Via behindthebuckpass.com
With September coming up here soon, we really aren’t that far away from the start of a new NBA season. This offseason has been somewhat slow due to the trade request of Kevin Durant essentially freezing the market, only for him to rescind it two months later. Nonetheless, the season will be here sooner than people realize and with that, comes the start of predictions. Here are my way too early Eastern Conference standings predictions:
Missing the postseason
- Indiana Pacers
-Tyrese Haliburton leads this team and should have another good season. However, nobody knows what this roster will look like when the season opens. Myles Turner and Buddy Hield have been named in trade talks all offseason and even with them on the roster, it’s still not great by any means. Look for Indiana to really try and push to get in on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes that will be going on around the NBA.
- Orlando Magic
-Like many of the teams in this bottom part of the standings, the Magic could shock people and make a play-in run. Paolo Banchero seems like a star in the making but he has to go out and prove it first. There are a ton of young, exciting players on this roster, but the lack of experience will likely hurt them. They will be making playoff runs soon but just not this season.
- Charlotte Hornets
-LaMelo Ball is great but the rest of the supporting cast is average. Nobody knows what will happen with Miles Bridges while he is under investigation and others like Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier have some injury concerns. The Hornets reached the play-in last season, but I see them going backwards this year as they look for some stability.
- Washington Wizards
-Bradley Beal is back in the fold with a new contract extension and the team has a decent supporting cast. However, questions still arise with the roster and I’m not sure they are good enough to jump into play-in status just yet. Kyle Kuzma will look to build on his impressive year and if he can take the next step, the Wizards may have something.
- Detroit Pistons
-I love Cade Cunningham and think he explodes onto the scene this season. Detroit is setting themselves up for major success down the line, but they have one more year of missing the postseason in store. They could reach the play-in if things go their way, but I think one more season of growth for this franchise before they really start turning heads.
