The State of the NBA Eastern Conference Pt. 1
With the departure of LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this summer, the Eastern Conference is finally up for grabs after eight years of dominance from the King. Whether it's right now for teams like the Celtics, Raptors, or Bucks, or five years down the line for teams like the Hawks, Bulls, and Knicks, each team has been preparing to become the new powerhouse in the East. Let's take a look at who will be the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, the moves they made, and their individual paths to success. This will be part 1 where we'll cover the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, with part 2 detailing the rest of the East set to come out sometime next week.
The New Look Raptors
After finishing with the No. 1 seed last year, the Raptors decided to shake things up in a big way, firing Coach of the Year Winner Dwane Casey, and trading away a franchise centerpiece in DeMar DeRozan for a possible one-year rental of disgruntled superstar Kawhi Leonard. It's a huge gamble to take, but it was a necessary one, after three straight years of disappointing playoff appearances, including two sweeps by LeBron's Cavaliers. It was obvious that the Raptors had reached their full potential with a DeRozan/Lowry/Ibaka core, and making this kind of blockbuster move was exactly what the franchise needed to inject some new blood into this team.
In addition, the hiring of Nick Nurse, a former assistant of Dwane Casey, should breathe new life into their stagnant offense, while Kawhi, if healthy, will provide the level of defensive intensity that should equal the effect Casey had on the defense during his tenure. On paper, a lineup of Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas should be a formidable one. But the Raptors true strength comes in the form of their incredible depth at basically every position. Players like Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, CJ Miles, Pascal Siakam, and Norman Powell provide the Raptors with a Swiss Army Knife of potential line-ups with the ability to go small or big at a moment's notice, in addition to providing the switch-heavy defense that is almost a requirment in today's NBA. With Kawhi's contract set to expire at the end of the 2018-2019 season (he has a player option for 2019-2020 that he will almost certainly decline), expect the Raptors to make an all-out push for the Finals in the hopes of re-signing the former DPOY and Finals MVP.
The Same/New Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics were not particularly active during this offseason, nor should they be. The loss of Gordon Hayward in the opening minutes of the 2017-2018 season, coupled with Kyrie's knee injury several months that sidelined him for the playoffs means that we have yet to see this Boston squad at full strength; and that is a scary prospect. In addition, Hayward's season-ending injury meant that rookie Jayson Tatum was essentially given the keys to the kingdom almost immediately, with former No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown given extensive playing time as well. These two, along with Al Horford, formed an unlikely Big 3 that went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, taking LeBron's Cav's to seven games.
Now just imagine that same core, plus a fully healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Obviously going into the 2018-2019 season, there will be less minutes and opportunities for Brown and Tatum, with the return of Hayward and Kyrie, but both players have displayed an even-keeled temperament and a team-first mentality that leads me to believe that won't be a problem. With all that in mind, I fully expect the Celtics to be one of, if not THE top dog in the Eastern Conference, based purely on their star power, depth, and coaching.
Fielding a potential starting five of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford, with depth pieces in Marcus Smart, Aron Baynes, Marcus Morris, and Terry Rozier, they can mix and match their lineup to whatever problems they face, as well as providing both a formidable defense and a devastating offense. With a Top-5 Roster, Top-5 Coach, and a Top-5 GM, The Celtics are one of the only teams going into next season that are able to go toe-to-toe with the Golden State Warriors.
The Up and Coming Pacers
The Pacers became everyone's unexpected success, thanks in no small part to the breakout of Victor Oladipo, who this time last year, was viewed as a not-so-great return on Indiana's former star player, Paul George. That isn't the case this year, as Oladipo had an incredible year, posting averages of 23/5/4, plus a whopping 2.4 steals, cruising his way to a Most Improved Player of the Year award and cementing himself as a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
Going into the 2018-2019 season, the Pacers are in prime position to make another run at the Eastern Conference Finals, adding solid depth pieces in Kyle O'Quinn, Tyreke Evans, and Trevor Booker and drafting UCLA point guard Aaron Holiday. These aren't blockbuster deals like LeBron James, or Kawhi Leonard, but then again, the Pacers didn't need to make those kinds of moves. Evans adds another dimension of playmaking and shot creation that the Pacers sorely lacked when Oladipo went to the bench, and O'Quinn provides a tough defensive presence that will allow their more offensive minded bigs like Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis to go to work.
Last year the Pacers shocked the NBA by taking LeBron's Cavs to 7, putting their backs against the wall, and forcing LeBron to go God Mode. Indiana has always had sustained success, transitioning seamlessly from the Reggie Miller-era to the Paul George-era, always placing themselves firmly in the playoff hunt. Now going into the 2018-2019 season, it's time to start the Victor Oladipo-era.
The Process Brewing in Philadelphia
Trust the Process. A simple phrase uttered by Tony Wroten that snowballed into the mega-meme that it is today, and has even become the chosen nickname for Philadelphia's star big man Joel Embiid. Last year the Sixers made an incredible jump, going from 23 wins in 2016-2017, to 52 in 2017-2018. The young tandem of Embiid and Simmons were an incredibly fun dynamic duo to watch and should only get better going into 2018-2019 season. The Sixers made minimal offseason moves, trading for Wilson Chandler, drafting Zhaire Smith and bringing over Summer League sensation Furkan Korkmaz.
The rest of their roster is the same from last year, which may prove to be a problem, as each of their competitors are going to be drastically different. Let's go down the list, the Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard, who will be a nightmare for Ben Simmons, the Celtics are getting back Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, and the Bucks hired the best coaching FA in Mike Budenholzer. But the Sixers are young, and their core of Embiid/Simmons/Fultz/Saric is only going to get better the more time they play together, so standing pat may be the best course of action as of now.
Is It Time to Fear the Deer?
The Bucks are easily the most interesting team going into the 2018-2019 season. After a disappointing first half of last season under Jason Kidd, the Front Office decided they had enough and fired him, replacing him with assistant Joe Prunty, who despite his good intentions, wasn't able to make much noise in the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Toronto Raptors. This season however, the Bucks acquired the hottest coaching FA in Mike Budenholzer, and for the first time, Giannis Antetokounpo finally has a legitimate coach to play for. Coach Bud is a proven commodity in this league and should be able to take full advantage of Giannis' ridiculous size, playmaking, and defensive potential.
In addition, the Bucks were able to sign Brook Lopez, a floor-spacing big man who should open the lanes for Giannis, turning the paint into his own personal runway. The Bucks boast a solid core in Giannis/Bledsoe/Middleton/Brogdon, and the only thing standing in their way is health, as each player has had their fair share of injuries over the past couple years. But Bud comes from the San Antonio system, where keeping players well-rested and healthy is a top priority, so I expect the insane minutes Giannis was playing last year to go down drastically. The clock is ticking however for the Bucks, who have failed to put a championship contender around Giannis, whether it be in the form of missed draft picks, bad signings, or short-sighted trades, and if that trend continues, it will become harder and harder to convince Giannis to stay when his contract expires in 2021. But that's a long ways away, and the Bucks seem to have made strides in the right direction, with the hiring of Budenholzer, the signing of Brook Lopez, and letting an injury-prone Jabari Parker walk. I am incredibly excited to see what Bud can do with this roster, as well as seeing what improvements the Greek Freak added to his game, and let's not forget...Giannis is only 23 years old! With stability in both coaching and talent, the Bucks are setting themselves up to be top contenders in the East for years to come.
Look for Part 2 of my State of the Eastern Conference piece next week!
