Coming into the NBA season, all eyes were on the Western Conference. LeBron James signed with the Lakers, the Warriors can three-peat and Anthony Davis prepared to take over the league. The West features seven of ESPN’s Top 10 Players coming into the season.
Originally it was eight before Kawhi Leonard made the move from San Antonio to Toronto. The conversation remains who can dethrone the Warriors. The Rockets, Lakers, Jazz and even Nuggets have been mentioned. No love is given to the Eastern Conference so let’s answer the question of who is the best team in the East.
The Bucks sit at 36-13, just ahead of the Raptors for first place in the East. The Pacers are 32-18 and in third place with the 76ers tied alongside them. The Celtics continue to find themselves and are in fifth place at 32-19. Moving forward, the Pacers and Celtics will be given honorable mentions.
Boston has had trouble this season finding an identity. Gordon Hayward is showing effects of his injury suffered last season. As for the Pacers, they seem to be a player away. They do not feature that top of the line guy who can take over a game. Victor Oladipo will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, and Domantas Sabonis is turning into a good player however neither can be leaned on to win a championship.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers come in third on this list mainly because of their roster. They feature two of the best young players in the game. Ben Simmons is able to dominate the NBA without being able to make a five-foot jump shot. Some call that a necessity, I call it impressive. Simmons is averaging 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. At 6’10, he is playing the point guard position the way Magic Johnson used to. Joel Embiid is averaging 27.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. He is an MVP candidate and is solidifying himself as one of the best players in the game.
Philadelphia made a trade during the season that brought Jimmy Butler over. During his time in a Sixers’ uniform, Butler is averaging 19 points. So far, the fit is not perfect but they are making it work. Embiid spoke out about his frustration on his role on the team since Butler was brought to town. Butler had his share of drama in Minnesota which led to an ugly break up there.
After their big three, there is not much on the Sixers. Markelle Fultz continues to be a waste of a draft pick and J.J Redick plays his role well as a shooter. The Sixers are a team that will be solid in the regular season and might even win a round or two in the playoffs. When it comes down to it, they are not a title contender and everyone knows it. They play their next nine games against some of the best teams in the league. Recently, they picked up a 24-point win in Indiana and a 28-point win at home against the Rockets. It still remains clear that once the playoffs start, the Sixers will be mentioned but will not be taken seriously as threats to the Warriors.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks sit at 36-13 and are currently tied with the Raptors. They are emerging as legitimate threats in the East after 44-38 record last season that ended in a game seven loss to the Celtics. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the MVP of the league at the halfway mark. The Greek Freak is averaging 26.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. He is doing it by bullying his opponents and dominating in the paint.
He is averaging 17.3 points in the paint per game. The question of can he continue to dominate without the three-point shot has been discussed. Giannis is shooting 17.2% from beyond the arc while shooting 2.4 per game. It is a shot he does not need at the moment and should not force. The scary thought is, he is going to get better once he figures it out.
Milwaukee is second in the league in scoring at 117.6 points per game. They allow 107.8 per game to opponents which is eighth in the league. The Bucks have depth on their roster. Their starting five is strong with Giannis, Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez. Four of their five starters average over 15 points per game. Lopez is the only one under but is becoming a three-point threat. They have four guys on the bench who have played 30 or more games.
Along with head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks are quickly turning into a threat. They have split with the Warriors this season and their win came by 23-points in Golden State. This Bucks’ team could be ready to take the next step and come out of the East this season.
1. Toronto Raptors
If there is one team standing in the way of Giannis and the Bucks, it is the Toronto Raptors. Toronto has started 37-15. The one knock on the Raptors is that they could never beat LeBron. Toronto features solid teams every season but can never take that next step because of the best player in the world. Well guess what, LeBron is in Los Angeles and the Raptors are taking advantage.
The Raptors return Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka who are important players on this roster. The one player missing from last season is DeMar DeRozan. They brought in a better version of DeRozan with Leonard. The former Spur is averaging 27.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season. He is known as one of the league’s top defensive players in addition to his ability to score in every way. It was always unknown whether DeRozan and Lowry could lead the Raptors to a championship. There is no unknown factor anymore with Leonard on the roster.
Toronto started quick and show no signs of slowing down. They parted ways with last season’s Coach of the Year Dwane Casey after yet another loss to the Cavaliers. Nick Nurse has taken over and done a fine job so far. The Raptors are a legitimate threat to the Warriors. This is a team that plays defense and features a superstar who can take over late. Before they get to Golden State, they need to take care of the East first. Moving forward, the Raptors look like the team to beat in the conference and are the best team in the East right now.
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