2022-2023 NBA Season Overview + Projections for Every Team (Eastern Conference)
By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics: After one of the greatest mid-season turnarounds in NBA history, the Celtics were able to finish 51-31 to get the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference under rookie head coach, Ime Udoka. The Celtics had an incredible playoff run, sweeping the Nets, coming back from down 3-2 against the defending champion Bucks, and beating the Heat in 7. The Celtics were 2 wins away from a championship, but ultimately lost in 6 games to the Warriors. The Celtics were able to retain all their key rotational players while also adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danillo Gallinari to increase their depth tremendously. The Celtics should expect nothing less than another finals appearance this year after bolstering their roster making them one of the deepest teams in the NBA. With a starting lineup of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Rob Williams to go along with Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams, Derrick White, and Danillo Gallinari to round out their 9 man rotation. The Celtics thrived as a team with a defensive identity being one of the most versatile defensive teams in recent history, and added another stellar defender in Brogdon. I would project the Celtics to finish as a top 3 seed in the East, anything less than a Championship run would be a disappointment. Brown and Tatum are only going to continue to improve and neither are at their peak being 25 and 24 years old, respectively. Brad Stevens clearly had a vision when he stepped up as the President of Basketball operations and has done extremely well building this team thus far.
Brooklyn Nets: The Nets are currently in a very interesting situation with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's status still being unclear. The Nets put together one of the most electric super teams in NBA history when they signed James Harden towards the start of the 2021 NBA season to pair with Irving and Durant. However, injuries really hurt them and they were never really able to get much playing time with all 3 of them on the floor. After a second round exit in 2021 to the Bucks, the Nets were expected to be the title favorite coming into the 2022 season. However, Kyrie Irving's vaccination status forced him to miss the first 35 games, and then was only able to play away games until late March and played a total of 6 regular season home games. Durant also missed significant time due to injury and the combination of Irving and Durant's uncertainty to play caused Harden to request a trade and went to Philly in exchange for Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, and Andre Drummond. The Nets got swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics in a very competitive series. If Brooklyn can manage to retain both Irving and Durant, I believe the Nets will be a very dangerous team. This would be the ideal fit for Ben Simmons as he could play the 5 and switch on everything and facilitate with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, Seth Curry, Patty Mills, Royce O’Neale, and T.J. Warren spreading the floor around him. If this were the case, I believe the Nets could be in contention to come out of the Eastern Conference. Realistically, I would project the Nets to be a top 5 seed in the East and potentially make an appearance in the second round.
New York Knicks: After making the playoffs as a 4 seed in the 2020-2021 NBA season, the Knicks had an abysmal season last year finishing 8 games under .500 and missing the play-in tournament. Much of this was due to Julius Randle’s deterioration in play from the year before when he won Most Improved. The Knicks will be a very interesting team to watch this season after signing Jalen Brunson. This is the first team I can think of that will have 3 lefty's in the starting lineup with Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle to go alongside Mitchell Robinson at Center and Evan Fournier at the 2. The reason I believe this 3-lefty lineup will be problematic is because they all like to drive to their left, and none are good perimeter shooters so I think there will be major spacing concerns. I believe the rest of their rotation will be filled by Cam Reddish, Derrick Rose, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks had a very poor draft, trading both of their first round picks and took Trevor Keels, who will likely get good minutes, with their second round pick. Tom Thibodaux was the worst coach in the NBA last season, in my opinion. After a few weeks through the season, Thibs completely removed Kemba Walker from the rotation and although he was not playing great, Julius Randle was the bigger issue. Thibs also did not play Cam Reddish after acquiring him mid-season for some time even though he is a very valuable player. The entire Knicks organization feels like a complete mess from their front office to their coaching and system. I do not expect much from the Knicks this year and hope they figure it out because I believe they are far from contending for a title right now. I would say their ceiling this year is a play-in team/first round exit. I project them being a bottom 5 team in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers are one of the most underrated teams in the league and I believe they will surprise a lot of people this season. The 76ers will have a starting lineup of James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, PJ Tucker, and Joel Embiid which is scary. Tucker was a fantastic signing for the 76ers as he is exactly what they need: a versatile defender with a great motor and experience who can sit in the corner and knock down 3s at a high clip. It is not a coincidence that Tucker’s last 2 teams have won a championship and have made the ECF because he really is that valuable. Harden had his worst season in 10 years and averaged 22 PPG on great efficiency, 8 RPG, and 10 APG. However, I think he will surprise a lot of people this year because this is the first offseason in a few years where he was able to fully train after battling injuries. Harden took a pay cut so the 76ers could afford to sign other free agents and that shows his mindset that he is there to win. Tyrese Maxey took a huge leap last season with his increased role and I suspect he is only going to improve alongside Harden. The 76ers depth is an area of concern though, they will have Matisse Thybulle, De'Anthony Melton, and Georges Niang primarily filling in their rotation so I think their second unit will struggle to score when Harden/Embiid are out. The 76ers were the 4 seed last season and had a second round exit to the Heat with Embiid playing injured. I expect them to be a top 3 seed in the East and anything short of a Conference Final run which they have been sniffing for the past 3 seasons would be a disappointment. I think their ceiling is Eastern Conference Champs, but a lot of that is dependent on Embiid’s health as he is arguably the best player in the world when healthy.
