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The NBA's Atlantic Division is looking to be the strongest division in the Eastern Conference this season. With the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Brooklyn Nets all likely to claim playoff spots again, the Atlantic should be a bloodbath this season.
Boston Celtics
2019-20 Record - 48-24
Key Additions - Tristan Thompson, Jeff Teague, Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard
Key Departures - Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Brad Wanamaker
Danny Ainge went conservative this offseason, opting not to pursue a big name like Myles Turner or Victor Oladipo in a sign-and-trade for Gordon Hayward. I think Ainge is going to be kicking himself for missing out on the reported deal with Indiana that would've sent Hayward to Indiana for Turner and Doug McDermott. Instead, Hayward left Boston for a deal with Charlotte that will pay him $120 million dollars over 4 years. Boston was able to recoup a $28 million dollar trade exception in the sign-and-trade, which is the largest trade exception in NBA history. I think that trade exception is a bit overrated by people at the moment because realistically, Boston is going to have to send back good value for a player making that much money. The options are limited, but that exception will be open for a full calendar year. It's something to keep an eye on during the season, as they could use it to add buyout players or expiring contracts at the deadline.
Looking at the players they brought in, Tristan Thompson should be a great fit in the backup big role. Daniel Theis is one of the most underappreciated centers in the league, and Thompson should be able to effectively back him up this season. The combination of Theis and Thompson is miles ahead of Theis and Kanter last season. Robert Williams continuing his strong play from the bubble would add another wrinkle into the frontcourt that make Brad Stevens' job harder. The other big acquisition is veteran point guard, Jeff Teague. Teague will fill Brad Wanamaker's role as backup point guard and should be an improvement there as well. Teague is also a great insurance policy in case of a Kemba Walker injury. I think the Celtics got better in the backcourt and at center, but their wing depth could be a problem this season.
Without Gordon Hayward, the Celtics are left with Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and rookie Aaron Nesmith behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. Jayson Tatum taking a step into superstardom along with Jaylen becoming an all-star is crucial for this Celtics team. If those two players don't take another step forwards, the team will struggle to get back to the Eastern Conference Final. My prediction for Boston is that they'll finish top 5 in the the East, but not be good enough to win a conference championship.
Brooklyn Nets
2019-20 Record - 35-37
Key Additions - Healthy Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown
Key Departures - Dzanan Musa and Garrett Temple
Brooklyn's main additions to last year's roster are healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Landry Shamet will definitely find a place in their rotation as well. If this Nets team can stay healthy, there aren't a lot of teams that can compete with their big two of Durant and Kyrie. Especially when they have some great pieces around their stars with Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, DeAndre Jordan, and Caris Levert. The Nets are going to have a very strong rotation this year.
The biggest question for this upcoming season has to be the coaching of Steve Nash. Nash had served as a consultant for Golden State during Durant's time there, but hiring him as a head coach is an odd move. He has no coaching experience in the NBA and it feels like he was hired to please Durant. I believe in Steve Nash as a coach, just not for this year. Mike D'Antoni will help Nash improve throughout the season and certainly for the future, but I have trouble trusting a first year coach in the NBA. Especially when the East is full of strong teams this year.
Brooklyn will look to be a top 5 seed as well this season. They clearly have the talent to secure home court in the East. Injuries are a real concern though, and the development of players like Jarrett Allen and Caris Levert will be important in case of injury. This could all change if they acquire James Harden, but that hasn't happened yet, so I'll say they're a playoff team that won't win a championship this season. For now.
New York Knicks
2019-20 Record - 21-45
Key Additions - Obi Toppin, Austin Rivers, Nerlens Noel, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Key Departures - Bobby Portis, Damyean Dotson, Mo Harkless, Taj Gibson
The Knicks are probably going to be really bad again this year. Tom Thibodeau is now their coach, which is a bold move. The guy ran Jimmy Butler out of town in Minnesota a few years ago because of his inability to motivate Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns to live up to their potential. He also got fired because his teams sucked. He won't have control of basketball operations in New York, so at least Knicks fans won't have to worry about that.
