{"id":100582,"date":"2022-10-18T11:40:13","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T11:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/east-preview-and-predictions-for-every-team\/"},"modified":"2022-10-18T11:40:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T11:40:13","slug":"east-preview-and-predictions-for-every-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/east-preview-and-predictions-for-every-team\/","title":{"rendered":"East preview and predictions for every team"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>The NBA is back!  And in anticipation of Tuesday&#8217;s tip-off, I&#8217;m previewing the Eastern and Western Conferences.  First up, the East.  I&#8217;ll break down their projected win total (courtesy of BetMGM), projected record and finish within the division.  And, of course, some fantasy predictions ahead of the Opening Night.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Atlantic Division:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"caas-list\">\n<li>\n<p>Philadelphia 76ers \u2014 53-29 (Projected win total: 50.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Boston Celtics \u2014 51-31 (Projected win total: 54.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Brooklyn Nets \u2014 47-35 (Projected win total: 50.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Toronto Raptors \u2014 45-37 (Projected win total: 46.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>New York Knicks \u2014 41-41(Projected win total: 38.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Comments\/fantasy predictions:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Atlantic Division is one of the most competitive divisions in the East and the NBA at large.  Out of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference, only four teams have projected win totals over 50 games.  The Atlantic Division contains three of the four teams (Celtics, Sixers, Nets).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sixers:<\/strong> The Sixers may not be the best team on paper, but Daryl Morey did an exceptional job bolstering the Sixers&#8217; depth in the offseason.  They were a 51-win team a year ago, and with <strong>James Harden<\/strong> healthy and rising star <strong>Tyrese Maxey<\/strong>, the Sixers have the best value at +275 to win the division.  My love for Maxey is well-documented and <strong>Joel Embiid<\/strong> should be in for another MVP-like campaign.  I think <strong>Tobias Harris<\/strong> will disappoint fantasy managers in head-to-head leagues but will continue to be useful in rotisserie formats this season.  Success for the Sixers hinges on Harden&#8217;s health, Embiid&#8217;s decision-making and his willingness to cede usage and touches to Maxey.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div style=\"\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader noheight\"><noscript><img alt=\"Tyrese Maxey is ready for a monster fantasy basketball season.  (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu\/Getty Images)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/bJ.ykDGtGR51Pl1BVTIhkg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2022-10\/0332e280-4e75-11ed-9fbd-a7f4af1bcf5e\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Tyrese Maxey is ready for a monster fantasy basketball season.  (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Celtics:<\/strong> The Celtics also made a splash in the offseason by acquiring PG <strong>Malcolm Brogdon<\/strong>but the absence of <strong>Robert Williams<\/strong> and Ime Udoka will likely cost them some regular-season wins.  But I can&#8217;t discount the Celtics too much, as I anticipate they&#8217;ll be top-10 in offensive and defensive rating again this season.  We know Boston&#8217;s mainstays will be productive for fantasy managers \u2014 <strong>Jason Tatum<\/strong>, <strong>Jaylen Brown<\/strong>, <strong>Marcus Smart<\/strong> and <strong>Al Horford<\/strong>.  But players like <strong>Derrick White<\/strong> <strong>and Grant Williams<\/strong> are late-round picks that should also remain fantasy relevant this season.<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"link caas-button collapse-button\" aria-label=\"\" title=\"\" data-ylk=\"elm:readmore;slk:Story continues\">Story continues<\/button><\/p>\n<p><strong>nets:<\/strong> The Nets are arguably the best team on paper, but organizationally, they&#8217;re competing with the Phoenix Suns on the &#8220;hot mess&#8221; list of NBA franchises.  By all accounts, <strong>Kevin Durant<\/strong> and <strong>Kyrie Irving<\/strong> are committed to winning in Brooklyn (for now) and <strong>Ben Simmons<\/strong> being back is a significant boost for a team that sorely lacked a defensive identity.  