Toronto Raptors: I would say the Raptors had a solid season last year finishing as the 5 seed but lost to the 76ers in 6 games in the first round. The Raptors are a relatively young team with one of the best coaches in the NBA which means a very bright future. The Raptors will have one of the smallest starting lineups, if not the smallest, this season. The Raptors are another team with a defensive identity as they are a very switch-heavy team and Nick Nurse always seems to make the right adjustments. The Raptors will likely bolster a starting 5 of Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, and Pascal Siakam. VanVleet solidified himself as one of the best perimeter shooters in the league shooting 38% on 10 attempts per game. Gary Trent Jr. is one of the most underrated 3 and D wings in the league, shooting the deep ball at a 38% clip on 8 attempts per game while averaging nearly 2 steals per game. OG Anunoby is a very versatile defender and fits in the Raptors system perfectly. Scottie Barnes is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign and will only continue to improve. Barnes is an incredible defender that can guard 1-5. His scoring ability needs some improvement, but he is a good playmaker and a very unselfish player with a high IQ. Siakam is coming off an All-NBA 3rd team nod and is the first option on this team. Siakam's overall shot creation has improved a lot and still is yet to reach his peak. He has also improved as a defender over the last few years, but still struggles against bigger guys. I reckon the rest of the rotation will be filled by Otto Porter Jr, Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. I think the Raptors success this season will be dependent on how big of a leap Scottie Barnes takes with his game. I project the Raptors to be a 5 or 6 seed in a competitive Eastern conference with a ceiling of a second round playoff appearance. They have no superstar that has the ability to take over games and that’s the main reason I am not higher on the Raptors.
Central Division:
Chicago Bulls: After making a huge splash in the 2021 NBA free agency signing Demar DeRozan, the Bulls had high expectations to do really well. However, an injury riddled season led them to the 6 seed and a first round exit to the Bucks. With Lonzo Ball expected to miss the first half of the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Bulls will likely start Goran Dragic at PG who they picked up this off-season, one of the more underrated pickups, in my opinion. Dragic is a veteran PG with a lot of experience and plays a winning brand of basketball. Alongside Dragic will be Zach Lavine, Demar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic as the starting 5. The Bulls will have no trouble scoring the ball, but their defense is a major area of concern. To be successful in the East, teams need to have great frontcourt defense because of guys like Embiid and Giannis. The Bulls do not have this in Vucevic, who is one of the worst defenders in the league. The Bulls second unit will be interesting to see as they have a lot of guys that can be thrown into different lineups. They will likely have Ayo Dosumnu, Coby White, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, and Javonte Green in the rotation. I am interested to see how Billy Donovan plays rookie Dalen Terry because he is a very valuable player, especially on the defensive end. I would say the Bulls ceiling is a second round exit, but that seems unlikely given the competition. I project the Bulls being in the 6-8 seed range.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs started off the 2021-2022 NBA season with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference but fell off hard and fast after injuries to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The Cavs made one of the biggest trades of the off-season, trading Colin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Ajbaji, 3 unprotected first round picks, and 2 pick swaps for Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs were one of the better defensive teams in the league when fully healthy, but scoring was an issue at times. Mitchell solves this issue with his incredible shot making ability, and will only get better with Garland by his side. Garland took a huge leap last year looking like one of the better floor generals in the league while also improving his scoring tremendously. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between Mitchell and Garland because Mitchell is pretty ball-dominant and is not very impactful off the ball. The Cavs will likely have a starting lineup of Garland, Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. The Cavs are a team with pretty underrated depth with Caris LeVert, Cedi Osman, Ricky Rubio, and Kevin Love filling the rotation. The Cavs had a very good draft adding Isaiah Mobley, younger brother of Evan. Isaiah Mobley adds more depth to the frontcourt but still has a lot of room for improvement so I doubt he gets much run this year. J.B Bickerstaff was in contention for Coach of the Year last season and for good reason. He really changed the culture of the organization and adapted well to unfortunate circumstances along the course of the season. The Cavs made the play-in tournament as the 7 seed but lost to the Nets and Hawks to ultimately not make the playoffs. I project the Cavs to be in the 5-8 seed range in the East this year with a ceiling of a second round exit. If Evan Mobley is able to take a huge leap in his game, I think the Cavs could contend to win the East but I believe they are still a year or 2 away from that level.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons finished with the 3rd worst record in the NBA last season in their rebuilding phase. However after having 2 first round draft picks, there is some pressure on the Pistons to drastically improve. The Pistons will likely have a starting lineup of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Marvin Bagley, and Isaiah Stewart/Jalen Duren. The Pistons have decent depth with Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Kelly Olynyk, and Cory Joseph. Rookie Jalen Duren has upside as a rim protector and a lob threat/rim runner, but I doubt he makes a significant impact this season. I am very interested to see how Dwayne Casey uses Cunningham and Ivey because I believe they both are best as the primary ball handler. Cade Cunningham showed glimpses of his potential last season but was quite inconsistent and will need to improve as a scorer if the Pistons want any chance of having success. Jaden Ivey is one of the few prospects with superstar potential, and I think his energy on court will bring life back to Little Caesars Arena. I project the Pistons to have a ceiling of the play-in tournament, but I doubt they make the playoffs. The Pistons are a very young team and still think they need a few years before they become any type of threat in the East.
