The Philadelphia 76ers are coming into another NBA season as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. But whether they can beat the best of the best and finally make that long-awaited run to the conference finals will determine whether it truly means anything significant this time.
At the season's outset, the 76ers boast one of the best rosters on paper. Three All-Stars surrounded by playoff-hardened role players and a few youngsters make for a promising group. Out of all the teams in the East, one stands alone as the clear-cut best and another is more on par with the Sixers. The rest will likely not stack up to Philly's level but remain dangerous in their own ways.
1. Boston Celtics
The reigning champions, almost literally, aren’t going anywhere. They added rookie wing Baylor Scheierman in the draft and lost a few guys from the end of their bench but otherwise are running back the exact same roster. They’re every time's biggest threat entering the season, not just Philly's.
The Celtics' five-out offense is more dominant than other variants of it because four starters can score and attack off the dribble. Kristaps Porzingis puts opposing bigs in tough spots with his ability to shoot and finish lobs. Every player in Boston's primary rotation is a good defender. The shakiest ones are Payton Pritchard, who’s pesky but undersized, and maybe Al Horford, but that's only because of age.
Boston may not always have the best player in any given playoff series. Against teams with multiple stars like the 76ers, they may only have two of the top five. But because the front end of their depth is so amazing, it doesn’t matter. The sum of their well-rounded parts exceeds those of other teams, even when they have game-breaking superstars. After a full offseason together, it's tough to imagine Boston being any worse, even if its record falls back a little.
The Sixers have the chance to make big upgrades midseason while Boston will be bound to tweaks on the margins. Obviously, that partially means that Boston doesn’t have much more room to upgrade, a huge indicator of its incredible roster, but it does give Philly a chance to inch closer by the time the playoffs roll around. The question that remains is how much closer they can actually get.
2. New York Knicks
While the 76ers are looking up at the Celtics, the Knicks are a squad right at their eye level. These are two teams on even footing and could get the better of the other for different reasons. Each team will be extremely eager to beat the other.
The Knicks have two All-Stars of their own, though one of them, Julius Randle, has a less-than-ideal playoff history that portrays him as someone who isn’t to be feared in the biggest moments. Although his shot creation and rebounding are valuable for New York, he does have a panic switch that often flickers and disrupts the team's rhythm. Fortunately, he's insulated by a rising superstar in Jalen Brunson and a supporting cast that makes his life much easier.
The term “role player superteam” is used derisively about the Knicks but a squad with so many players who can take turns having game-changing impacts is nothing to take lightly. With two of the best perimeter defenders in the game (OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges) and two starter-level wings coming off the bench (Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo), New York's roster is versatile, talented and deep.
Like the 76ers, the Knicks are seemingly awaiting a big trade to address a roster deficiency. Philly would be wise to swing a trade for a big forward while New York seems likely to trade for another center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Mitchell Robinson, when healthy, is still a solid starter for the time being and Precious Achuiwa is a fine backup. The Knicks will need to upgrade at center before the playoffs but are in amazing shape everywhere else.
3. Milwaukee Bucks
Underestimating the heart of a champion is an unwise idea. The Bucks' title-winning core is aging and loosening at the seams but, for the moment, is still intact and led by a superstar in his prime. Giannis Antetokounmpo and company may not seem to be on the 76ers' level but they also aren’t very far off.
The free-agency additions of Delon Wright, Gary Trent Jr., and Taurean Prince didn’t receive the fanfare that the George and Bridges additions (nor should they have, of course) but they’re all solid players. Damian Lillard is still a handful to deal with on offense. Khris Middleton played just 55 games last season but posted the second-best true-shooting percentage of his career. Brook Lopez, at the very least, can still space the floor well. All of this surrounds a superstar who is still setting new personal records and plays the position where Philly is weakest.
It would be easier to buy into the Bucks if one of their young players looked prime to take a step forward. But for whatever potential that rookies AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith and second-year guard Andre Jackson Jr. have, it's about to be thrown in a drawer somewhere because of Doc Rivers' reluctance to rely on young players. Rivers is usually a floor-raiser but ceilings for the overwhelming majority of his teams tend to be rigid.
The Bucks are one of a few teams that will be looking to establish themselves as a threat below the top three beasts of the East. Other teams may surpass them given their youth and/or depth. But as far as a matchup with the Sixers goes, the Bucks are still a team they would not be happy to face.
