The NBA season will not begin for another two months, but that does not stop us from inquiring about every team in the league.
Here are the biggest questions facing each Eastern Conference team (last season’s record in parentheses):
Atlanta Hawks (36-46): How patient can they be?
Atlanta’s situation isn’t desperate — the franchise has a star in Trae Young, a No. 1 pick in Zaccharie Risacher, a young, budding forward in Jalen Johnson and numerous solid NBA players. The problem is none of those players’ timelines match up. Does Atlanta want to sell Young on a future trio of him, Jalen Johnson and Risacher? It’s not a crazy thought, but it would be asking Young to be very patient while Atlanta develops its youngsters and remains a middling team in the process.
Brooklyn Nets (32-50): Does anyone want a veteran?
If so, they can get one from Brooklyn. This team will struggle to win more than 20 games, but the franchise is OK with that. Brooklyn is squarely in the sweepstakes for rising superstar Cooper Flagg of Duke after trading Mikal Bridges, and everyone on this roster is probably available via trade. It’s going to get ugly at Barclays for a few seasons.
Boston Celtics (64-18): Will they get in their own way?
Numerous teams in the East improved this offseason, with New York and Philadelphia making the most significant leaps. The Sixers added star power in Paul George and good depth pieces. However, Boston should again be favored to win the Eastern Conference. If the C’s play close to the level they did last season, no one in the conference will beat them. The defending champs have every tool to make a repeat run to the NBA Finals.
Charlotte Hornets (21-61): Can some good pieces combine into a good team?
Charlotte might have the broadest range of potential outcomes of any NBA team. Say LaMelo Ball stays healthy and reminds everyone why he was an All-Star at 20 years old, Brandon Miller makes a second-year leap, and Mark Williams embraces a rim-protector role. All of that is within reason. Plus, Charlotte added Josh Green in the offseason, basically for free. The Hornets have talent, but finding out what they can be will be rookie head coach Charles Lee’s biggest challenge.
Chicago Bulls (39-43): Again?
This summer, the Bulls traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey, which is better than doing nothing, but that doesn’t move the needle one way or the other. Chicago’s front office, for some reason, seems hell-bent on making a core of Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams work. If you want to watch the Bulls this season but don’t want to dedicate all that time, watch their games from last season. It’s going to be the same.
Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34): What are this team’s aspirations?
The Cavs won a playoff series last season and might win one this season. And there’s a world where they can sneak into the Eastern Conference Finals if everything breaks right. That’s the best-case scenario for Cleveland, which hasn’t done much this summer, but that’s OK. Being a good team is a noble endeavor. For Cleveland to be in the Boston tier, it must make moves to diversify the type of players on its roster. But for now, it’s fine.
Detroit Pistons (14-68): How much better will this look?
Detroit produced some of the worst NBA rosters over the past few seasons, but it will be better in 2024-25. Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Paul Reed are on board. Each will help immensely by just providing NBA-level play. How much better the Pistons will be remains to be seen, but they shouldn’t be as painful to watch as they were the past few seasons.
Indiana Pacers (47-35): Is there another level for Hali?
Tyrese Haliburton has established himself as an All-Star level point guard in his two full seasons as a Pacer. Entering his fifth season in the NBA, he will show us if he has one more “leap” in the tank. If Hali can elevate to a perennial All-NBA contender, he’ll change the fortunes of the Pacers for the better.
Miami Heat (46-36): How far does culture go?
Hopefully far for Miami’s sake, because talent alone won’t take this team deep into the playoffs. While the Heat’s starting lineup is still talented, there needs to be more depth or shot-creation ability on this roster to believe Miami can make another miraculous playoff run. Has the shine of Heat culture worn off?
Milwaukee Bucks (49-33): Is this team running out of time?
Everyone besides Giannis Antetokounmpo seems to be getting old. This team is still immensely talented, and it now has Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince for extra shooting help. But there’s a breeze coming in through Milwaukee’s championship window, which could close soon. Is this the last hurrah for the core of the Bucks?
New York Knicks (50-32): Is Mikal Bridges enough to propel a deep run?
If you’re only going to make a few moves during an offseason, you might as well go big. New York went big when it acquired Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn. He will likely slot in next to Jalen Brunson in the backcourt or perhaps man the wing if New York wants to bring Julius Randle off the bench as a high-powered sixth man. However, Tom Thibodeau wants to construct his lineup; the Knicks have star power and depth.
Orlando Magic (47-35): Does one shooter change everything?
Sometimes, the evolution of basketball is linear, but every once in a while, a team comes along that does everything right except shoot. That was last season’s Magic, who defended and passed well but couldn’t shoot threes. Adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will remedy that, but how much can one player (even one as good as KCP) help a team that struggled so mightily as a unit shooting?
Philadelphia 76ers (47-35): Do the pieces fit?
You can’t question whether Philly has the talent to make a Finals run — it does. But with so many new players poised to take on integral roles on the roster, it’s fair to wonder how well everything will fit. Will Paul George be happy as a third option? Is Jared McCain ready to contribute as a rookie? Will Joel Embiid’s body hold up in the postseason?
Toronto Raptors (25-57): Who’s the alpha?
There’s not a lot of pressure on the Raptors because no one expects them to compete for anything significant. But it will be intriguing to see who stands out as Toronto’s “guy,” the player the team feels comfortable building around. Scottie Barnes is the obvious choice, but Immanuel Quickley and even RJ Barrett could thrive in their first full seasons north of the border.
Washington Wizards (15-67): Will they let Sarr loose?
2024 second-overall pick Alex Sarr is going to be a project. He likely won’t be a formidable NBA player until about 2026, but when things are as bleak as they will be for the Wizards, the franchise might get impatient, throw Sarr to the wolves and let (or make) him develop on the fly.