Indiana Pacers: The Pacers finished with the 5th worst record in the NBA last season and have a significantly worse roster than when they started the 2021-2022 NBA season. The starting lineup will likely be Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Buddy Hield, Oshae Brissett, and Myles Turner. After being traded at the deadline last year, Haliburton looked like one of the better guards in the league. He took a huge leap with his expanded role as one of the most efficient perimeter shooters and a great playmaker. The Pacers are a very young team and will likely need good production from rookies if they want to have any success. I believe the rest of their rotation will be filled by Jalen Smith, Goga Bitadze, Isaiah Jackson/Terry Taylor, and rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Kendall Brown. Both Mathurin and Brown are prospects I am quite high on but doubt they make any significant impact this season. I project the Pacers to have a similar season as last year and should focus on rebuilding, and I would not be surprised if the Pacers tanked for a lottery pick.
Milwaukee Bucks: The 2021 NBA Champs had a great season last year finishing as the 3rd seed in the East but lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, blowing a 3-2 lead. The absence of Khris Middleton certainly hurt them, but the Bucks still had incredible talent. The Bucks have one of the deepest teams in the league; they will have a starting lineup of Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. Off the bench they will have Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Joe Ingles, Wesley Matthews, and Serge Ibaka filling the rotation for the most part. Rookies Marjon Beauchamp and Hugo Besson will likely not receive much playing time as this roster is very experienced, but those are 2 draftees to keep an eye on in the future. The Bucks have the best player in the world in my opinion, in Giannis, who has improved every year since coming into the league. I believe he will continue to get better and still has 4-5 years left of his peak. The Bucks are one of, if not the best 3 point shooting team with 5 guys who can shoot 40%+ from deep on good volume. The Bucks have built a perfect system around Giannis, guys that can space the floor which allows Giannis to have his way in the paint. I project the Bucks to finish as the 1 or 2 seed in the East with their ceiling being another championship. I also expect Giannis to at least be in the MVP conversation again, if not win it.
Southeast Division:
Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks had a disappointing season last year after making the Eastern Conference Final in 2021. The Hawks managed to finish as the 10 seed last year, sneaking into the play-in tournament where they won both their games to act as the 8 seed in the playoffs where they eventually lost to the Heat in 5 games in a non-competitive series. However, the Hawks made one of the bigger off-season trades for Spurs guard Dejounte Murray, who made his first all-star game last season. Dejounte Murray has blossomed into one of the better 2 way guards in the league, but scoring is still an issue for him. Murray nearly averaged a triple double last year putting up 21, 8, and 9 to go along with 2 steals/game. It will be very interesting to see how Nate McMillan uses Murray and Trae Young. Trae Young is one of the best offensive talents in the league and has off-ball impact whereas Dejounte is pretty ball dominant, so I could see Murray taking over as the primary ball handler and Trae Young transitioning to a Steph Curry type role. The Hawks will likely have a starting lineup of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdonavic, John Collins, and Clint Capela. For the rest of their second unit, the Hawks will have Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okungwu, and rookie AJ Griffin filling the rotation. I could also see sophomore Jalen Johnson getting minutes to add to their frontcourt depth after playing well in the G-League last season. Murray addressed a major problem in the Hawks backcourt defense which will take pressure off Trae Young on that end. I project the Hawks to finish in the 5-8 range in the East with a ceiling of a second round exit.
Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets were able to make the play-in tournament as the 10 seed but lost to the Hawks and missed the playoffs. The Hornets were one of the best offenses in the league last year in a very high motion based system under James Borrego. However, they were one of the worst defensive teams in the league and looking at their roster, it makes sense why. Both their frontcourt and backcourt defense was bad, and I do not see it really improving this year given they retained most of their players. The starting lineup will likely be LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, and rookie Mark Williams. Mark Williams was the perfect pick for the Hornets as they badly needed an interior presence that can protect the rim and serve as the defensive anchor. Mark Williams can also play with pace which is crucial as the Hornets play at a very fast pace, and I felt that Mason Plumlee couldn’t keep up at times. Off the bench, the Hornets will have Kelly Oubre Jr, PJ Washington, Mason Plumlee, and Cody Martin filling most of the rotation but I hope James Bouknight gets a chance too after primarily playing in the G-League last year at a very high level. Sophomore Kai Jones could also add depth to the front court with his length and athleticism. LaMelo Ball will need to take a huge leap as a scorer if the Hornets want any chance of having success as he was extremely inconsistent last year. Ball was one of the worst finishers in the league, and that is a huge part of his game so he will need to improve tremendously as a finisher. I project the Hornets to have a similar season to last year with Steve Clifford returning as head coach. I do not expect them to make the playoffs, and maybe be a play-in team at best.
Miami Heat: The Miami Heat had an incredible season given the circumstances they were under. They battled injuries from their big names like Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry throughout the season and still finished as the #1 seed which speaks volumes about Erik Spolstera as a coach. The Heat were finally healthy come playoff time where they easily beat the Hawks in 5 games and the 76ers in 6. The Eastern Conference Final was very competitive, but ultimately lost to the Celtics in 7 games. The Heat retained their entire core except PJ Tucker. I am interested to see the Heat starting lineup this year but if I had to guess it would be Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo. This would be a relatively small lineup, but all these guys are versatile defenders so I do not think it would create too many issues defensively. Jimmy Butler proved why he is one of the best 2-way wings in the league, but Max Strus is one of the biggest reasons for the Heat’s success last season shooting 41% from 3 on 6.5 attempts/game while also playing great defense. Strus unfortunately went cold in the playoffs which badly hurt them. Off the bench, the Heat will have reigning 6th Man of the Year Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Omer Yurtseven and rookie Nikola Jovic. Yurtseven is a guy to keep your eye on, he was really good in the minutes he received last year and will be the second big behind Adebayo this season. Jovic is a very interesting prospect as he is a very skilled player but will likely serve as a catch and shoot guy his first year, but does add to their front court depth. I believe the loss of PJ Tucker will hurt them, but will still be a top 4 seed in the East. I think their ceiling is another NBA Finals appearance given the talent and coaching. Realistically, I project the Heat to be a second round exit though.
Orlando Magic: The Magic finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and 2nd worst in the NBA last season. The Magic have been in their “rebuild” process for a few years now, but after drafting Paolo Banchero with the #1 overall pick, the Magic finally have a guy that has superstar potential. The Magic will likely have one of the biggest starting lineups in the NBA next year with Cole Anthony, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr, and Mo Bamba who can all space the floor, so it should work offensively. I believe Banchero should play the traditional point guard role as he can use his gravity to create for his teammates but will also being the first scoring option. Off the bench, the Magic will have Gary Harris, Terrence Ross, Jalen Suggs, and hopefully Jonathan Isaac who hasn’t played a game since January 1st of 2020 when he tore his ACL. Isaac was one of the best defenders the NBA had to offer, but one can only hope he returns to his full potential after missing so much time. After going 22-60 last year, anything above 30 wins would be a successful season in my opinion, but they are still far from competing for a title. I would say their ceiling is making the play-in tournament but that seems very unlikely at this point.
Washington Wizards: The Wizards started the 2021-2022 season hot going 10-3 through their first 13 but slowly started dwindling, finishing the season 25-44 as the 12 seed in the East. Similar to the Hornets, the Wizards seem to be stuck in the 8-12 seed range for the last 5 years, and there have not been any notable improvements to their roster which could put them in contention for a title. The Wizards will likely have a starting lineup of Monte Morris, Bradley Beal, Deni Avdija, Kyla Kuzma, and Kristaps Porzingis. Avdija is one of the most underrated defenders in the league and should have been in the DPOY conversation last year, in my opinion. The Wizards have decent depth with Daniel Gafford, Will Barton, Rui Hachimura, Corey Kispert, and Delon Wright. With the 10th overall pick in the draft, the Wizards took Johnny Davis who I am much lower on than consensus. Davis has the tools to be a great player, but his overall decision making and shot selection needs a lot of improvement. They are still a few pieces away from contending for a title, and I would project them finishing in the 10-12 range again. I would say their ceiling is the play-in tournament and would be quite surprised if they made the playoffs.
Eastern Conference Tiers:
*Small gap between first and second tier
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