As the start of the season rapidly approaches, NBA teams are meticulously preparing themselves for yet another competitive year. This is especially true for the Atlantic Division, and there are a few factors that can help give a rough estimate to these team’s projections. By evaluating their overall talent level, team chemistry, offseason adjustments, coaching, starting lineups and depth, a clear pattern can be seen in regards to which teams are projected to succeed, and which teams are not.

1. Boston Celtics

Overall Talent: 1

Team Chemistry: 2

Offseason Adjustments: 3

Coaching: 1

Starting Lineup: 1

Depth: 2

It’s always hard to pick against the previous season’s defending champions, and this year appears to be no different. The 2023-24 Boston Celtics found remarkable success in last season’s playoffs, losing only 3 total games en route to their first championship in 16 years. They were led by their starting lineup of guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, forwards Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and center Kristaps Porzingis. 

This, combined with the key depth pieces of Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet and new offseason acquisition Lonnie Walker IV make this season’s iteration appear just as formidable as the last. In fact, Tatum and Brown are beginning their eighth season playing together, and have won at least one playoff series in six of the previous seven seasons. 

Head Coach Joe Mazzulla may only have two seasons of head coaching experience, but those two seasons have brought Boston a combined 121 regular season victories, 27 playoff victories, and most importantly, one championship parade. While the Celtics may not have made quite as many big offseason splashes as some of the other teams in the division, it can easily be argued that they didn’t necessarily need to, given how their core of star players continues to succeed. 

Overall, this combination of coaching, star talent, and depth is a surefire recipe for success, and the path to the finals should again run through Boston.

2. New York Knicks

Overall Talent: 3

Team Chemistry: 1

Offseason Adjustments: 2

Coaching: 3

Starting Lineup: 3

Depth: 1

Were it not for a plethora of Knicks’ injuries, the Celtics’ run to the finals may not have been quite as dominant as it was. Most notable of these injuries was two time All-NBA forward Julius Randle, who missed the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder in late January. Randle, who has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason, should provide quite a boost to the team, either through his stellar play or with the value he could bring through an early season trade. 

While Randle is a very important piece for New York, an arguably bigger addition is guard/forward Mikal Bridges, who was brought in from Brooklyn in exchange for forward Bojan Bogdonavic and five first-round picks. Bridges, who is known for his defensive prowess, joins fellow defensive stalwart OG Anunoby on a team now built to attempt to stop Tatum and Brown. Bridges also provides some scoring prowess and playmaking abilities, which pair well next to star point guard Jalen Brunson. Brunson, who was fifth in last season’s MVP voting, notably won an NCAA basketball championship while on Villanova alongside both Bridges and current teammates Josh Hart and Donte Divincenzo. 

Center Mitchell Robinson is another important defensive piece, and has played next to Randle since the 2019-20 season. Alongside Hart and Divincenzo, other notable bench performers include guard Miles McBride, forward Precious Achiuwa, and new free agent signing Cameron Payne. 

Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has won 13 playoff games in the past two seasons, and has found success both for the Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, back when he coached there in the early 2010s. Overall, this combination of defensive intensity, integrated team chemistry, and some of the best depth in the NBA gives New York a favorable shot to make it quite far in this year’s playoffs.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

Overall Talent: 2

Team Chemistry: 3

Offseason Adjustments: 1

Coaching: 2

Starting Lineup: 2

Depth: 3

The Knicks aren’t the only team who dealt with poor health last season, as former MVP center Joel Embiid missed significant time due to a meniscus injury. This culminated in a first-round loss at the hands of New York, which the 76ers addressed this offseason through the free agent signing of nine-time all star forward Paul George. Philadelphia also signed former Miami Heat forward Cody Martin, veteran center Andre Drummond, former Denver Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson, veteran guard Eric Gordon and French National Team starter Guerschon Yabusele. They replace outgoing center Mo Bamba, forward Nicolas Batum, forward Tobias Harris, guard Buddy Hield, guard De’Anthony Melton, guard Cameron Payne and forward Paul Reed. 