I try to remain optimistic, but I can&#8217;t trust a squad whose most important players are unreliable.  Kyrie will inevitably miss games for something and Durant&#8217;s battled injuries over the past two seasons.  But if they can weather the storm, they&#8217;ll be far more dangerous than last year&#8217;s team that was swept in a first-round playoff exit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joe Harris<\/strong>, <strong>Seth Curry<\/strong> and <strong>T. J. Warren<\/strong> are out to start the season, so microwave bucket-getter <strong>Glass Thomas<\/strong> should be a nice source of points and threes early on.  Center Nic Claxton will provide bench depth for fantasy managers looking for blocks, steals, and a high FG percentage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[<\/strong><strong>Try Yahoo Fantasy Plus for free to get premium basketball tools<\/strong><strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Raptors<\/strong>: Nick Nurse plays his starters a ridiculous amount of minutes, so if you picked up <strong>Pascal Siakam<\/strong>, <strong>Fred VanVleet<\/strong>, <strong>MV Anunoby<\/strong>, <strong>Gary Trent Jr. <\/strong>and <strong>Scottie Barnes<\/strong>, congratulations.  The Raptors have enough talent to make the playoffs, but 46.5 wins are too rich for a team that plays their starters such heavy minutes in an 82-game season.  Injuries are bound to happen and their bench depth is not enticing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>knicks<\/strong>: The Knicks finished 37-45 last year.  Assuming they&#8217;ll go under because &#8220;hey, it&#8217;s the Knicks&#8221; is probably a reasonable argument \u2014 they have the lowest winning percentage of any NBA franchise since 2000.<strong> <\/strong>However, I think the market is too low on the Knicks this time.  I&#8217;m not expecting an epic turnaround, but to have their win total lower than last season is going to be a mistake. <strong>Jane Brunson<\/strong> is an underrated signing, and his leadership and winning pedigree is why I&#8217;m higher on the Knicks.  He&#8217;s one of three players I&#8217;ve bet (at +2500) to win Most Improved Player this season (along with Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey).  All-in-all, I think the Knicks did well re-signing <strong>Mitchell Robinson<\/strong> and bring in<strong> Isaiah Hartenstein<\/strong>.  They have young pieces like <strong>Immanuel Quickley <\/strong>and <strong>Obi Toppin<\/strong>, who&#8217;ve flashed when given an opportunity.  I expect we&#8217;ll see less of Julius Randle being the primary ball-handler and <strong>RJ Barrett<\/strong> emerging as &#8220;the guy&#8221; offensively.  Insert Brunson into that equation, and I see a middle-of-the-road team that can be .500 this season.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Central Division:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"caas-list\">\n<li>\n<p>Milwaukee Bucks \u2014 52-30 (Projected win total: 53.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Cleveland Cavaliers \u2014 49-33 (Projected win total: 46.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Chicago Bulls \u2014 42-40 (Projected win total: 41.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Detroit Pistons \u2014 33-49 (Projected win total: 29.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Indiana Pacers \u2014 25-57 (Projected win total: 24.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Bucks<\/strong>: Milwaukee churns out wins.  Coming off 51 wins a year ago, 50 wins is a safe floor for the 2021 NBA champions.  The roster is built for consistency, but nothing is pushing me over the edge to eclipse 53.5 wins, so I&#8217;ll be taking the under.  It doesn&#8217;t help that they&#8217;ll be without <strong>Chris Middleton<\/strong> to start the season, as he&#8217;s still recovering from offseason wrist surgery.<\/p>\n<p>outside of <strong>Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/strong>, <strong>Jrue Holiday<\/strong>Middleton, and <strong>Bobby Portis<\/strong>I&#8217;m not eager to invest in Bucks players. <strong>Grayson Allen<\/strong> and <strong>Brook Lopez <\/strong>will be streaming options in 10-12 team leagues, but everyone else is likely a temporary streaming option.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cavs<\/strong>: Cleveland might actually rock again after trading for All-Star G <strong>Donovan Mitchell<\/strong>.  