2019-2020 NBA Eastern Conference Season Rosters and Predictions

[Ramcus]

We are starting with the Eastern Conference, I got burnt out mid way through so I'll do the Western Conference another time. Probably tomorrow.

Eastern Conference:
1. Philadelphia 76ers: 59-23
PG: Ben Simmons
SG: Josh Richardson
SF: Tobias Harris
PF: Al Horford
C: Joel Embiid
6th Man: Mike Scott(?)
Between the Bucks, Celtics, and 76ers, it's a tight race for the #1 seed in the east. But with the best possible starting lineup in the East, I believe the 76ers will come out on top with a just-below 60 win season. I can see them taking a while to get used to playing with each other, especially with the new additions of Al Horford and J-Rich.

2. Milwaukee Bucks: 56-26
PG: Eric Bledsoe
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez
6th Man: George Hill
It's an incredibly tough race for the #1 seed in the east, but I have the Bucks coming in a close 2nd. Honestly, they didn't do much to get better this offseason, but they didn't have to do much. They had 2 All-Star attendees in Middleton and MVP Antetokounmpo, and I only expect Antetokounmpo to add to his offensive arsenal, stretching out the field more. Bledsoe is who he is, and so is Matthews. I'd say the biggest addition is Dragan Bender, maybe he finally figures it all out and earns himself a solid rotation spot. If not, they moved pretty laterally, and I can't see them making as much noise as they did last season. Teams will be able to gameplan for them better, everyone saw how the Raptors were able to scheme around Antetokounmpo. If you didn't go see this video, from Ben Taylor of Thinking Basketball

3. Boston Celtics: 55-27
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Gordon Hayward
C: Enes Kanter
6th Man: Jaylen Brown
Another team that moved laterally this offseason, I have the Celtics just missing out on the 2nd seed. Kemba is a perfect fit for Coach Brad Stevens' system, and it'll do Kemba wonders to not be in charge of the offense all the god damn time. We are all expecting Hayward to make that second season post-injury jump, and I'm excited to see him play as well as he did in his Jazz days. Jayson Tatum is due for a jump in offensive load anytime now, we all know he can lead an offensive if given the keys. Jaylen Brown is their biggest question, will they trade Brown or let him walk in free agency. Many teams would offer a boatload for Brown, who could use the bigger role. Salary wise, the Celtics would be wise to trade Brown, they don't want to screw themselves in cap for Walker, Hayward, and Tatum as well.

4. Toronto Raptors: 50-32
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Norman Powell(?)
SF: OG Anunoby
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Marc Gasol
6th Man: Fred VanVleet
I have the Raptors going 4th, just passing the 50 wins mark. They won the championship, but their main piece in Kawhi Leonard decided to leave after one extremely successful season. Many people forget that they were 17-5 without Kawhi last season. That's a solid sample size, and I can see Siakam and Anunoby making a big jump with the bigger offensive load. Chris Boucher, the D League MVP and DPOY, is also expecting a larger role in the main Raptors squad. This team has a lot going for them, in spite of the large absence that Leonard leaves.

5. Brooklyn Nets: 48-34
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Joe Harris
SF: Carris LeVert
PF: Rodions Kurucs(?)(He's been arrested, I'm not sure who can fill this spot. Wilson Chandler? Taurean Prince?)
C: Jarrett Allen
6th Man: Spencer Dinwiddie
With the massive offseason additions of Irving and Durant, the Nets skyrocket from 6-8th seed to a top 5 seed for me. Of course, it would be different if Durant were healthy this season, but they do have 6MOTY candidate Dinwiddie. They also added rim running big man DeAndre Jordan. Without Durant, this team is fairly thin. They have Irving, LeVert, Allen, and... that's it. Everyone else is a role player at best, Allen being the worst out of the 3. They have a large mountain to climb, the top of the East is deadly now.

6. Orlando Magics: 45-37
PG: D.J. Augustin
SG: Evan Fournier
SF: Jonathan Issac
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Vucevic
6th Man: Mohamed Bamba
I have the Magic doing better then last season, but not much better. The middle of the pack East teams are kind of muddy, just like the Hornets current situation(more on that later). The Magic just got into the playoffs, but they have young guns in Issac, Gordon, Bamba, Iwundu, Birch, and Fultz all expecting a jump in production next season. Specifically, Issac is a 7'0 Small Forward with a handle, jumpshot, and a future DPOY candidate.

