2024-25 NBA Eastern Conference Preview
With most of the big free-agent dominos falling, it now seems safe to go through each team and see how they fare compared to each other and themselves from last season. The East is interesting this year, as while it is still weaker than the West on paper, the top teams have gotten better and differentiated themselves. The Celtics won the title last year and retained everyone, so naturally, they are the team to beat in the entire NBA. However, there are legitimate challengers in the east. Here are my team rankings in tiers in the eastern conference with a deeper analysis of the top teams.
True Contenders
1. Boston Celtics
Starting Lineup:
PG - Jrue Holiday
SG - Derrick White
SF - Jaylen Brown
PF - Jayson Tatum
C - Kristaps Porzings/Al Horford
I’m tempted to put my second-place team here instead of the Celtics due to Porzingis’s injury, but I can’t bring myself to do it. They are the reigning champs for a reason, and they managed to win plenty without Porzingis last season. They’ve had a great offseason, returning all their key pieces and extending their top players. Despite the East improving, I just can’t bring myself to put them lower than first.
2. New York Knicks
Starting Lineup:
PG - Jalen Brunson
SG - Mikal Bridges
SF - OG Anunoby
PF - Julius Randle
C - Mitchell Robinson
The Knicks improved with the addition of Mikal Bridges, but I don’t think their place in the standings actually changes. They earned the second seed last season with a 50-32 record. I can see them approaching 60 wins, but with the dominant Celtics reaching 64 wins last season, that might not be enough for the top seed. With their depth currently and free agency not quite over, I can see the Knicks being the top seed based on outlasting the other top east teams when they inevitably have injuries. Knicks fans should be very excited about this coming season.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Starting Lineup:
PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: Eric Gordon
SF: Kelly Oubre Jr.
PF: Paul George
C: Joel Embiid
The big acquisition for the 76ers was Paul George, who at 34 years old, will be motivated to win a championship. Joel Embiid has never made an Eastern Conference Finals, but this year could be the year as long as they stay healthy. That is a big if, but on paper, this team is very talented with three all-star caliber players. What will likely make or break this team is how they fill out the roster for the rest of the offseason. They can’t match the depth of the Celtics or Knicks, but their top-end talent puts them in the same tier.
Threats to Contenders
This tier consists of teams who I can see beating the contenders in a playoff series, but I struggle to see them winning a title without some key roster changes. They are all great teams for various reasons but have drawbacks that hold them back. The Bucks are getting older and lack depth. The Magic are a young team with great defense but lack offensive firepower. The Cavaliers have a great starting lineup but need someone to step up offensively to help Donovan Mitchell more. The Pacers are similar to the Magic as they are young and great on one side of the ball except on offense. The Heat are still the same scrappy Heat but could use a bit more depth and youth. While this offseason isn’t over, these teams are all still at least one move away from being true title contenders.
4. Milwaukee Bucks
Starting Lineup:
PG - Damian Lillard
SG - Pat Connaughton
SF - Khris Middleton
PF - Giannis Antetokonmpo
C - Brook Lopez
5. Orlando Magic
Starting Lineup:
PG - Jalen Suggs
SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF - Franz Wagner
PF - Paolo Banchero
C - Wendell Carter Jr.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
Starting Lineup:
PG - Darius Garland
SG - Donovan Mitchell
SF - Max Strus
PF - Evan Mobley
C - Jarrett Allen
7. Indiana Pacers
Starting Lineup:
PG - Tyrese Haliburton
SG - Andrew Nembhard
SF - Aaron Nesmith
PF - Pascal Siakam
C - Myles Turner
8. Miami Heat
Starting Lineup:
PG - Terry Rozier
SG - Tyler Herro
SF - Jimmy Butler
PF - Nikola Jovic
C - Bam Adebayo
The Rest
The rest of the East is very weak compared to the top eight, and essentially all fall into one tier in my eyes. Some of the teams are better than others, but they all are play-in teams at best who I doubt will make any noise in the playoffs. If I had to guess which teams snagged the last two play-in spots, I would say the Hornets and Hawks just because of Trae Young and LaMelo Ball. In this tier though, I could see all of the teams finishing as high as ninth and as low as 15th.
9. Charlotte Hornets
Starting Lineup:
PG - LaMelo Ball
SG - Josh Green
SF - Brandon Miller
PF - Grant Williams
C - Mark Williams
10. Atlanta Hawks
Starting Lineup:
PG - Trae Young
SG - Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF - Zaccharie Risacher
PF - Jalen Johnson
C - Clint Capela
11. Chicago Bulls
Starting Lineup:
PG - Josh Giddey
SG - Coby White
SF - Zach Lavine
PF - Patrick Williams
C - Nikola Vucevic
12. Toronto Raptors
Starting Lineup:
PG - Immanuel Quickley
SG - Gradey Dick
SF - RJ Barrett
PF - Scottie Barnes
C - Jakob Poeltl
13. Washington Wizards
Starting Lineup:
PG - Jordan Poole
SG - Bilal Coulibaly
SF - Kyle Kuzma
PF - Alex Sarr
C - Jonas Valanciunas
14. Detroit Pistons
Starting Lineup:
PG - Cade Cunningham
SG - Jaden Ivey
SF - Ausar Thompson
PF - Tobias Harris
C - Jalen Duren
15. Brooklyn Nets
Starting Lineup:
PG - Dennis Schroder
SG - Cam Thomas
SF - Cameron Johnson
PF - Dorian Finney-Smith
C - Nicholas Claxton
