Kevin Garnett said (yelled) it best, “anything is possible.” There aren’t 29 losers and one winner, just 30 teams all vying for the same goal of a championship.
A white wall may seem empty, but it’s just waiting to be filled. The outset of every NBA season presents us with a blank canvas: Every team sitting at an even 0-0 record, players’ point, rebound and assist totals all sitting at zero, and a million questions all waiting to be answered.
Though the East is as top-heavy as it gets, with two juggernauts towering above the rest, every team is coming into the year with something to prove.
Starting with the Eastern Conference, let’s take a look at the biggest burning question facing each team ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Atlanta Hawks
Question: Can Dejounte Murray and Trae Young find a way to coexist, or will the two point guards present a fork in the road?
In acquiring Murray for three first-round picks and a pick swap last offseason, the Atlanta Hawks sought to bring in a player whose defensive strengths covered up Trae Young’s deficiencies.
However, they ended up cannibalizing each other’s production, particularly on offence. Both function as pick-and-roll playmakers that need the ball in their hands. The hope was that Young could turn into an adept off-ball scorer using his three-point shooting, however, he saw a massive drop-off in efficiency, going from 46.0 to 42.9 per cent from the field and 38.2 to 33.5 per cent from three. Meanwhile, Murray, without the ball in his hands, saw his blossoming playmaking ability hindered, dropping from 9.2 assists a game to 6.1.
The Hawks decided to give Murray a four-year, $114 million contract extension this offseason, keeping him in Atlanta long-term. The decision to opt-in with Murray could be construed in three ways: One, they believe the pairing between him and Young can work under new coach Quin Snyder. Two, they’re buying into a sunk-cost fallacy. Three, they could look to trade one of the two in the near future.
Boston Celtics
Question: Will their top-heavy approach be their undoing?
It’s hard to look at any team having a more talented top-four than the Celtics after pairing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with new acquisitions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Add in Derrick White, who was debatably the third-best player on the team during the playoffs last season, and Al Horford who shot a career-best 44.6 per cent from deep last season, and the Celtics have a formidable top-six.
But in the regular season, their depth leaves much to be desired after trading Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon and allowing Grant Williams to sign with the Dallas Mavericks.
Behind an aging Horford, they’ll have to rely on guys like Luke Kornet or Wenyen Gabriel. At the wing, they’ll hope for contributions from Sam Hauser, Lamar Stevens and Canadian Oshae Brissett. However, they seem to like what they have with backup guard Payton Pritchard, who they inked to a four-year, $30 million extension this offseason.
The Celtics clearly have championship expectations and built a roster made for the playoffs. But the question ahead is whether they can survive an arduous regular season without reliable depth and some aging or injury-prone players.
Brooklyn Nets
Question: Can Ben Simmons make a real comeback?
Countless offseason workout videos, nothing-but-net threes during pre-game shoot-around, and appearances on podcasts with renewed confidence. Like clockwork, the Ben Simmons buy-in tour is back.
Maple Leafs fans are all too familiar with this line, but could this really be the year? Though he hasn’t looked like the second coming of Magic Johnson in a couple years now, his work in the preseason has at least looked like the second coming of the former Ben Simmons.
The numbers haven’t been eye-popping, he’s averaged 6.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and seven assists but the triple-single is better than the donuts he put up last year wearing street clothes.
More than anything, he’s playing with confidence and willingness to attack the rim that disappeared after his infamous pass out of an easy lay-up against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs. If he could get back to what he was before that disastrous series, could the Nets make some noise in the East?
Charlotte Hornets
Question: Was Brandon Miller the right choice at No. 2?
Brandon Miller is entering the league with many questioning whether or not he was the right selection at no. 2 overall while Scoot Henderson seemed to be the de-facto next best player after Victor Wembanyama.
Though the reasoning in picking Miller is sound – LaMelo is their incumbent point guard and they may not want to bring in another ball-dominant presence in the backcourt – his production and potential will always be tied to that of Henderson’s.
Miller hasn’t blown people away in the preseason as he’s yet to put up double-digit point totals through their four games. His three-point shooting also hasn’t been what’s expected, hitting only one of his 13 attempts so far. But he looks like a dynamic athlete who should pair well with Ball, particularly in a full-court setting. Until he proves he can be as productive as Wembanyama or Henderson, questions will linger about whether or not the Hornets outsmarted themselves back in June.