7. Detroit Pistons: 44-38
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Luke Kennard
SF: Tony Snell
PF: Blake Griffin
C: Andre Drummond
6th Man: Derrick Rose
Talent wise, this team is better then the Magic, for sure. But a good amount of this team has major injury issues. Griffin, Jackson, Rose are all players expected to play heavy minutes for them, and all 3 of them have had previous, well recorded issues with injury. This team also moved fairly laterally this season, with the new additions of Morris and Rose, I can't see this team doing much better, outside from within. Kennard and Maker need to make a jump for my prediction to be wrong. Recent draftee Sekou Doumbouya should not expect heavy minutes this season, as the Pistons front office are more invested in making money short term, then creating a championship contender long term.

8. Miami Heat: 42-40
PG: Goran Dragic
SG: Dion Waiters(?)
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Kelly Olynyk
C: Bam Adebayo
6th Man: Justise Winslow(?)
With the offseason addition of Butler, the Heat once again make the playoffs, just barely though. In fact, they barely missed the playoffs, with Dragic missing most of last season. I'm excited to see Derrick "Sky Piercer" Jones Jr. do some impressive dunks, and I'm excited to watch the Dragic+Adebayo P&R, but there's honestly not much to be happy about in Miami. They definitely got better, but it's just not enough to contend seriously. The biggest story for the Heat this season will most likely be Udonis Haslem's retirement.

9. Indiana Pacers: 39-43
PG: Malcolm Brogdon
SG: Jeremy Lamb
SF: T.J. Warren
PF: Domantas Sabonis
C: Myles Turner
6th Man: Aaron Holiday(?)
There are a lot of questions surrounding the Indiana Pacers this season. Especially with Oladipo having currently no timetable for his return, there is not enough talent on this team to make a serious push for the playoffs. Recent entree of the 50/40/90 club Brogdon is not the most elite play maker, and Lamb+Warren have been known as empty stats for their entire career, albeit in losing situations. Sabonis and Turner have been specifically taught how to play separately from each other, majority of the time never seeing the floor at the same time. Their biggest offseason additions were the drafting of Goga Bitadze and signing T.J McConnell and Brogdon. Honestly, this team doesn't have enough talent without Oladipo.

10. Atlanta Hawks: 35-47
PG: Trae Young
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: De'Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Alex Len
6th Man: Jabari Parker
Although I'm not expecting a massive jump in wins, I can see the team increasing overall production. This team is still extremely young, and superbly talented. The duo of Young and Collins will shine over the next couple years, and the development of Huerter, Hunter, Reddish, and Bembry will only add to this team. Add along to this team, the drafgint of Bruno Fernando, and we're looking at a playoff hopeful as soon as next year.

11. Chicago Bulls: 33-49
PG: Kris Dunn
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: Otto Porter Jr.
PF: Lauri Markkanen
C: Wendell Carter Jr.
6th Man: Thaddeus Young
I'm predicting an 11 game jump for the Chicago Bulls. They didn't add much in the offseason, but with the signing of Satoransky and the drafting of White and Gafford, I'm expecting a healthy jump in production from this young squad. After the Otto Porter Jr. trade, this team skyrocketed in production, and I expect them to do the same still.

12. Washington Wizards: 30-52
PG: Ish Smith
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: CJ Miles
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Thomas Bryant
6th Man: Davis Bertans
I'm really interested in watching the Wizards this year, in spite of their sudden downfall. Due to star point guard John Wall's terrible Achilles injury, they tanked hard, Beal showed he could lead a team, and they obtained the 10th overall pick, drafting Rui Hachimura from Gonzaga. The development of Hachimura, Bryant, and Bertans intrigues me a lot. I'm looking at the bright spots of this team, they're going to be terrible. The best option at point guard for the first 2 months will be journeyman Ish Smith.

13. New York Knicks: 29-53
PG: Dennis Smith Jr.
SG: RJ Barrett
SF: Marcus Morris
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
6th Man: Kevin Knox(?)
Ah, my favourite team. Drafting RJ Barrett, signing Julius Randle, and having a 2nd and 3rd rotation also deserving minutes, I'm not even sure who will be happy. Everybody on this team deserves minutes. From bottom feeder Ntilikina, all the way to Randle, they all deserve some type of minutes. I predict that my Knicks team will suffer because of that, nobody will get any consistent minutes outside of the starting 5.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers: 25-57
PG: Collin Sexton
SG: Darius Garland
SF: Cedi Osman
PF: Kevin Love
C: Tristan Thompson
6th Man: Jordan Clarkson
I'm predicting a better season for the Cavaliers, I mean they can't do as bad as last season, can they? The combo of Sexton+Garland will be an intriguing paring to watch this season, and Cedi "Korver+James" Osman is always fun to watch. I'll be looking for growth from those 3, and I'm also partially expecting Love to be traded. But I can just as much see Love retiring a Cavalier.

