NBA Plots to watch: The Eastern Conference edition
We take a look at key storylines for teams in the East. We'll run it back for the West coast clubs on Monday.
“Close, I stare at my dreams as they approach
Gotta be patient and trust in God, He the coach
Temptations are taking a shortcut, but I don't
'Cause I ain't tryna be a almost, when I get it, I'm a float”
If you were to spend a day kickin’ it with me, these lyrics from J. Cole’s “Close” (WARNING: NSFW lyrics) are a sure thing to be blaring out of my car, my earbuds or both.
But J. Cole’s words really hit home for me right about now, with the NBA season less than two weeks away from officially starting up with training camp opening up for teams as early as Sept. 28.
So close.
This season will usher in another wave of NBA newbies, all hyped about the opportunity to play in the greatest basketball league in the world. Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick by Detroit, will get some love right out of the gates as a potential rookie of the Year candidate. But there’s another first-year player who I anticipate will be that dude this year! Training camp will be our first chance to really start to see how they and the league’s other first-year players, stack up against one another.
So close.
And for the seasoned veterans who are part of the “been-there, done-that” posse, it’s another opportunity for the NBA’s OG set of ballers to show their younger brethren that what they may have lost in athleticism courtesy of Father Time, they can compensate for with basketball smarts, a couple of signature moves that are still in style and the swagger that comes with having spent a decade and some change in the league.
They too are eager to get this thing started up.
So close.
As eager as the players are to get back on the court, those of us who follow the NBA whether it be as media or as fans, we too are excited to have NBA basketball that will look a lot more like the pre-pandemic game that we so love with fans cheering, refs getting calls wrong (at least when the call goes against your favorite team) and of course, players being booed incessantly.
We’re on the cusp of getting all that back.
So close.
We’ll spend today looking at the Eastern Conference storylines and plots to watch on the eve of training camp, and on Monday we’ll shift our focus out West, with the start of the NBA season on the horizon.
Yes; so close.
1. BROOKLYN NETS
PLOT TO WATCH: NBA executives are confident the Nets will be among the top-tier teams in the NBA this season, but they aren’t nearly as bullish on this as the good folks in Las Vegas. Just about every sports betting site has the Brooklyn Nets as the odds-on favorite to win it all this season. It makes a lot of sense when you see what a healthy Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden look like (they were 6-2 together during the regular season). But multiple league executives aren’t convinced this will be the Nets’ season, pointing to the improvements and depth they see in other teams in the East. “When healthy, I would give them the edge over most teams in the East,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “But let’s be honest. How confident are you that they’ll be healthy, their Big Three, for an entire postseason run? I’m not and I know I’m not alone thinking that.”
2. MILWAUKEE BUCKS
PLOT TO WATCH: Run it back. It’s really that simple when you talk about the Milwaukee Bucks. They won it all last season, and brought back the band for what they hope will be an encore performance. Like all champions, the Bucks got a few breaks along the journey that were out of their control but nonetheless benefitted them in some fashion. There’s no guarantee those fortuitous moments will repeat themselves. But if there’s one thing that could make them less dependent on that kind of stuff, is if Giannis Antetokounmpo developed a more consistent perimeter game. We talk about it all the time with him. And to his credit, the two-time MVP has shown a greater willingness to improve that facet of his play. “If he ever gets consistent with the long ball, it’s a wrap,” said a Western Conference scout. “He becomes the closest thing to unguardable as this league has ever seen. That size, strength, athleticism, leaping ability, defense … he’s a problem now. With a steady jumper, he becomes a major, major (expletive) problem.”
3. MIAMI HEAT
PLOT TO WATCH: The Los Angeles Lakers have caught their share of heat - yes, that was totally intentional - for adding vets who are past their prime. And yet the Miami Heat in many ways, did the same thing with the addition of Kyle Lowry from Toronto and P.J. Tucker from Phoenix, who are 35 and 36 years old, respectively. If Lowry and Tucker stay relatively healthy and impactful for most of the season, their play combined with Jimmy Butler and Miami’s influx of young talent (Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, to name a few) will position the Heat to be among the top-tier teams in the East this season.
4. ATLANTA HAWKS
PLOT TO WATCH: The Hawks were wise in trying to keep their core together. But the concern expressed by some league executives I’ve spoken with this summer as it relates to the Hawks, is how will their core players handle the prosperity and the pressure that inevitably comes when you are no longer the hunter? And with so many of their core guys getting huge paydays this offseason, will they come down with a case of contract-itis which is when folks lose that edge when you're on the come-up, and do just the opposite of what hip-hop artist Future speaks on, in his song “Too Comfortable” (Warning: NSFW)
5. PHILADELPHIA SIXERS
PLOT TO WATCH: With Ben Simmons reportedly not planning to show up at training camp with the Sixers, sorting out his status with the team will be the talk of training camp. The level of acrimony between Simmons and the organization has left little doubt that he has to be traded. Because as long as he’s still officially a Sixer, this team can’t go forward with its quest to bring a championship to Philly. And while the leverage conversation is definitely debatable, one thing that isn’t in question is that every team that’s interested in Simmons, even the slightest bit, are nervous as hell to give up quality assets for him. “He’s a great defender who has great court vision who you can see most guys in the NBA, especially those who like to shoot, would love to play with,” said an Eastern Conference scout. “But he looks and plays like he’s afraid to shoot for fear he’ll get fouled.” There are many things that players can accept as shortcomings with teammates. Fear ain’t one of them.
