Post by Philadelphia 76ers GM (Kyle) on Oct 17, 2022 15:49:46 GMT -5
1 Bucks - The Bucks barely came up short in Round 2 last year without Khris Middleton. They have the best player in the league right now. Outside of their big 3, the team is a little bit meh, but I think they are good enough to be the favorite in the league. Middleton will still miss a few weeks to open the season, but assuming he is himself when he returns, I'm betting on Giannis' team.
2 Warriors - The Warriors could be better in the regular season. Any kind of contributions from Moody, Wiseman, and Kuminga could be huge. Klay could be better than he was last season with some miles under his belt post-injury now and Curry is Curry. Wiggins and Green help to make this arguably the best defensive squad in the West.
3 Clippers - I believe the Clippers are the deepest team in the league and if it weren't for reliability concerns I may have this team at #1 in these rankings. This team will be able to run any kind of lineup this year. They can go big, they can go small and suffocate teams with long wing defenders, and they have a ton of shooting. Ty Lue's team runs at least 12 deep this year if healthy and guys may not play every night depending on each night's matchup. That is a good problem to have though and if Leonard/George stay healthy this team should compete for a title.
4 Celtics - The Celtics are on a little bit of shaky ground going into the season coming off a surprise run to the NBA Finals. Ime Udoka's absence may be impactful and Robert Williams' absence for the first few months definitely will be. The loss of Gallinari in the off-season could hurt too as they really could have used his scoring ability off the bench. Can Al Horford play the way he played last season despite his age? Is there lack of trust from Jaylen Brown after being involved in trade rumors all off-season? Still, despite all these questions, I have the Celtics at 4th out of respect to their pedigree and the way they played last season. However, there is certainly a scenario where they could drop in these rankings and do so quite quickly.
5 76ers - I still don't trust James Harden in the playoffs, but I like what this team did in the off-season. They picked up another guard in DeAnthony Melton and a glue guy in PJ Tucker. I'm not one to read into reports of Harden being in the best shape he's been in. I think a lot of that stuff is media BS, but I do expect continued improvement from Maxey who could take some of the load off of Harden in the postseason. I do like this team a lot in the regular season and I'm cautiously optimistic that they could be better as a playoff threat than they have been as well. Embiid should also be as hungry as ever and seems to be healthier every season, although it does seem like he's gotten tired in the playoffs a few years in a row now.
6 Nuggets - This team was 6th in the west last year despite missing its 2nd and 3rd best players: Murray and MPJ. With these guys back and the sneaky additions of Bruce Brown and KCP this Nuggets team has a chance to compete for an NBA title. I am hedging a little bit until we see what Murray looks like, but odds are this team is going to be nasty.
7 Suns - 64 wins last year, but the off-season mess and ugly playoff exit leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth. CP3 is only getting older, the depth is thinning, and I still question what Ayton's ceiling is. He's a very good center, but I am not sure he's as good as they'll need him to be to win a title. Crowder also wants out. I have a feeling this team's title window has passed.
8 Heat - I think last year took a lot out of this Heat team. They battled their way to Game 7 of the East Finals at less than full strength. Butler is getting up there in age, but I still think he has something left in the tank. I still love Adebayo despite his inconsistency offensively in the postseason and I like Herro as a scorer for them. After that, this roster is murky. I think they might miss PJ Tucker a little bit and the depth is a little bit too reliant on guys like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. Kyle Lowry has also seen much better days and can't be relied upon. With all this said, I am putting some faith in the team's infrastructure and coaching to get this team to a potential home court advantage in Round 1 yet again.
9 Cavaliers - This team has a high ceiling this year. I can totally see them catapulting into the contenders this season. The only real concern is their youth, but if everyone takes the type of leap that they are capable of then the sky is the limit for this squad. We'll have to see if Donovan Mitchell can fit well on this team and I do think that they could use another shooter or 2 to space the floor, but other than that the Cavs should be outstanding this year and have a chance to make a deep playoff run.