[KW]

I have the pacers at #4 or so. I think they improved substantially and hopefully Dipo is able to play at least half the season.

[Dennis]

I don't care about the nba at all lol

[Stockton12]

Love the work you put into this ..I’m hoping Milwaukee is tops ..can’t wait for your west

[Andrewu91]

I feel like Philly regressed and same with Boston. So the Bucks are still #1 in my eyes. The Raptors I see barely sneaking or missing the playoffs. Depends on the play of Siakam. Hawks will have a great year i feel and think Trae Young will explode. With that said..

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Boston
4. Pacers
5. Hawks
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic or Raptors

[KW]

I feel like Philly regressed and same with Boston. So the Bucks are still #1 in my eyes. The Raptors I see barely sneaking or missing the playoffs. Depends on the play of Siakam. Hawks will have a great year i feel and think Trae Young will explode. With that said..

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Boston
4. Pacers
5. Hawks
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic or Raptors

I think Milwaukee regressed more than Philly. The Sixers have actually had an off-season to gel, I believe Richardson is a better fit for the team than Butler, and Horford is an absolutely massive pickup, and doubles as Embiid insurance. He makes them less vulnerable if Embiid is banged up. The Sixers are my pick to come out of the East.

Milwaukee losing Brogdon and Mitotic might hurt them more than we realize.

I don't see any way Atlanta makes it that high. Detroit should be in the mix but it all falls apart if Blake gets hurt.

[Marcos_Beck]

I just hope Chicago puts together a solid season and try to reach #8.
If Zach, Lauri and Carter Jr continue to work on their game we should have a great foundation for the future, indeed.

But making postseason now would be really awesome.

[Silogical]

I feel like Philly regressed and same with Boston. So the Bucks are still #1 in my eyes. The Raptors I see barely sneaking or missing the playoffs. Depends on the play of Siakam. Hawks will have a great year i feel and think Trae Young will explode. With that said..

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Boston
4. Pacers
5. Hawks
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic or Raptors

We should make a little wager where the raptors finish. You are so wrong.

[blackice]

[*]

[blackice]

I feel like Philly regressed and same with Boston. So the Bucks are still #1 in my eyes. The Raptors I see barely sneaking or missing the playoffs. Depends on the play of Siakam. Hawks will have a great year i feel and think Trae Young will explode. With that said..

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Boston
4. Pacers
5. Hawks
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic or Raptors

We should make a little wager where the raptors finish. You are so wrong.

Raptors should be a top 4 seed, I have the Bucks/Sixers clearly ahead of us and we should be competing with the Pacers and Celtics for positioning. We lost a ton with the departure of Kawhi (obviously) but Danny Green was super underrated for us last year and our perimeter depth is a bit lacking now. We'll see how things shake up, if Pascal Siakam can take that next step we should be ok. Gonna be a fun season though, really looking to see how far we can go. I really like the Pacers and the Nets have the most variance in regards to where they finish.

[Andrewu91]

I feel like Philly regressed and same with Boston. So the Bucks are still #1 in my eyes. The Raptors I see barely sneaking or missing the playoffs. Depends on the play of Siakam. Hawks will have a great year i feel and think Trae Young will explode. With that said..

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Boston
4. Pacers
5. Hawks
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic or Raptors

Got 7/8 right so far

[cb4raptorscb4]

I feel like Philly regressed and same with Boston. So the Bucks are still #1 in my eyes. The Raptors I see barely sneaking or missing the playoffs. Depends on the play of Siakam. Hawks will have a great year i feel and think Trae Young will explode. With that said..

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Boston
4. Pacers
5. Hawks
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic or Raptors

Got 7/8 right so far

Pretty good. The Hawks have sucked, but Collins' suspension right off the bat derailed their season. Obviously as a Raptors fan I figured they'd be in the top 5, but I must admit I'm damn impressed with their play considering Ibaka and Lowry were out for 10 games, and now Pascal, Gasol, and Norm are all out extended periods. They just keep battling.