The Bucks of Antetokounmpo and Lillard cannot fail, threatened by the ambitions of the Cavs and Pacers relaunched by last season’s exploits. Detroit aims for the play-in, tough times for Chicago
The Central Division promises to be competitive with the surprising Pacers, capable of reaching the conference final last season, and the intriguing Cavaliers who will give the favored Bucks a hard time for the top.
THE QUINTET: Lillard, TRENT JR., Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Lopez. Main reservations: Portis, PRINCE, WRIGHT, Connaughton.
THE COACH: Doc Rivers (confirmed)
STELLA: The Lillard project last season did not yield the desired results but Antetokounmpo is convinced that the direction of the franchise is the right one, knowing full well that this year his Bucks cannot make mistakes. Giannis certainly remains a candidate for the MVP award after another championship seasoned with excellent numbers (30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists on average), however the Greek will have to give the answers in the postseason, with the hope of not having to pay the price yet once, to injuries.
NEW PURCHASES: With a salary cap that did not allow for major maneuvers, Milwaukee’s management nevertheless moved well, managing to convince three potentially intriguing players with a minimum contract such as Trent Jr., who will replace Beasley in the quintet who was too attackable on a defensive level, Prince and Wright who will be able to lend a hand to a defense that will most likely struggle again this year.
SEASONAL OBJECTIVE: Milwaukee has to play for the big target despite, at least on paper, looking inferior to the Celtics. Any result lower than the conference final will be considered a failure.
THE QUINTET: Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam, Turner. Main Reserves: McConnell, Mathurin, Toppin, Jackson, WISEMAN.
THE COACH: Rick Carlisle (confirmed)
THE STAR: Haliburton’s season was certainly applause (20.1 points and 10.9 assists on average) despite the physical problems. Now the player who made Indiana’s attack make a dramatic leap in quality will also have to show some progress on a defensive level for a team that can no longer hide. The Knicks and especially the Celtics punished his defensive gaps last postseason, the Pacers need a step forward from this point of view.
NEW PURCHASES: The surprising last season, which ended in the Conference final, convinced the management to focus on the same block. So we only worked on renewals, that of Siakam the most awaited, and in the rotation he will perhaps find, for a minute, only one new face, that James Wiseman, second choice in the 2020 draft, who wants to shake off the label of “bust” after the not very memorable moments in Golden State and Detroit.
SEASONAL OBJECTIVE: It will be difficult to repeat the ride of last postseason, but Indiana still has talent and a deep roster and can at least get to the second round of the playoffs.
THE QUINTET: Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley, Allen. Main Reserves: LeVert, Okoro, Wade, Niang, TYSON.
THE COACH: Kenny Atkinson (new)
THE STAR: Donovan Mitchell put to rest the rumors about his potential divorce from the Cavs by signing a new three-year 150 million contract in the offseason, now the Cleveland star will have to be able to have a greater impact on a team potentially able to compete with everyone, except perhaps only for the Celtics, in the East. Unstoppable on an offensive level, Mitchell (26.6 points and 6.1 assists on average while shooting 46.2% from the field) this year will have to finally be able to find the right chemistry with his backcourt partner Garland.
NEW PURCHASES: The only real new purchase for a team that appears almost unchanged compared to last season is that of coach Kenny Atkinson, a coach with an excellent reputation in the NBA who is always able to make his players perform at their best. Rookie Jaylon Tyson, the 20th pick in the last draft, is showing flashes of his offensive talent and could earn minutes in coach Atkinson’s rotation.
SEASONAL OBJECTIVE: The playoffs are a must for the Cavs, the second round an acceptable result for a fan base that expects a lot from this season.
THE QUINTET: Cunningham, Ivey, Thompson, HARRIS, Duren. Main reservations: Fontecchio, BEASLEY, HARDAWAY JR., HOLLAND.
THE COACH: JB Bickerstaff.
THE STAR: No one seems to have any doubts about the fact that Cade Cunningham is a talented player, the problem comes from the lack of consistency of a player who can really make the difference in attack. This will be a very important season for the former first overall pick who signed a new five-year maximum deal of $224 million in the offseason. Efficiency in attack and impact on the team to put his teammates in a position to make the most of Cunningham’s two big challenges this season.
NEW PURCHASES: In the offseason, Langdon decided to open his wallet for a veteran returning from a less than brilliant season like Tobias Harris who, however, also due to his experience, could become an important complement to Cunningham. The long-range production of Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. will be very important for a team that is considered by bookmakers and critics as Lottery bound.
SEASONAL OBJECTIVE: In a very competitive Eastern Conference, the play-in would certainly be a satisfactory result for a franchise that, despite the disaster of the last championship, has no intention of tanking.
THE QUINTET: Giddey, White, LaVine, Williams, Vucevic. Main reservations: Ball, Dosunmu, BUZELIS, SMITH.
THE COACH: Billy Donovan (confirmed)
THE STAR: Zach LaVine remains the number one offensive option for the Bulls who are desperately looking for a buyer to remove his rich contract from their salary cap. The Lakers track seems the most realistic, however LaVine will have to demonstrate that he has overcome the physical problems that limited him to 25 games last season, and that he has not lost his edge on an offensive level. In this sense, the preseason has sent encouraging messages.
NEW PURCHASES: Many question marks over the Caruso trade which perhaps could have also yielded some draft picks, Josh Giddey however as a pure point guard could also do well in Chicago after having shown major limitations especially in the last postseason in Okc. Matas Buzelis is an intriguing prospect who somewhat surprisingly emerged from the Top-10 in the draft and ended up with the Bulls with the eleventh pick. However, he will have to find consistency and shooting confidence after his poor 27% from long range last year in the G-League with Ignite.
SEASONAL OBJECTIVE: Finally find a buyer for LaVine and think about the next draft. These are certainly dark times for Bulls fans.
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