10 Grizzlies
11 Nets
12 Raptors
13 Timberwolves
14 Mavericks
15 Pelicans
16 Lakers
17 Hawks
18 Bulls
19 Trail Blazers
20 Kings
21 Knicks
22 Wizards
23 Magic
24 Hornets
25 Pistons
26 Thunder
27 Rockets
28 Jazz
29 Pacers
30 Spurs
2 Warriors - The Warriors could be better in the regular season. Any kind of contributions from Moody, Wiseman, and Kuminga could be huge. Klay could be better than he was last season with some miles under his belt post-injury now and Curry is Curry. Wiggins and Green help to make this arguably the best defensive squad in the West.
3 Clippers - I believe the Clippers are the deepest team in the league and if it weren't for reliability concerns I may have this team at #1 in these rankings. This team will be able to run any kind of lineup this year. They can go big, they can go small and suffocate teams with long wing defenders, and they have a ton of shooting. Ty Lue's team runs at least 12 deep this year if healthy and guys may not play every night depending on each night's matchup. That is a good problem to have though and if Leonard/George stay healthy this team should compete for a title.
4 Celtics - The Celtics are on a little bit of shaky ground going into the season coming off a surprise run to the NBA Finals. Ime Udoka's absence may be impactful and Robert Williams' absence for the first few months definitely will be. The loss of Gallinari in the off-season could hurt too as they really could have used his scoring ability off the bench. Can Al Horford play the way he played last season despite his age? Is there lack of trust from Jaylen Brown after being involved in trade rumors all off-season? Still, despite all these questions, I have the Celtics at 4th out of respect to their pedigree and the way they played last season. However, there is certainly a scenario where they could drop in these rankings and do so quite quickly.
5 76ers - I still don't trust James Harden in the playoffs, but I like what this team did in the off-season. They picked up another guard in DeAnthony Melton and a glue guy in PJ Tucker. I'm not one to read into reports of Harden being in the best shape he's been in. I think a lot of that stuff is media BS, but I do expect continued improvement from Maxey who could take some of the load off of Harden in the postseason. I do like this team a lot in the regular season and I'm cautiously optimistic that they could be better as a playoff threat than they have been as well. Embiid should also be as hungry as ever and seems to be healthier every season, although it does seem like he's gotten tired in the playoffs a few years in a row now.
6 Nuggets - This team was 6th in the west last year despite missing its 2nd and 3rd best players: Murray and MPJ. With these guys back and the sneaky additions of Bruce Brown and KCP this Nuggets team has a chance to compete for an NBA title. I am hedging a little bit until we see what Murray looks like, but odds are this team is going to be nasty.
7 Suns - 64 wins last year, but the off-season mess and ugly playoff exit leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth. CP3 is only getting older, the depth is thinning, and I still question what Ayton's ceiling is. He's a very good center, but I am not sure he's as good as they'll need him to be to win a title. Crowder also wants out. I have a feeling this team's title window has passed.
8 Heat - I think last year took a lot out of this Heat team. They battled their way to Game 7 of the East Finals at less than full strength. Butler is getting up there in age, but I still think he has something left in the tank. I still love Adebayo despite his inconsistency offensively in the postseason and I like Herro as a scorer for them. After that, this roster is murky. I think they might miss PJ Tucker a little bit and the depth is a little bit too reliant on guys like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. Kyle Lowry has also seen much better days and can't be relied upon. With all this said, I am putting some faith in the team's infrastructure and coaching to get this team to a potential home court advantage in Round 1 yet again.
9 Cavaliers - This team has a high ceiling this year. I can totally see them catapulting into the contenders this season. The only real concern is their youth, but if everyone takes the type of leap that they are capable of then the sky is the limit for this squad. We'll have to see if Donovan Mitchell can fit well on this team and I do think that they could use another shooter or 2 to space the floor, but other than that the Cavs should be outstanding this year and have a chance to make a deep playoff run.
10 Grizzlies
11 Nets
12 Raptors
13 Timberwolves
14 Mavericks
15 Pelicans
16 Lakers
17 Hawks
18 Bulls
19 Trail Blazers
20 Kings
21 Knicks
22 Wizards
23 Magic
24 Hornets
25 Pistons
26 Thunder
27 Rockets
28 Jazz
29 Pacers
30 Spurs