4. Indiana Pacers
The best way to evade the intimidating, hulking presence of a giant like Embiid is to run around him. The Pacers proved last season that their pace-and-space style of play can translate to the playoffs. They and the Bucks occupy the next tier of 76ers opponents, those who could be on par with the Knicks if things go right and have what it takes to upset Philly in a playoff series.
With stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam and a swath of solid role players in Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard, and Aaron Nesmith, Indiana is set up for success. For all the problems they have defensively, they've found a breakneck scoring frequency that overcomes them. They didn’t have a super busy offseason but got to spend a whole offseason with a newly signed Siakam gaining more familiarity with the franchise.
The Pacers can reasonably expect some internal improvement to boost them, too. 2023 first-round pick Jarace Walker dominated in a limited sample of G League games and has the versatile, defensive-minded game that could make him pop this season. Bennedict Mathurin improved in his sophomore season and only just turned 22 years old. Numerous other role players have yet to reach age 25 and rookie wing Johnny Furphy looks like someone who could get some playing time in short order.
There will be a point where the Pacers have to figure out what to do on defense. However, their collective indifference to finding that point works in their favor. They’re so focused on playing their free-flowing game that they don’t get bogged down easily. They may not be a true contender yet but they’re dangerous.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
The funky fit of the Cavs' guard tandem and big-man duo limit how good of a team they can be. But at the very worst, they are a good squad that should be one of the best defensive squads in the league. They're the top team of the final tier in this exercise. Although they most likely aren’t beating the 76ers in a series, they must be taken seriously.
The defensive tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is fearsome but not as effective against bigger, stronger centers like Embiid. Their fit on offense is far from ideal, too. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell overwhelm most opponents because they’re simply very good but they still haven’t figured out how to fully click together. Max Strus, Dean Wade, Caris LeVert and rookie Jaylon Tyson are good enough options on the wing, though the Cavs lack the star-level options that most other East teams have.
Considering all the talent on Cleveland's roster, it gets in its own way more than it should. Maybe new head coach Kenny Atkinson can unlock some things but until the Cavs find pieces that fit together, they probably won’t be good enough to contend with the top dogs in the East.
6. Miami Heat
The Heat held onto Jimmy Butler after plenty of trade rumors and quietly have a core of very young or in-their-prime players around him and Bam Adebayo, save for Kevin Love and free-agency addition Alec Burks. They won’t be a legitimate contender again unless someone really steps up or they can swing a big trade. But they’re still one of the sharpest thorns in the side of the 76ers and other title hopefuls.
Youngsters Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic are coming along nicely. Rookie big man Kel'el Ware gives them some athletic pop off the bench, though it’s unclear how much he'll factor into the rotation. Miami will play Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson plenty, stocking the guard room with shooting. If their offense can get even somewhat close to their defense — it's a big hypothetical, admittedly — the Heat are still going to be a really tough matchup.
The Heat don’t look like a team that's going to make a lot of noise in the playoffs — but they also rarely have in recent memory and still do anyway. Their first-place finish in the East in 2021-22 was the only time in the Butler era that they’ve finished above fourth. Don’t count them out until they’re out.
7. Orlando Magic
Like the Heat, the Magic are a rugged defensive squad with major questions to answer on offense. They should compete with the elite teams this season and could become one themselves depending on how much internal improvement they get.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner run the show pretty well. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should solidify a supporting cast chock-full of tough defenders. The Magic deploy a deep rotation of centers and boast size and physicality at every position. They'll turn every game into wars of attrition.
In order to compete with the best of the best, teams have to be genuinely good on both ends. There are too many questions about Orlando's offense — namely, can it overcome its lack of high-caliber shooting? — coming into the season to be fully confident in it. The Magic have an intriguing group of young players that very likely could propel them further up the list of Eastern Conference threats. Either way, they are not to be taken lightly.
8. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks added by subtracting Dejounte Murray this offseason, surrounding Trae Young with more athletes on the wing and adding some additional draft capital to use in trades. A roster that should fit better together will help Atlanta, though not enough to threaten the powerhouses of the league.
Jalen Johnson is the biggest X-factor for Atlanta this season. A big, athletic, playmaking forward who can defend well and shoot a little should make for a great second option next to Young. But for as good as he and Young are, they probably can’t make up for their lackluster supporting cast. Outside of the offense-defense wing support from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dyson Daniels and an okay center rotation of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, there’s a great deal of uncertainty about who's pitching in to make a legitimate impact for Atlanta.
Although a Hawks team with lots of athletes and shooters around Young has haunted the 76ers before, it seems even less likely to happen now with each side trending in opposite directions. Still, Atlanta is respectable enough to not be considered a pushover.
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