Milwaukee has a stronger identity, especially with Kyrie Irving out. The Nets and Bucks are a class of their own. Chicago looked good in the preseason, but I’m still not sold on the defense. I also may be too low on Toronto when Pascal Siakam returns, the Raptors could push into the postseason. Boston is poised for a bounce-back season, but can that bounce get them into home court in the first round of the playoffs?

Can the Hawks turn that playoff run into regular season magic? I expect a step back from the Hawks and the Knicks (even though New York is better, the East just isn’t going to break for them the same way this season). The 76ers are nearly impossible to predict because of the Ben Simmons situation - I still expect him to get traded mid-season - but they could finish anywhere from third to seventh. I see Miami as a clear third-best playoff team in the East and a threat to the top two if things break right, but Miami may be better built for the playoffs than the marathon of the regular season (meaning, they could finish lower than third). After that, things get harder to predict. The Nets and Bucks are the class of the East, on their own tier above everyone (and if Kyrie Irving returns and that situation gets sorted out, the Nets are on their own level above the Bucks). Here are the NBC Sports NBA writer predictions for the East this season (the Western Conference and Finals prediction will come tomorrow).

All of which makes predicting the Eastern Conference standings and playoffs a challenge - little things and the inevitable injuries will mean major shakeups in the standings. The East has quality depth we haven’t seen in it in years, and there will be good teams fighting it out in the play-in tournament. They could reach the play-in if things go their way, but I think one more season of growth for this franchise before they really start turning heads.For the first time in a long time, the Eastern Conference no longer looks like the little brother of the West. Detroit is setting themselves up for major success down the line, but they have one more year of missing the postseason in store. I love Cade Cunningham and think he explodes onto the scene this season. Kyle Kuzma will look to build on his impressive year and if he can take the next step, the Wizards may have something. However, questions still arise with the roster and I’m not sure they are good enough to jump into play-in status just yet. Bradley Beal is back in the fold with a new contract extension and the team has a decent supporting cast. The Hornets reached the play-in last season, but I see them going backwards this year as they look for some stability. Nobody knows what will happen with Miles Bridges while he is under investigation and others like Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier have some injury concerns. LaMelo Ball is great but the rest of the supporting cast is average. They will be making playoff runs soon but just not this season. There are a ton of young, exciting players on this roster, but the lack of experience will likely hurt them. Paolo Banchero seems like a star in the making but he has to go out and prove it first. Like many of the teams in this bottom part of the standings, the Magic could shock people and make a play-in run. Look for Indiana to really try and push to get in on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes that will be going on around the NBA. Myles Turner and Buddy Hield have been named in trade talks all offseason and even with them on the roster, it’s still not great by any means. However, nobody knows what this roster will look like when the season opens. Tyrese Haliburton leads this team and should have another good season. Here are my way too early Eastern Conference standings predictions: Nonetheless, the season will be here sooner than people realize and with that, comes the start of predictions. This offseason has been somewhat slow due to the trade request of Kevin Durant essentially freezing the market, only for him to rescind it two months later. With September coming up here soon, we really aren’t that far away from the start of a new NBA season.

Nba eastern conference standings