6. BOSTON CELTICS
PLOT TO WATCH: Jayson Tatum’s talent is undeniable. But how that talent translates to leading this team, remains to be seen. Boston will field one of the NBA’s youngest squads this year (they have one player, 35-year-old Al Horford, over the age of 30) and those youngsters will be turning to 23-year-old Tatum for guidance, direction and leadership. Is he up to the challenge?
7. INDIANA PACERS
PLOT TO WATCH: Few teams consistently fly below the radar like the Pacers, who are in that good-but-how-good? state of existence. Their most significant offseason addition is Rick Carlisle who is back for a second tour of duty as head coach, third overall (he was a Pacers assistant from 1997-2000). They have a couple of unique tandems when you look at All-Star Domantis Sabonis and Myles Turner in the frontcourt, with Malcolm Brogdon, Caris Levert and T.J. Warren on the wings. No one should be surprised if the Pacers wind up as one of the top-four teams in the East.
8. NEW YORK KNICKS
PLOT TO WATCH: Depth at the guard position was a major weakness for New York last season, and they addressed this by bringing Brooklyn native Kemba Walker into the fold as well as Evan Fournier, both of whom played in Boston last season. Walker, a four-time All-Star and Fournier who has averaged double figures scoring each of the last seven seasons, will take some of the scoring load and pressure off of Knicks All-Star Julius Randle who struggled mightily (he shot less than 30 percent from the field) during New York’s first-round series loss to Atlanta.
9. CHARLOTTE HORNETS
PLOT TO WATCH: When Gordon Hayward joined Boston to be their go-to guy in 2017, that never came to fruition because of multiple injuries and setbacks that were out of his control. Now in Charlotte, he finds a new set of unplanned obstacles (LaMelo Ball rookie of the year; Terry Rozier developing into borderline All-Star; Miles Bridges’ emergence and the new guy, Kelly Oubre Jr.) that will once again have him trying to get in where he fits in. How the Hornets utilize Hayward’s versatility and impressive skill set will go far in their quest to become a playoff team this season.
10. ORLANDO MAGIC
PLOT TO WATCH: The predictability of an Orlando reboot coming right on time every other year or two, is right up there with singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill being late to a show. It happens. We deal with it, and we move on. And the reboot lately in Orlando has been because of injuries, which is why optimism in Mickey’s kingdom remains high just as long as players can stay relatively upright and healthy. Rookie Jalen Suggs will help immediately on the perimeter, but league executives believe a healthy Jonathan Isaac will be the key to Orlando exceeding expectations and becoming a playoff contender.
11. CHICAGO BULLS
PLOT TO WATCH: Zach Lavine was one of the league’s more efficient scorers last season and should be even better now that he’ll be playing with Lonzo Ball, a pass-first playmaker Chicago signed in the offseason from New Orleans. Throw in the addition of Mr. Midrange, DeMar DeRozan as well as All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, and the Bulls have a nice nucleus to start building around and for this season, be competitive for one of the last playoff spots in the East. This becomes a huge issue when you consider Lavine will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and a key target for several teams.
12. WASHINGTON WIZARDS
PLOT TO WATCH: All ears will be on Bradley Beal’s every word, with the media looking for any sign that may indicate he wants to leave the Wizards after this season. More important will be how new Wizard Spencer Dinwiddie’s surgically repaired right knee holds up and whether a change of scenery will be just what ex-Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma needs to get back to being the high-impact scorer we saw prior to LeBron James’ arrival in Los Angeles.
13. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
PLOT TO WATCH: Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are two of the better young guards in the NBA, but the jury is still out on whether these two can play well together to be more than just stat-stuffing ballers whose team doesn’t win. Adding a veteran like Ricky Rubio gives them more than just another playmaker, but someone who can help play the role of facilitator in case the team moves on from one of their lottery pick point guards.
14. TORONTO RAPTORS
PLOT TO WATCH: Forget about players and coaches and wins and losses. Seeing the Raptors back in Toronto playing games will make them a worthwhile bunch to follow. No team was impacted more by the pandemic than the Raptors who finished out the 2020-2021 season with their “home” games played in Tampa, Fla. As a veteran of the NBA circuit, there are few home crowds who bring the boisterous, near-ear-deafening raucous jeering and cheering like Raptors fans.
15. DETROIT PISTONS
PLOT TO WATCH: The Pistons are slowly making moves from being an NBA pushover to bringing back that pugilistic brand of basketball that won this franchise a trio of NBA titles (1989; 1990; 2004). All eyes will be on the top overall pick Cade Cunningham who has all the makings of a perennial All-Star. But for this Pistons team to be anything more than a team poised for a return trip to the NBA lottery, Cunningham will need help - lots of it. Jerami Grant (22.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists) was in the All-Star conversation a year ago. Keep an eye on Saddiq Bey, a lights-out shooter who should benefit from the spacing that Cunningham’s presence on the floor will create.