The Nets and Bucks will enter the 2021/22 season as the clear favorites to win the Eastern Conference next spring. The betting odds at sites like BetOnline reflect Brooklyn’s and Milwaukee’s standing atop the conference, as does the analysis of experts like ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who places the two teams first and second overall in his rankings of all 30 teams for the ’21/22 season.
As Lowe acknowledges, Kyrie Irving‘s availability – or lack thereof – is a major wild card that could affect the Nets this season, but every non-Irving critique of the club essentially “amounts to nit-picking.” The Bucks, meanwhile, have been the NBA’s best regular season team across the last three seasons and reached new heights in the 2021 postseason. With a healthy roster heading into this season, they look like a safe bet to be one of the East’s top seeds.
After those top two teams, Lowe’s next tier of Eastern clubs includes four talented clubs with some question marks: the Sixers, Heat, Celtics, and Hawks.
The Ben Simmons standoff hangs over Philadelphia’s season — if Simmons’ holdout extends into the regular season and the 76ers still haven’t found a trade they like, they’ll essentially be down an All-Star for the foreseeable future, which will limit their ceiling. The Hawks, the team that eliminated the Sixers from the playoffs in 2021, are deep and should be able to count on continued growth from their young players, but a team’s improvements aren’t always linear. As for the Celtics and Heat, they’ll be looking to bounce back after relatively disappointing 2020/21 seasons that ended with quick postseason exits.
While those four teams may be the favorites on paper to fill out the top six in the East, Lowe expects at least one of them to slip into play-in territory. He identifies the Knicks, Bulls, and Hornets as the next-best bets to crack the East’s top six.
The Knicks, of course, were the No. 4 seed in the East last season and will bring back a very similar group, along with new additions like Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. They outperformed expectations in 2020/21 and may experience some regression, but they’re a deep, well-coached team looking to prove that last season’s breakthrough was no aberration.
The Bulls are one of the East’s most fascinating teams — they could have one of the NBA’s best offenses, but there are concerns about their defense and depth, so a wide range of outcomes are possible. As for the Hornets, Lowe acknowledges there are some red flags, but views young cornerstones LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and P.J. Washington as good candidates to take another step forward in 2021/22.
The Pacers, Wizards, and Raptors are part of the next tier for Lowe, who consider all three clubs legit contenders to make the play-in tournament. Early-season injuries may hold back Indiana (T.J. Warren, Caris LeVert) and Toronto (Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher), but both clubs were perennial playoff teams up until 2021 and still have plenty of talent on their rosters. Washington lost some star-power by trading away Russell Westbrook, but the team’s depth is stronger than it has been in years.
Lowe places the Cavaliers in a group of their own, noting that executives around the league have wildly varying opinions on Cleveland’s roster. Some people are high on the Cavs’ collection of young talent, while others think they could be the very worst team in the NBA. Although they’re not a clear play-in contender, they could be in that mix if things break right.
The Pistons and Magic, meanwhile, project to be the East’s bottom two teams, despite the presence of rookie guards Cade Cunningham and Jalen Suggs.
After we broke down the Western Conference on Wednesday, I’m curious to get your thoughts today on the Eastern Conference. Do you view the Nets and Bucks as the East’s clear top two finishers? Which clubs will clinch top-six playoff seeds, and which four will end up in the play-in tournament? Of the 12 teams with realistic playoff expectations, which two (or more) will finish outside of play-in range?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the Western Conference!
I feel like the vast majority of NBA fans are underrating the Hawks again which is a lil weird when you think about what happened last season. The one weakness that this team has would be injury concerns. However the team has shown pretty conclusively that we can still prosper even when hit with many simultaneous injury issues. We’ve shown we can win when Trae doesn’t play well. And the team has clearly improved from last season as far as talent by bringing in Delon Wright/Jalen Johnson/Gorgui Dieng to replace BGoodwin/TSnell/Bruno. If there’s an upper tier in the Eastern Conference then it has to include the Hawks from now on
Mr stons fan won’t like this view as he claims DET will be this year so much better than CLE, understandably no one that knows hoops agrees with him, but he is just happy believing that, he is free to keep on dreaming, right? SMH!!!
The Bucks and Nets have to be the clear favorites (Pains me to agree)
The 3-6 seeds should be Miami, Boston, Philly and Atlanta (with the Heat perhaps the best of the 4?)
7-9 Bulls/Hornets/Knicks seem to be right there with an outside shot at cracking the top 4 if Atlanta Philly and Boston hit their floor rather than their ceilings.
Pacers Wizards Raptors will likely be scrapping for the play in spots and maybe Cleveland slips into that category as well.
Orlando and Detroit probably struggle the most.
Seems I agree with most of what they wrote
LaVine
Bulls are likely to clinch top 5
I believe the Pistons will shock some folks. Not just due to CC, but our young but talented roster overall. We are short an All-Star or 2 at this point, but if they can stay healthy (which of course is a big if) then they could play .500 ball and be in the post season this year. Much depends on the growth of All-Rookie players Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, a healthy Killian Hayes and of course new rookie Cunningham. A wild card would be new rookie Jamarko Pickett, who turned heads at Summer League. Regardless, should be fun to watch!
Nets Bucks Celtics Hawks Heat Sixers Knicks Pacers Bulls Hornets
Knicks beat Hornets and Bulls beat Pacers in play in games.
Nets then beat Bulls, Bucks over Knicks, Celtics over Sixers (unfortunately) and Heat over Hawks.
Heat over Nets in 6 then Bucks over Celtics in 7, before Bucks over Heat in the final.
1.Nets, 2.Pacers, 3.Hawx, 4.Celtix, 5.Bux, 6.Nix, 7.6ers, 8.Wizrds, 9.Heat, 10.Bulls, 11.Raptors, 12.Cavs, 13.Hornets, 14.Pistons, 15.Magic.x
Dropoffs between 2-3, 7-8, 14-15.
Pacers over Bucks hahahaha
I am doubting Giannis goes to that much effort again, or at least so soon. Refs will not be rooting for them again. They only lost one (5th option?) player to injury. Time for another.
Pacers are a different team now, with plenty of wings, a good draft, new coaching, depth, players that are due, and the flirtation with Simmons thankfully definite but a while back in history.
I liked making #7,6ers… I slipped in an ouch-y pun. If they get it together they will be dangerous in the playoffs, but it is hard to be sure about a resolution.
Such a list will make homer-fans mad, as Hollinger & others know… good that you laugh!