They certainly had a much better offseason than last year as they didn't sign 12 power forwards. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be a solid pickup on the wing and his defensive ability will be important going up against the likes of Kevin Durant, Pascal Siakam, Jayson Tatum, and Ben Simmons in the division. Nerlens Noel is a fine center to play big minutes when Mitchell Robinson gets into foul trouble almost every game. Obi Toppin was a great pick at #8 and he has tons of potential as an athletic big alongside Robinson. Austin Rivers will be a solid rotation player for this squad too. None of these guys will be superstars this year, but they should all fill roles on this team.
The progression of RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson into bonafide stars is really the only way for this team to be successful in 2021. I think both of these are unlikely to happen right now, so they aren't making the playoffs. Get a real point guard and we'll talk next summer.
Philadelphia 76ers
2019-20 Record - 43-30
Key Additions - Danny Green, Seth Curry, Dwight Howard, Doc Rivers, Tyrese Maxey, Daryl Morey
Key Departures - Al Horford, Brett Brown, Josh Richardson
The Philadelphia 76ers' decision to replace Brett Brown with Doc Rivers is the most notable move here. Finding a taker for Al Horford's contract was nice, but Brown held the team back last season with his poor tactics and game management. Doc Rivers is a proven coach in the league and even though his last stop with the Clippers didn't result in a championship, he was a good choice to turn this team around. Combining the Doc hiring with Daryl Morey heading up basketball operations, the Sixers went from a bottom tier front office to an excellent one.
Bringing in tested veterans like Danny Green and Dwight Howard was a great decision by Morey. I'm really high on Danny Green in this system. He's the perfect kind of wing player to throw in their starting lineup alongside Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris. He'll hit open threes and play good defense. It's a perfect fit. Dwight Howard will serve as Embiid's backup and that's a huge improvement over Kyle O'Quinn. This Sixers roster is so much deeper than last year's.
The only move that confused me a bit was trading Josh Richardson for Seth Curry, but that could be because of my love for J-Rich. While he didn't have an incredible season in Philly, I thought he was pretty consistent as the fourth or fifth option on offense, and his defense remained at a high level. Seth Curry is a much better offensive player than Richardson, but is undersized at the shooting guard position. I imagine that they'll roll with Simmons, Curry, Green, Harris, and Embiid as a starting lineup. Simmons and Green should be able to cover up for Curry defensively, and that unit should have more spacing than the lineups from last season.
Like Brooklyn, the Sixers are in the conversation for James Harden. That would completely change their ceiling for the upcoming season and could make them a legit title contender. Of course, it depends what they would trade for Harden, but I trust Morey to make the right move. As currently constructed, this Sixers team is a contender for the Conference Finals. I'd consider them to be a dark horse title contender for this season.
Toronto Raptors
2019-20 Record - 53-19
Key Additions - Aron Baynes and DeAndre' Bembry
Key Departures - Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Nate Bjorkgren
The Raptors are a tough team to predict this season. Last year, they lost Kawhi Leonard in free agency and, everyone had the Raptors finishing in the 6-7 range in the East. Of course, they went 53-19 without Kawhi. Led by Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, they were a legit contender again last season. Now, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are gone too. This leaves newcomers Aron Baynes and Alex Len as their depth at the center position. That's a huge downgrade.
Kyle Lowry and Fred VavVleet are both back, which should help them have a strong backcourt again this season. The emergence of OG Anunoby as a defensive stopper and reliable shooter helped this team reach the second round, but they're gonna need Anunoby and Pascal Siakam to take another leap this year to get there again. I think it's unlikely, but Siakam has proven everyone wrong in the past, so I'm not ready to call it yet.
This iteration of the Toronto, or should I say the Tampa Raptors, screams 6 seed to me. However, with Nick Nurse at the helm, I wouldn't be that surprised by a top 4 finish in the East. I don't think this team makes it out of the first round though. It's all about signing Giannis next summer.
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