30. Portland Trail Blazers - Man this team is devoid of any talent, they have some decent role players but even with not tanking on purpose this season, it is hard to see them not escape the bottom 5. This team has their work cut out for them over the next couple years. All of this because they traded a future first for Dennis Schroeder smh.
29. Orlando Magic - Raise the white flag for FLAGG, this is the motto for the Magic who are still in search of a franchise player and they will hope to make that happen this season.
28. Toronto Raptors - This team is not terrible but still their best player is JJJ who is more of a 3rd option on a playoff team instead of the main one. I expect them to tank again and try to get Flagg, if not expect to see JJJ on the block next offseason if they can not make any progress.
27. Los Angeles Clippers - Mega has now actually put together an all star cast of role players who might be able to snatch some games off people. They will still not be very good but props to Mega for realizing it is worth it to put together some semblance of a team, this will be a big year for Coby White.
26. Charlotte Hornets - Paolo raises this teams floor, but it is hard to trust a team of virtually all rookies. IF things break the right way they could win a decent number of games. Franz also needs to take another step which could affect this squad.
25. Miami Heat - This team just kinda is very meh. They squandered the Allen trade badly and now seem to not really have a plan going forward. If Hendricks and Murray develop they could have a really good wing pairing but the floor of this team won't be terrible cause Herro looks to be taking another step.
24. Washington Wizards - Harden raises the floor of this team enough to take them out of the bottom five. Credit to Nelson and Av for taking on this shitshow of a roster. They will be in the gutter for a couple years but the light could be there in a couple years if they draft well.
23. Los Angeles Lakers - Lakers have a very meh roster and they did not get better but I expect them to try to compete again without their pick. Not much more to say about this roster other than they are not the brightest for not trading for Trae Young when they had all the Atlanta picks and he was OTB. Hindsight is 20/20 though.
22. Atlanta Hawks - The Bam/DJM/Cade trio will have a full year together now but it is hard to think they will magically be a ton better. We could see a blow up of this roster if this trends in the wrong direction. I do not have confidence they can figure it out, but who knows.
21. Sacramento Kings - T1G coaching should explain this, they do not have their pick and will work hard to be competitive.
20. Houston Rockets - As per the last one, no pick and Kamal coaching will get them to middle of the pack!
19. Dallas Mavericks - This roster kinda sucks, Lamelo and Sabonis in addition to RJ Barrett will be floor raisers but with the west getting more competitive, I do not see them making the playoffs.
18. Denver Nuggets - Denver added *checks roster* Steven Adams? This team is gonna trot out the same core that could not help Jokic make the playin last year. Tough to see how they improve but if they do it will be at the hands of a Jokic MVP season.
17. Philadelphia 76ers - Roster is pretty well rounded and their success will depend on how well everyone develops. They are still looking for their star and I dont know if he is on the roster. Interested to see how KAT helps them out in a full season of play.
16. Golden State Warriors - This roster is supppppppper thin and one injury will derail them. Curry will keep them in the playoff hunt no matter what. Scottie and OG allow for the defense to be decent enough. The problem is after that it is rough. If Cason Wallace makes a big jump irl he might be able to start and that would help them a ton.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves - No Comment, we are building this the right way.
14. Detroit Pistons - Pistons have Ant and Trae, that should allow them to make playoffs. Problem is they are trusting some young guys to develop to allow them to make the next step. Randle having a good season would help a ton too, but right now the roster just fits really weird.
13. Indiana Pacers - Pacers did not get any better and I think for the first time Kid might have trouble having a good regular season. Regardless they are still the same Pacers, if they make playoffs expect for everyone to be salivating at the chance to play them. It has been 4 years and they still do not have a defensive wing.
12. Boston Celtics - Celts picked up some depth in FA but problem still remains they have no real PG and also little to no depth. This will make the regular season tough, but anything can happen with 2 top ten players. This is a super important season for them cause if they underperform expect to see Jayson Tatum test his options in FA.
11. Milwaukee Bucks - Bucks are still reeling from the awful decision to make Oladipo their starting PG 3 years ago. Mike Conley was a big help last year but he is gone now and they bring in Miles Bridges to help their starting lineup. I have no clue how this team will fare, but I am interested to see, some tough calls will need to be made in MIL if this team sucks this year.
10. New Orleans Pelicans - Offensive firepower for days with little to no defense is the name of this Pels team. They also have no depth so this will be an interesting experiment, I think they will largely outshoot teams which will allow them to hover around the 4-7 seed range.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder - Thunder fumbled the Dame FA and that will hurt them. Still no depth but SGA is a top 3 player and will drag them to a top 5 seed. If Desmond Bane takes another step they will be a lot more formidable.
8. Memphis Grizzlies - I really like this roster and expect for them to finally break out if they can get their coaching settings right. Sengun and Siakam should be able to put up career numbers if Ja is back to form.
7. Utah Jazz - Roster did not get worse or better which is cause for concern when other teams in the west did. I expect them to still be at the top of the west but the clock is ticking on Jimmy and that will be a problem over the next couple seasons.
6. Chicago Bulls - After the Jamal Murray trade the Bulls finally have a co-star for Wemby and that makes them a legit threat. They are one defensive wing from having everything they need, but I still think this team is positioned to shock the world and make a deep playoff run.
5. Brooklyn Nets - New year same old nets, they refuse to be aggressive and go get a legit PG to help Zion and KD. It seems ownership is content at getting to semis and losing to CLE. For the sake of their two stars, I pray they do something at the deadline.
4. New York Knicks - The acquisition of Dort is my most underrated move of the offseason. The Knicks lacked a real elite defender on the wing and now Dort can do that. Knicks might have a piss poor regular season like usual but this team could challenge CLE now. They desperately need LaVine to regain form a bit and for Mobley to take another step. But at the end of the day the proof is in their last two years of playoff success.
3. San Antonio Spurs - We still dont know who the Spurs are in the playoffs due to the Doncic injury. I can’t say whether this team can challenge the suns or not because we still don’t know. For this same reason I assume they decided to stay pat and keep the roster together. Another year of Chet development should boost them as well.
2. Phoenix Suns - Suns kept the core together and will look for revenge on the Cavs this year, not much to say about the former champs.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - The reigning champs will look to repeat and will count on LBJ staying to form for another year as they prepare for a slightly tougher east. I expect them to meet the Suns again in the finals but the Spurs have a real chance with a healthy roster to unseat the two time WCF champs, so we will see where the cookie crumbles.
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