 in 2022-23, with a play-in loss to Miami ending their season.(Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)
the bottom five
11. Chicago Bulls: 37-45
12. Toronto Raptors: 36-46
13. Charlotte Hornets: 30-52
14. Detroit Pistons: 26-56
15. Washington Wizards: 24-58
After a 40-42 season and a play-in loss to the eventual conference champion Heat, the Bulls are rebounding by re-signing center Nikola Vucevic and guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu to their core of DeMar DeRozan. and Zach Lavine. But our panel isn’t sold on the strategy, keeping the Bulls out of the playoffs for what would be the seventh time in the last 10 years.
The Raptors, for their part, appear to be in a slump, after an up-and-down 41-41 season and a play-in loss to Chicago that resulted in the firing of veteran coach Nick Nurse, who led the team to the title. of the NBA in 2019. In the offseason, Toronto lost point guard Fred VanVleet to free agency and replaced him with Dennis Schroder, as the team continues to try to find an identity with three ball-dominant wings in OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam. With a projected record of 36-46, it would be Toronto’s second-worst record since 2011-12.
Meanwhile, the Hornets, under new ownership, continue what seems like a never-ending rebuild. (They’ve made the playoffs just three times since 2004-05.) But they accomplished one of the top priorities of the offseason: extending franchise mainstay LaMelo Ball to a five-year deal worth up to $260 million. to pair him with Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in the June draft. Still, at 30-52, our panel projects a 13th-place finish in the East.
The Pistons, however, show more promise, even in the fifth year of their painful rebuild. With 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham returning from injury to partner Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, the Pistons project a nine-game improvement from their NBA-worst 17 wins last season. .
And… poor Wizards. After years of playing in the middle, the team finally traded franchise star Bradley Beal to the Suns and Porzingis to the Celtics; acquired Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors; and re-signed Kyle Kuzma to a nine-figure contract. In other words, a new direction: younger, down, hoping to hit higher ceilings in the future.
2023-08-23 23:21:00
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