I love this team from a fantasy and betting perspective because they&#8217;re going to play with pace and be able to lock in defensively. <strong>Carl LeVert<\/strong> is an underrated defender who is slated to start at SF, joining an already stellar frontcourt consisting of <strong>Evan Mobley <\/strong>and <strong>Jarrett Allen<\/strong>.  I&#8217;m taking the over on 46.5 wins and believe four of their five starters (<strong>Darius Garland<\/strong>Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen) will be top-50 in per-game fantasy value this season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bulls: DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic<\/strong> are a solid trio offensively, but defensively, woof.  Per Cleaning the Glass, the Bulls projected starting lineup of <strong>Ayo Dosumu<\/strong>LaVine, DeRozan, <strong>Patrick Williams<\/strong>, and Vucevic allowed 142.2 points per possession to opposing teams in 65 possessions together last season.  It&#8217;s a small sample size and it&#8217;s going to be very hard to be <em>that<\/em> bad for an entire season.  This team didn&#8217;t do anything in the offseason to improve their chances in a challenging division.  I&#8217;m staying away from betting their win total, but my lean is over.<\/p>\n<p>Fantasy-wise, Williams has looked good in the preseason \u2014 though he&#8217;s admitted to being passive anytime he&#8217;s on the floor with DeRozan and LaVine.  Still, he does the dirty work defensively and should shoot a high percentage from the floor in his third NBA season. <strong>Alex Caruso<\/strong> is also a steals specialist that should be rostered in all leagues while <strong>Lonzo Ball <\/strong>is out of commission.  Oh, and apparently, <strong>Andr\u00e9 Drummond<\/strong> shoot threes now?  What a time.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>[<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Still time to get in on the fun this fantasy hoops season: Create or join a league now!<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>pistons<\/strong>: It&#8217;s a new day in the Motor City, and Pistons head coach Dwayne Casey has some fun young hoopers at his disposal. <strong>Cade Cunningham<\/strong> is on breakout watch in only his second NBA season, and the Pistons surrounded him with players who can shoot and make plays around the rim.  While I like their chances of getting to 30 wins, this is still a rebuilding franchise.  I&#8217;m expecting big things from <strong>Mr. Saadiq<\/strong> this season, and I think he&#8217;ll outperform his current eighth-round ADP.<\/p>\n<p><strong>pacers<\/strong>: Rick Carlisle has only had five losing seasons entering his 21st season as an NBA head coach.  Sorry, Rick, you&#8217;re about to have your sixth.  The Pacers&#8217; roster consists of an exciting mix of young players and veterans, but they haven&#8217;t been shy about wanting to move <strong>Buddy Hield<\/strong> or <strong>Myles Turner.<\/strong> We&#8217;ll see if or when it happens, but as a guy with many shares of <strong>Tyrese Haliburton<\/strong>, <strong>Jane Smith<\/strong>and <strong>Bennedict Mathurin<\/strong>, I&#8217;d love to see a trade happen sooner than later.  This team will put in valiant efforts on most nights, but I don&#8217;t want to bet on their win total.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Southeast Division:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"caas-list\">\n<li>\n<p>Miami Heat \u2014 49-33 (Projected win total: 49.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Atlanta Hawks \u2014 43-39 (Projected win total: 46.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Washington Wizards \u2014 36-46 (Projected win total: 35.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Orlando Magic \u2014 30-52 (Projected win total: 26.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Charlotte Hornets \u2014 26-56 (Projected win total: 34.5)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>heat<\/strong>: The Heat didn&#8217;t do much to improve their roster from a season ago, but lucky for them, none of the teams in their division pose a legitimate threat to their reign.  The loss of <strong>PJ Tucker <\/strong>leaves a void in their frontcourt that I don&#8217;t know if <strong>Caleb Martin <\/strong>can withstand for an entire season, but this team has proven veterans who know how to win. <strong>Kyle Lowry&#8217;s <\/strong>situation is still a bit murky but having <strong>Tyler Herro<\/strong>, <strong>Gabe Vincent<\/strong>and <strong>Victor Oladipo<\/strong> as backups will keep them afloat.  