Chicago Bulls
Question: Without Lonzo Ball, will we ever see what this core really could’ve been?
The Chicago Bulls are entering this season as a what-if. When they first brought together the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball for the 2021-22 season, the trio fit together like Nirvana – top of the league but only for as long as one key piece could stay healthy.
DeRozan is in the midst of a contract year and the Bulls don’t seem any closer to contention after a quiet offseason and with Ball set to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season. Could the trio that rocked the Eastern Conference for half of the 2021-22 season already be in the rearview mirror? If so, is there a chance that the Bulls finally decide to blow it up and send DeRozan to a contender at the deadline?
Cleveland Cavaliers
Question: Is there too much overlap between their top-four players?
Are we sure Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland make sense together? Mitchell works best as an isolation scorer. His field goal percentage goes from 42.1 per cent on catch-and-shoot looks to 55.0 per cent when he dribbles more than seven times in a possession. Garland meanwhile, finds the bottom of the rim more on catch-and-shoot looks, but Mitchell only assisted him 0.7 times per game last year.
In the frontcourt, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are a throwback to the two big lineups of the early 2000s, a style that has been phased out of the league. Neither big man looks keen to start shooting threes, so when both are on the court, the spacing that their guards like to operate in goes out the window.
The redundancies between Mitchell and Garland could potentially be schemed around, so the bigger issue is in the frontcourt. Mobley looks like the big man of the future, so could the Cavaliers choose to find a suitor for Allen and alleviate their overlap this season?
Detroit Pistons
Question: What does Cade Cunningham look like after missing last season?
Cunningham put up great numbers despite playing through injury over the course of his rookie season in 2021-22, averaging 20.3 points and 6.1 assists a game in his final 23 games and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. But last season was cut short after hurting his shin in the early going and opting for season-ending surgery.
His ceiling is sky-high and the Pistons still hope that he’s the point guard to lead the team for years to come. However, they’ve taken guards in their last four drafts: Killian Hayes in 2020, Cunningham in 2021, Jaden Ivey in 2022 and most recently, Ausar Thompson, who they might deploy as more of a wing.
How conducive will the Pistons’ strategy to continually draft guards be to making sure Cunningham, who has looked like the best of the bunch, can find as much success as possible?
Indiana Pacers
Question: Who will emerge as Tyrese Haliburton’s second option?
The Indiana Pacers finally have the piece that they’re looking to build around. Haliburton has been out of this world since being acquired in the 2021-22 season. He had a massive breakout in his first full season in Indiana, averaging a career-high 20.7 points while dishing out 10.4 assists per game.
Haliburton has the potential to join the 50-40-90 club after putting up .490/.400/.871 split last year and is one of the most gifted playmakers in the league. But he can’t do it alone.
The Pacers had a solid offseason, bringing in Obi Toppin and Bruce Brown. Their drafts have also looked good with Canadians Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard both looking like real contributors last season.
However, it remains to be seen whether any of those additions, or stalwart big man Myles Turner, could turn into a real second option alongside Haliburton, capable of sharing the load with the emerging superstar.
Miami Heat
Question: How will the Heat rebound after losing out on the Lillard sweepstakes?
It seemed a done deal that Damian Lillard would be taking his talents to South Beach. The era of player empowerment hit its breaking point this offseason, with a player demanding he be traded to one place and one place only, but instead, Miami found itself a loser in the Lillard sweepstakes.
As a consequence, Jimmy Butler went emo and Tyler Herro has a chip on his shoulder the size of Florida. The Heat clearly have something to prove after making the Finals last year but failing to improve in the lead-up to this season, but where do they go from here?
They lost Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, two valuable contributors to their Finals run, and will be looking for production from playoff hero Caleb Martin, second-year forward Nikola Jovic and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. Will it be enough to bounce back after what has undeniably been a disappointing offseason?
Milwaukee Bucks
Question: How unstoppable will the Giannis Antetokounmpo/Damian Lillard tandem be?
Coming out of nowhere to win the Lillard sweepstakes and sending the Raptors and Heat fanbases into disarray, the Milwaukee Bucks have reshaped the title picture and the geometry of the basketball court in one fell swoop.
