I assumed the Kawhi trade went through for this.
West:
1. San Antonio Spurs, 64-18
Pretty much the same team but with more development and Tobias Harris. Will improve upon an already amazing regular season last year.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder, 56-26
Will regress due to a loss of depth and I believe J-Dub will continue to face injury issues and Chet might regress slightly imo.
3. Los Angeles Lakers, 54-28
A sleeper pick in the west for me, the roster is actually built well around Luka with a solid bench. If they can stay healthy they are a real threat.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves, 52-30
I think their lack of a true starting-caliber PF will be a major issue in the playoffs especially but I think with an all-star caliber PG in LaMelo, they will be fine in the regular season and improve upon the last few years.
5. Denver Nuggets, 50-32
I predict the Nuggets will have a top-3 offense in the NBA; which will propel them to a solid finish in the regular season.
6. Houston Rockets, 46-36
I think they have a down year from the past few seasons; I predict Durant will regress slightly and I don’t really think the chemistry will have fully recovered to what it was. I still have questions about their backcourt and half court offense as well.
7. Portland Trail Blazers, 44-38
Despite being uber-guard heavy I still believe they have a solid roster; their forward depth kind of scares me but I think they’ll be fine in the regular season.
8. Phoenix Suns, 41-41
A slight regression, I just believe Green and DBook’s skill sets clash too much and they’ll miss some of the bench guys they lost. I do, however, like the Bridges addition for them.
9. Utah Jazz, 40-42
Their best season in a few years, I actually think they have a solid roster with lots of talent, defense is a bit of a concern for me though.
10. Los Angeles Clippers, 36-46
I think this will be an exciting team with a quality offense but their defense and lack of roster coherence will result in a poor record.
11. Golden State Warriors, 31-51
I think we’ll be better once Jimmy comes back but there’s no way we start the season off anything more than horrible and I think accounting for regression and health we just won’t be a very good team.
12. Dallas Mavericks, 30-52
Still young and unproven, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did better than this but I have yet to see the Flagg-Irving fit and how they work.
13. New Orleans Pelicans, 27-55
I predict heavy regression and believe TM3 will not be a Pelican by the end of the season. I don’t trust their guard room and they can’t seem to decide what their direction is at center.
14. Sacramento Kings, 23-59
Pretty self-explanatory. They’ll play their young guys more than the older guys and I just know they’re going to be horrid on the defensive end.
15. Memphis Grizzlies, 21-61
They have a bad guard room imo and I don’t like their center depth behind Edey. I really like their forward room but that’s about it.
East:
1. New York Knicks, 59-23
I think they’ll have an insane regular season run carrying the momentum from last season. Their core is older and they lost Robinson but I really think the foundation is still there and I think KAT and OG will be better than they were last regular season.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers, 54-28
I love the Peyton Watson addition for them, adding athleticism and defense as well as reliable scoring. They kept mostly the same core that had been winning the last few years; I do think their bench is slightly weaker however.
3. Philadelphia 76ers, 51-31
I would’ve predicted them higher but I’m not the biggest fan of their big depth, especially at center. If Embiid goes down I don’t trust Bona to match up against some of the better bigs in the league, I also don’t know how the fit will be since Maxey, JB, LeBron, and Embiid are all fundamentally at their best with the ball in their hands.
4. Miami Heat, 49-33
I love this team around Giannis. Giannis makes everyone a better shooter and their starting lineup will already have 3 good shooters. Defensively this team will be insane, Giannis and Bam are a crazy defensive duo down low. Their depth was a weakness but I think their bench is solid enough to not blow large leads and to keep scoring close when the starters sit.
5. Indiana Pacers, 47-35
I think Hali will make this whole roster better, they won’t be trying to tank either. I think this is an underrated team defensively, with a quality defender at about every position. I think Hali and Zubać will make a great pair, due to Zu’s screen-setting and rebounding ability.
6. Boston Celtics, 45-37
I think the Celtics will regress. I don’t trust White’s shooting anymore and they have virtually no spacing at center. I don’t think Tatum will be as good as he was pre-injury and he won’t be as good as JB was last year imo. I don’t think the trade was that bad and I think PG will be a solid piece but this team doesn’t have a real second option.
7. Detroit Pistons, 44-38
I believe the Pistons will fall off a cliff. They lost one of their only other shot creators in Tobias Harris and I don’t think Collins will fill that hole. Their center depth is lacking(this assumes they resign Duren) and the spacing in the starting lineup will still be a question.
8. Toronto Raptors, 42-40
I predict a small fall-off. In a much more competitive East the Raptors lost depth for Kawhi. I still like Kawhi as a player but I just don’t trust him to be as healthy as he was last year. Their center room is still decent at best and I don’t know how Kawhi will mesh with Scottie offensively.
9. Orlando Magic, 41-41
In a much stronger East the Magic didn’t do much in this offseason. I still don’t like their spacing outside of Bane as well as Franz and Paolo still have a bad fit imo. Their center depth is worse after losing Mo.
10. Washington Wizards, 39-43
I think this team will squeak into the play-in tournament in a close margin, I don’t foresee either Trae or AD having extremely healthy seasons but I do think without them this is an underrated young roster. I think Dybansta will have a great year, potentially as the number 1 scorer. In the wings and guard room I don’t really like the defense though(outside of Bilal).
11. Atlanta Hawks, 38-44
I still really like the Hawks as a whole but they just didn’t do much in the offseason. I am not the biggest fan of the Flemings selection and I don’t trust that Onyeka is good enough as a starting center.
12. Milwaukee Bucks, 34-48
I like what they have going for them actually, offensively I think this team will be very solid but I don’t like their defense or their wing depth outside of Burries.
13. Brooklyn Nets, 28-54
The Nets will try and the Nets will fail. I don’t hate the Randle-MPJ duo but outside of that I don’t like their roster. Their center room is very quiet and I don’t like their backcourt depth.
14. Chicago Bulls, 22-60
This roster isn’t very well-built imo. I think Giddey will be good but this team isn’t very coherent as a defense and their wing room is not great. I also question the Wilson-Claxton fit if Caleb can’t develop a consistent 3-ball.
15. Charlotte Hornets, 22-60
I think they killed their chances at being relevant when they traded LaMelo and Bridges. I think Kon and Miller’s numbers will improve but on worse efficiency. I like Coby White but I don’t think he’s good enough to be a starting guard, at least not on a team trying to win. I think they have some solid pieces but I don’t like their shot creation as a team and I don’t trust Brandon Miller as a number 1 option yet, especially considering the questions on his durability.
That’s all for this post! Feel free to leave any critiques below, and if you have any questions I’d love to explain my reasoning! I don’t have much more to say, but as always, best wishes to all of you.