As the start of the NBA regular season nears, the league’s teams are preparing themselves by participating in preseason games. From stars attempting to integrate with their new teams to fringe rotation players battling for a spot on the roster, each team has a different storyline beginning to unfold as the dawn of the season looms on the horizon. This is especially true in the Atlantic Division, where certain squads head into the season with big expectations, while others attempt to change the narrative around their struggles.

Boston Celtics

So far so good for the defending champs, as Boston has won four of their first five preseason contests, matching their pace of domination in last season’s NBA Finals. Two of those wins were absolute blowouts, and came against the Nuggets and 76ers, two other established contenders.  

While star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown excelled in both games, the real story of those wins comes from the play of their bench, namely the shooting of forward Sam Hauser and guard Payton Pritchard. If Hauser and Pritchard can continue to build on their roles from last season, the depth of this squad will be an absolute force to be reckoned with. While the team’s health has been quite solid in recent years, injuries have taken down many dynasties throughout the history of the NBA, and the play of the bench could be a key factor in determining whether the Celtics are good enough to run it back.

Other names to look out for include guard Lonnie Walker IV, guard JD Davison, and forward Drew Peterson, all of whom had solid performances in the team’s final two games against the Raptors. As a whole, this team is so absurdly talented that there really isn’t much to report, as they have looked ready for the regular season since the opening tip of their first preseason game. 

However, their first match of the regular season is a tough one, as they will host their division rival, the Knicks, next Tuesday. With a revamped roster including All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns and All-Defensive team forward Mikal Bridges, New York will be a tough first matchup for Boston, and should quickly highlight any (if there are any) potential weaknesses the team may have.

New York Knicks

Speaking of the Knicks, New York has had a quite successful preseason in their own right, winning each of their first four games. Three of these contests were won by one score however, highlighting the initial uncomfortability of this new roster as it attempts to iron out the kinks.

However, despite the close nature of these games, the Knicks have managed to win every time, including their most recent win over the Hornets, which was won exclusively by the team’s backups.Their new trade acquisitions of Towns and Bridges has produced decent results so far, as while neither has shot lights out or anything, they both have showcased the high floor that they bring to the starting lineup. Towns in particular has had a rough adjustment with his shooting, but despite this, was still willing to push through his struggles and has aided the offense through his rebounding, passing, and spacing.

Looking at the bench, forward Precious Achiuwa had a particularly strong game against the Hornets, scoring 20 points on 8-15 shooting with 16 rebounds and 3 assists. Achiuwa is primed for a major role increase this season after the departures of big men Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle, along with the injury to Mitchell Robinson.

Other standout bench performances include guards Tyler Kolek, Deuce McBride, and Cameron Payne, all of whom may have played their way into significant minutes come regular season. Overall, this preseason highlighted the elite potential of this squad, and they look to take this momentum into Boston Tuesday night for the start of the regular season.

Philadelphia 76ers

While the 76ers may not have had quite as successful a preseason as their contending division counterparts, the team still had a relatively strong showing, going 3-2 in their first five contests. This was without star center Joel Embiid, who sat out all five games due to precautionary reasons regarding his knee pain.  

Newly signed forward Paul George also dealt with his share of the injury bug, as he exited early from their win over the Hawks with a bone bruise. Before his injury, George had been playing quite well, which is at least a somewhat encouraging sign assuming he’s good to go for the start of the regular season.

Rookie guard Jared McCain also fell victim to the team’s unfortunate struggles with staying healthy, taking a nasty fall in their win over the Nets on Wednesday. While he did have some bruising in his lungs, he was fortunately able to avoid a serious injury, and was quickly released after a visit to the hospital. He too was playing extremely effectively before his fall, and reached or was close to double digit scoring in each of the games he played.

Other notable showings include newly signed forward Geurschon Yabusele and guard Ricky Council IV, both of whom showcased their scoring abilities. Yabusele specifically looked quite adept, building off of the momentum he acquired through his play in this year’s Olympics, where he displayed his defensive talent against the absolute juggernaut of the US Men’s National Team.

Overall, Philadelphia did show potential of becoming the contender that they were projected to be. However, this is very dependent on their ability to stay healthy, which so far has been a challenge for many of the team’s best players.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors split their first four games, playing two contests a piece against the Celtics and Wizards. Most notable of these games was their most recent win over Boston, where guard/forwards Scottie Barnes and Grady Dick both excelled. 

Dick in particular was a major factor in the team’s success, scoring 27 points on 12-21 shooting against the defending champs. His emergence could prove critical for Toronto, as their young core looks to build a foundation for the team’s future.

Barnes also played quite well, looking the part of the team’s star as he scored 26 points and was just a single rebound away from a triple double. His ascension to superstardom would drastically enhance the Raptors’ ceiling this season, and this game was a positive sign for things to come.

Two key absences from these games include guard Immanuel Quickly and guard/forward RJ Barrett, both of whom were acquired at last season’s trade deadline from the Knicks. Quickly is nearing a return from a thumb injury suffered before the start of training camp, and Barrett is sitting out the remainder of the preseason due to a right shoulder injury. The two of them will also be counted on to step up this season, and beginning the regular season hampered would not be the start the team was hoping for.

In regards to Toronto’s bench, forward Chris Boucher and rookie guard Jamal Shead stood out as impact performers. Boucher, who is the team’s last remaining member of their NBA Championship winning 2019 squad, could be in line for more playing time this season, as the team’s forward depth is a little shaky behind Barnes. Shead too looks like he may be the benefactory of this team’s projected lack of talent, as his success playing in college at the University of Houston has seemingly translated to the NBA so far.

Overall, this Raptors’ team has shown enough encouraging signs this preseason to at least provide some hope for the upcoming season, which is a positive given the high level of talent of their division rivals.

Brooklyn Nets

No matter how bad this team is projected to be for the upcoming season, they did manage to blow out the Wizards, which is a feat accomplished by just two of their division rivals. All kidding aside, the Nets did look quite solid in this game, as almost everyone who touched the floor played quite well. This included guard Cam Thomas, who scored 17 points on 7-13 shooting and is expected to lead the offense.

The other two games were far less promising, as they were dominated by the 76ers and handily defeated by the Clippers. Other than Thomas, no player really stood out on offense, although guard Shake Milton, forward Ziare Williams, and guards Tyrese and Jaylen Martin put up relatively efficient shooting numbers. Because of this, their ability to win games should be highly predicated on their ability to shoot well, which, given the dearth of talent on this squad, shouldn’t be expected on most nights.

One positive in Brooklyn is their potential to acquire assets at the trade deadline, as solid play from players such as Milton, guard Dennis Schroder, and forward Dorian Finney-Smith could pique the interest of many contending teams. This would allow the team to further build on their large cache of draft picks, which will be key in helping them escape the harsh cycle of rebuilding.

Overall, there are simply not enough reasons to expect very much out of the Nets this season, although there have certainly been worse teams that have finished ranked within the top ten of their conference.