
Milwaukee’s veteran core, which isn’t getting younger, is in a prime position to contend. While he won a championship in 2021, he needs to go far into the playoffs, or he could lose his job. This is a big season for head coach Mike Budenholzer. The Bucks are coming off a disappointing exit in the second round at the hands of the Celtics. It wouldn’t shock me if the Bucks and the Cavs swapped places in the standings at the end of the season. This Cavs team is loaded but isn’t experienced enough to win the East. Mitchell joins Garland in a suddenly loaded backcourt, and the Cavs could potentially have four starters in the All-Star game in Utah in February 2023. Both of those guys need to increase their production this season, especially Allen, who is in the second season of a 5 year $100m contract extension. Mobley and Allen showed massive potential in the front court last season and could be one of the best front-court duos in the NBA in the next five seasons. When you add a player of Donovan Mitchell’s caliber into the fold, you’re in an even better spot than before, and the expectations are only getting higher. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen are returning to a team who lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-In tournament last season. Next, we visit Cleveland, where the Cavaliers currently have one of the best young cores in the NBA. 1 seed, but I don’t think they’ll get out of a loaded Eastern Conference. It won’t surprise me if the Celtics get off to a really good start. He’s the right coach for the city of Boston and for this Celtics team. Second-year coach Ime Udoka can lead this team to great things, as proved by his ability to take Boston to the finals last season. Although it’s a challenge, Boston has high-level talent at every position. A big blow is Danilo Gallinari, another notable acquisition that is unfortunately out for the season with a torn ACL. They also traded for 2016-17 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to add some crucial depth they missed last season. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart headline the talent returning to a team who lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals. 1 seed, we have the Boston Celtics, who come into this season as the defending Eastern Conference Champions. 1: Boston Celtics (Prediction: 54-28)Ĭoming in as the No. Incredible talent and many good teams make this conference challenging to predict.
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS FREE
Meanwhile, the months after the free agency frenzy involved a lot of trades the most notable one occurred on September 1, 2022, when the Jazz sent All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland.

Another player loyal to his city was Darius Garland, who signed a multi-year contract extension in Cleveland to stay with the Cavaliers. Zach LaVine was one of the most notable players to stay in his city, signing a new 5-year contract to commit his future to the Chicago Bulls. Many high-level free agents resigned with their current teams on big contracts.
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS UPGRADE
Most of the teams were actively looking to upgrade different spots on their teams. The 2022 offseason saw many teams in the NBA Eastern Conference improve significantly.
