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NBA Atlantic Division Predictions

How far can these teams go?

By Shandon PendletonPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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Sixers guard Ben Simmons drives against Raptors guard Kyle Lowry during the 2017-18 season.

The Atlantic Division will no doubt give us the Eastern Conference's best competition this next year. The three top teams of the East (Toronto, Philadelphia, and Boston) last year will arguably be even better than last year. But how good are these teams going to be coming into the 2018-19 season? Let's take a look

Boston Celtics

I've already written a lot about the Celtics in a previous article, so I won't say too much, but just know that they are gonna be the team to beat here. They made the Eastern Conference Finals last year without their two All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. And now those two are back and there’s no LeBron to stop them along the way. Keep your eyes on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown too. These two young kids are blossoming into stars really quick. Along with strong bigs like Al Horford and Marcus Morris, the C’s are gonna be the top team in the East.

Prediction: 60+ wins. 1 seed. Eastern Conference Champions.

Brooklyn Nets

I don’t see the Brooklyn Nets improving much from last year. They made a few moves to acquire players but nothing significant. Adding Shabazz Napier and Ed David from Portland was a good move on their part. Shabazz showed that he was a good backup guard and played valuable minutes behind Damian Lillard last year and Davis did too in his time there. Kenneth Faried is a decent pickup too, IF they know how to utilize him right. He had lots of potential in Denver, but his value went down and down each year. If Brooklyn can use him right, he’ll be a good role player to have.

I would especially pay attention to their backcourt though. Spencer Dinwiddie was in the running for Most Improved Player and he’s going to get better. D’Angelo Russell is a good player. Not yet an All-star caliber player but he’s starting to make the Lakers regret trading him because he is valuable for this Nets team. If they can add a few more pieces, D’Lo will do a great job. I’d also keep my eye on DeMarre Carroll and Jarrett Allen. The vet and the rookie did a good job last year and will provide valuable minutes for them.

However, even with good role players and additions, the Nets don’t yet have what it takes to make a dent in the East. I don’t expect them to have a much different outcome as compared to last year.

Prediction: 25-30 wins. Miss the playoffs.

New York Knicks

I wouldn’t sleep on the Knicks this year. I know they didn’t do that great last year, but you need to remember that Kristaps Porzingis was out for a good chunk of the season. When your only All-star is out, of course you aren’t going to perform as well. Porzingis and Kanter down low are gonna be a huge threat on offense and defense to any team, especially since both players can space the floor well and Porzingis with a range coming out to the 3-point line.

The Knicks have valuable players at the guard position too. Adding Emmanuel Mudiay last year was good and Trey Burke re-sparked the potential he had coming into the league. Courtney Lee will still provide great leadership due to his experience and Tim Hardaway Jr. will keep doing what he does best. Hardaway is gonna be the second option for them and I can see a future All-star in him one day. Maybe not a superstar but I can see him putting up All-star numbers in the future.

The two I would keep my eye on though, is the two young kids. Frank Nkilitina and Kevin Knox. Nkilitina was a good pickup in the draft last year. He has shown good IQ and defensiveness. I don’t see him as a huge scoring option but with time and experience, he can be the floor general for this Knicks team. Kevin Knox was booed on draft night, but he proved everyone wrong during summer league. The man was consistently putting up 20+ points each game. Now I don’t see those numbers in the regular season, but I do see him making an impact.

All that, along with a new head coach, I see them improving lots. David Fizdale is a good coach and is going to bring out the potential in a lot of these guys. I see lots of good for these Knicks. Don’t sleep on them, they’re gonna be a team fighting for that 8th spot in the playoffs.

Prediction: 35-40 wins. 8 seed. First Round of the playoffs.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers are gonna be good this year. To be honest, they shocked me last year when they earned the 3rd seed in the East, but now I can see why. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are stars. I can see Ben Simmons making the All-star team this year and Joel making a run for 1st team All-NBA. These two together are good. With lots of returning role players too like JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, TJ McConnell and Amir Johnson, I see this team going far.

One player to keep your eye on is Markelle Fultz, the 2017 number one pick. Fultz was a huge disappointment last year. It seemed like he forgot how to play basketball. Many people think that Fultz will have a breakout year but I don't think so. The man is a bust. But like every player I trash, I want them to prove me wrong. I love to see players explode and become stars.

The Sixers picked up a good player in the draft too in Zhaire Smith, so hopefully we will get a piece of him this next season. Brett Brown will do a good job. To be honest though, I think Brown is overrated. He isn't as good as a coach as he gets credit for. Now that's not me saying he's a bad coach, but it's me saying that Embiid and Simmons make him look better than he really is. Either way, they'll do great.

Prediction: 55-60 wins. 2 seed. Eastern Conference Finals.

Toronto Raptors

Losing DeMar DeRozan is a huge blow, but it's more of a blow on the mental end than on the physical end. Kawhi Leonard is a better player than DeMar DeRozan. The only problem is what the Raptors will look like far down the road. Will Kawhi stay? I think this season will answer that question. If the Raptors do well, then yes. He will stay. If not, then he's gone.

But I still don't expect the Raptors to be as good as last year. Kyle Lowry is on the decline. We saw that clearly last season as his numbers were considerably lower than they were the year before. Toronto has two good big men though however. Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka are a good pair to have down low, however, I don't see them improving. I see them playing at the same level as they were last year.

The Raptors do have a really good bench and two young core players. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are two youngsters to keep your eye on. Fred VanVleet, CJ Miles and Delon Wright are really valuable players from their second unit.

Firing their head coach though was a mistake, so seeing the new system, especially with Kawhi now in the bunch, will be interesting. I still expect the Raptors to be good.

Prediction: 50-55 wins. 3 seed. Eastern Conference Semifinals.

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Shandon Pendleton

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