BY Stephen Kimball
NBA insider
The Eastern Conference is an interesting place these days; as big names seem to have moved into the tougher Western Conference, it has made the East look very weak in comparison. The question is, how will the East shake out now with many teams losing top-level talent.
At the top of the list, the best team in the East will most likely once again be the Bucks as they kept the same core expect for trading away Malcolm Brogdon which in my opinion will only hurt them in the long run. A young point guard that was already shooting 50/40/90 was something the Bucks needed, but they didn’t want to pay him, so they moved him to the Pacers. The Bucks stay as the top seed because they have the leagues MVP in Giannis and strong team chemistry, so I see them as the top seed. The next team will be the 76ers, they may have lost Jimmy Butler but added Josh Richardson and Al Horford to the team which should keep them atop of the Eastern Conference. With Ben Simmons looking to have a breakout year, it could turn out he could be the piece to take the 76ers to the finals.
Going to who could be interchangeable as the third or fourth seed, the Boston Celtics as they lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford but were able to add Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter as replacements. Both of those players may mix better with the Celtics young core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown if they do then the Celtics could jump up to a higher seed. Tatum could have a superstar season as now he will be the first option as he is a very talented scorer that is bound to break out. The Fourth seed will be the Indiana Pacers, Victor Olidipo had the Pacers as a 3rd seed when healthy, and with the addition of Brogdon, it can only improve the Pacers chances in a weak Eastern Conference.
The fifth seed will be the Brooklyn Nets, without Kevin Durant the Nets won’t make the kind of jump this season they would want, but with Irving and Deandre Jordan joining the team they will be exciting. Irving may look to really try to show out this season as last year with the Celtics he seemed to fall flat so as he looks to bounce back he can most likely lead the Nets to the fifth seed. The sixth seed will be the Miami Heat, by adding Jimmy Butler they finally a superstar to work around. Besides that the team is not all that talented but will have just enough to get into the playoffs will most likely be a first-round exit.
The seventh seed is going to be the Atlanta Hawks, with Trae Young going into his second season and adding Cam Reddish in the draft will only help the Hawks make that playoff push. They are a young team but have enough talent to be able to put together a strong enough season to make the playoffs. The final seed goes to the Chicago Bulls, another young team but so full of talent. You could flip them with the Hawks in all honesty but with Zach Lavine coming into his own, adding Coby White will give the team the talent to make the playoffs. This team could provide an organization a scare in the playoffs as they are energetic and could play well off of each other if coached correctly.
The seeding is:
1. Bucks
2. 76ers
3. Celtics
4. Pacers
5. Nets
6. Heat
7. Hawks
8. Bulls
I see the East as a straight up and down conference as there won’t be many shocks just because it is a top-heavy conference. Yes, I do see the Raptors missing the playoffs as Lowry is older and they just simply won’t have the team to squeak into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see which team will make the finals because one injury could completely change who can make the finals.