Though we haven’t seen it in full effect yet, the pairing of the Antetokounmpo and Lillard is one of the most tantalizing tandems we’ve seen in the league. Lillard’s otherworldly ability to shoot from anywhere within the half-court line and Antetokounmpo’s physically dominant drives present an impossible challenge for opposing defences to scheme against.
Mathematically, it’s already hard to defend Giannis by packing the paint with two or three defenders, allowing shooters on the perimeter to get open looks. Add Lillard and his gravitational pull, dragging defenders to the half-court line, and the Bucks present an equation set to make sure Will Hunting stays a janitor. Good luck to the rest of the league.
New York Knicks
Question: Will a superstar become available for them to enter sweepstakes on?
Jalen Brunson was exactly who the New York Knicks needed. What looked like an overpay for a guard who hadn’t scored more than 16.3 points in his first four seasons turned into a genuine star for one of basketball’s biggest markets.
Regardless of his contributions, it’s hard to look at the Knicks as a legitimate contender, especially when the projected top two in the East are as fearsome as they are. Though more so than in years past, the Knicks look like they’re only a piece away from bringing it all together.
Should someone like Karl-Anthony Towns, Pascal Siakam, DeMar DeRozan or Brandon Ingram become available over the course of the season, the Knicks should be a team ready to pounce at any opportunity to cement themselves as a powerhouse in the East.
Orlando Magic
Question: Will we see Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero take the next step after successful runs at the FIBA World Cup?
The Orlando Magic looks like one of the most promising young teams in the league after nailing the Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero picks. Though they’re entering their third and second years respectively, the tandem looks like one that could make some noise in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.
They both had some impressive offseasons, showing out at the FIBA World Cup where Wagner averaged 16.8 points and 6.5 rebounds for the World Champion Germany and Banchero scored 9.3 a game while shooting 57.5 per cent from the field for a U.S.A. roster littered with NBA talent.
Should they take what they learned in the offseason and find ways to grow their game in the NBA, the Magic, led by this incredibly talented duo, could be a dark horse team to make the playoffs in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers
Question: Is the James Harden situation too far gone, and if so, will Daryl Morey bend to his demands?
Can the Philadelphia 76ers have one normal offseason? The James Harden situation in Philly is an abject disaster.
Trade talks don’t seem to be going anywhere and Morey is unwilling to part with Harden for any package that won’t let the 76ers contend while Joel Embiid is locked up and in his prime. Without the superstar guard, this team likely doesn’t have what it takes to scrap with the heavyweights in the East, and chances are that no trade involving Harden will net a return that could supplant the value he brought to the team last year.
The top teams in the East got better while the 76ers are set to be markedly worse should Harden truly be intent on leaving the City of Brotherly Love.
Toronto Raptors
Question: How will Darko Rajakovic deploy old pieces in a new scheme?
The Toronto Raptors, particularly on offence, looked stale under former head coach Nick Nurse. Their style of play was deemed selfish by the team itself and the scheme left little to the imagination without much off-ball movement or spacing.
Under new coach Darko Rajakovic, there’s been an added focus throughout preseason on implementing new ways to run the offence in the half-court through guys like Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes. The notion behind adding Poeltl as a key cog on offence isn’t to turn him into someone like Nikola Jokic, it’s to simply add a few new plays to a scheme that was in dire need of innovation. With Scottie meanwhile, the third-year player has enjoyed a stellar preseason, hitting 50 per cent of his threes while scoring 18.5 and dishing out three assists a game.
Should Rajakovic be able to deploy these pieces that became obsolete or stale in last year’s offence in a new scheme that lets them shine or at least do something different, the Raptors could be much more interesting this season than originally predicted.
Washington Wizards
Question: What will Jordan Poole look like as a No. 1 option?
The Washington Wizards likely won’t be good, but they could be really, really fun. After finally blowing it up by trading Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, then flipping Chris Paul to the Warriors, they finally look like a team poised to be picking somewhere in the high lottery.
On a team devoid of scorers past Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, the former sixth man of the year could put up some ridiculous scoring numbers in the capital. In the team’s third game of the preseason, Poole dropped an absurd 41 points in 27 minutes and took the type of shots that made Steph Curry throw his mouth guard and get ejected last season.
This will be Poole’s first chance at having his own team and being the No. 1 option. Could it be successful? The jury is still out on that. But could it be fun? Absolutely.