Rather than betting their win total, I&#8217;d elect to lay the juice at -155 for them to win the division. <strong>Omer Yurtseven<\/strong> is on my watch list in 12-14 team formats because he&#8217;s a per-minute beast and a double-double threat anytime he gets minutes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hawks<\/strong>: I have more questions than answers, so for now, I&#8217;ll keep it to betting the under on the Hawks&#8217; win total of 46.5.  I need to see more from the dynamic duo of <strong>Trae Young<\/strong> and <strong>Dejounte Murray<\/strong> before I put my faith in the Hawks.  Plus, it doesn&#8217;t help when <strong>Clint Capela <\/strong>and <strong>John Collins<\/strong> are consistently swirling in trade rumors.<\/p>\n<p>Young, Murray and Collins are all poised to have solid fantasy seasons, but I like <strong>De&#8217;Andre Hunter<\/strong> as a late-round target.  His ADP is 147, and in a contract year, he&#8217;ll have a lot to prove.  I&#8217;m projecting him to be more of a fantasy asset outside of scoring in his fourth NBA season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wizards:<\/strong> <strong>Bradley Beal<\/strong> is healthy, and the Wizards brought in <strong>Monte Morris<\/strong> and <strong>Will Barton <\/strong>from the Denver Nuggets this offseason.  On paper, this team is much better, and if <strong>Kristaps Porzingis<\/strong> can stay healthy (a big if), this team should outperform the market.  I lean the over on the Wizards&#8217; win total at 35.5, as I think Beal is tired of losing and has a competent team of professionals surrounding him.<\/p>\n<p>Morris is in line to have his best statistical season as the new starting point guard for the Wizards.  He&#8217;s efficient, has a low turnover rate, and will average five assists in his first season in Washington.  Daniel Gafford is your guy if you need a cheap source of blocks on waivers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>magic<\/strong>: A team I never thought I would be excited about has me extra hyped heading into the regular season.  There&#8217;s so much fantasy appeal with this roster between <strong>Paolo Banchero<\/strong>, <strong>Franz Wagner <\/strong>and <strong>Wendell Carter Jr.<\/strong>.  even <strong>Cole Anthony <\/strong>is a guy I&#8217;ve been targeting late in drafts with the injuries to <strong>Jalen Suggs<\/strong> and <strong>Markelle Fultz<\/strong>.  Anthony will probably fizzle out once Suggs returns, but the trio mentioned above of Banchero, Wagner and Carter are foundational pieces that will make a splash in fantasy this season.  I like the over on their win total.<\/p>\n<p><strong>hornets<\/strong>: The buzz is wearing off in Charlotte.  between <strong>Miles Bridges <\/strong>facing<strong> <\/strong>serious charges and <strong>LaMelo Ball&#8217;s<\/strong> ankle sprain, I&#8217;m off the Hornets. <strong>Terry Rozier<\/strong> is one of my sleepers mainly because he consistently gives you third-round value despite going two rounds later in drafts.  I don&#8217;t have many shares of <strong>Gordon Hayward<\/strong> or <strong>Kelly Oubre<\/strong>thigh <strong>P.J. Washington<\/strong> should have a breakout campaign, as he&#8217;s likely stepping into over 30 minutes of playing time each night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA is back! And in anticipation of Tuesday&#8217;s tip-off, I&#8217;m previewing the Eastern and Western Conferences. First up, the East. I&#8217;ll break down their projected win total (courtesy of BetMGM), projected record and finish within the division. And, of course, some fantasy predictions ahead of the Opening Night. Atlantic Division: Philadelphia 76ers \u2014 53-29 &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/east-preview-and-predictions-for-every-team\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">East preview and predictions for every team<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":106921,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/fantasy-basketball-tips-and-nba-betting-picks-for-monday\/","url_meta":{"origin":100582,"position":0},"title":"Fantasy basketball tips and NBA betting picks for Monday","date":"October 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. 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Jon Rahm, the No. 3 ranked player, is the 11-1\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/hSnwZSWgksDo5v1zbFDFdg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD04MDA-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2022-10\/b3b61c30-4e75-11ed-b8fd-b00f2f162a0d","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100582"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100582\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}