While change is a key theme to the 76ers season, Embiid and all star point guard Tyrese Maxey enter their fifth season together, and the addition of George gives them the elusive third star they have been searching for over the past few seasons. Head Coach Nick Nurse won a championship six seasons ago with the Raptors, and his continuous success in the regular season gives Philadelphia quite a high floor. The addition of George also gives Nurse a star forward to utilize, which was a recipe for success in Toronto with George’s former teammate Kawhi Leonard. 

While both the Knicks and 76ers had the same overall score in preparing these rankings, the Knicks’ advantages in depth and team chemistry gave them a slight edge due to the reliability of the team. Overall, this combination of star talent, offseason improvements, and established coaching puts Philadelphia in just about as favorable a position as any other team in the Eastern Conference.

4. Toronto Raptors

Overall Talent: 4

Team Chemistry: 5

Offseason Adjustments: 4

Coaching: 4

Starting Lineup: 4

Depth: 4

While the Celtics, Knicks and 76ers all have championship aspirations, the Raptors’ expectations are significantly lower than their divisional counterparts. At last season’s trade deadline, Toronto traded all star forward Pascal Siakim to the Indiana Pacers and OG Anunoby to the Knicks, which signified the beginning of a rebuild. In exchange, they brought in former sixth man of the year candidate Immanuel Quickley, guard/forward RJ Barrett, guard/forward Bruce Brown and center Kelly Olynyk. 

These moves, alongside the additions of guard Davion Mitchell and four picks in the 2024 NBA draft, give the Raptors a relatively young supporting cast alongside burgeoning star guard Scottie Barnes. The offseason loss of guard Gary Trent Jr. will hurt Toronto’s scoring ability, however that can be made up with development from any of Barnes, Quickley or Barrett. Center Jakob Poeltl is a relative veteran on this team, joining during the 2022-23 trade deadline and giving the team relative size next to Olynyk. 

Outside of those aforementioned players, the Raptors’ depth also includes guard Gradey Dick, guard Ochai Agbaji, and forward Chris Boucher. Head Coach Darko Rajakovic enters his second season in Toronto after multiple years as an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies. While Rajakovic has limited experience and found little success last season, the relative youth of this team gives them a multitude of opportunities for development. 

Overall, the Raptors’ lack of talent, team chemistry and established coaching make it quite difficult to envision them competing regularly with the Eastern Conference’s elite, positioning this season as a period of youthful rebuilding, rather than one with serious competitive ambitions.

5. Brooklyn Nets

Overall Talent: 5

Team Chemistry: 4

Offseason Adjustments: 5

Coaching: 5

Starting Lineup: 5

Depth: 5

As dismissive as it is to say, the Nets’ last place position in these rankings is largely self-explanatory, as there simply isn’t very much going for them. After trading Bridges away to the Knicks, Brooklyn is left with very few established players on their roster. Leading the way is fourth year guard Cam Thomas, a player who should have plenty of chances to develop given the Nets’ lack of talent around him and his zealousness for shooting. 

Alongside the addition of Bogdanovic, Brooklyn also brought in guard Shake Milton and forward Ziare Williams, while also losing Lonnie Walker and guard Dennis Smith. Despite these changes, the team has kept starting point guard Dennis Schröder, starting forward Cameron Johnson, starting forward Dorian Finney-Smith, starting center Nic Claxton and backups Day’Ron Sharpe, Trendon Watford, and former first overall pick Ben Simmons. New Head Coach Jordi Fernandez replaces Jacque Vaughn and Kevin Ollie, and arrives after multiple seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets. 

Overall, while Thomas, Claxton and Sharpe do possess the potential for improvement, the fact of the matter is that the Nets don’t have enough to do much more than make the play-in tournament. Brooklyn’s severe lack of talent, established coaching and limited chemistry highlight the limitations of this team, and suggest that if greener pastures do exist, they are at best, far off in the future.