The Boston Celtics are both the defending NBA champions and the favorites to repeat. Everyone else is measuring themselves against Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the breadth of two-way talent in Boston, especially the Eastern Conference, whose best challenger fell 14 games shy of them in the regular season.
Nobody pushed the Celtics beyond five games in a playoff series. Theirs was a dominant postseason run.
It was also a fortunate one, paved by injuries to stars in New York, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Indiana, Cleveland and Miami. Even at full strength, every team in the East recognized it had a canyon to close on Boston. Some of them tried to narrow the divide. Others failed. Let us power rank who came closest …
The Heat’s inclusion on this list is a courtesy to their culture. On talent alone they do not belong here.
Bam Adebayo is tremendous. He signed a three-year, $165.4 million maximum extension this summer, and he is worth it. He might be the NBA’s best defender. He adds 20 points a night and passes as well as any big not named Nikola Jokić. He is also the only player on the roster who does not end in a question mark.
Jimmy Butler is great, too. He did not receive his max extension this summer and some bitterness could linger as a result. He has not played more than 65 games in a season since the 2016-17 campaign, missing the Heat’s entire first-round playoff loss to Boston, and he turns 35 years old in September. To count on him to carry them to a third NBA Finals in five years is a prayer. Otherwise he would have his contract.
Miami’s roster is not as strong as it once was. After losing Max Strus and Gabe Vincent to free agency last summer, the Heat watched Caleb Martin leave for the Philadelphia 76ers. Martin, you might recall, was instrumental in Miami’s victory against Boston in 2023, nearly winning conference finals MVP honors. The loss of his 10 points per game may not seem like much, but the collective loss of that core has to be felt.
In their place are Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jović, a pair of forwards with considerable potential. They are Miami’s latest hope for a star turn. To ask so much from inexperience is another prayer. Besides, even if Jaquez and Jović were to emerge, there are limitations to what the Heat will expect from their backcourt. Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro and Alec Burks are solid NBA players — none of whom inspire title aspirations.
Miami could optimize its roster, which head coach Erik Spoelstra will almost certainly do, and still be a player or two short of Boston’s talent. The Heat’s grit can only close that gap so much and not enough.
The Magic are equipped to challenge the Celtics — in several years. Franz Wagner received his maximum rookie-scale contract extension this summer, and Paolo Banchero will get his next year. Whether or not Orlando ever rises to Boston’s level depends on their ability to meet or exceed the value of those deals.
It will not happen this season, taking nothing away from their talent. Banchero is a 6-foot-10, 250-pound playmaking forward, and Wagner is the same but 25 pounds lighter. Theirs is a response to Tatum and Brown with which 90% of the league would switch. They are also only 21 and 22 years old, respectively. They need to shoot and augment each other better. These things take time. Just ask Tatum and Brown.
The Magic weaponized a roster around Banchero and Wagner. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jalen Suggs arguably make Orlando’s the best defensive backcourt in the NBA, besides Boston’s Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. Suggs and the newly arrived Caldwell-Pope shot 40% on 9.2 3-point attempts per game last season. They are made to complement two superstars if ever Banchero and Wagner become them.
Orlando is flush at center, too. Jonathan Isaac could be the Defensive Player of the Year if only his health would allow it. He was limited to 16 reserve minutes a night last season. Wendell Carter, Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze round out an intriguing roster of bigs. Take note of an opportunity for consolidation there.
As they stand, the Magic rated third on defense last season — behind Minnesota and Boston — a rarity for so young a team. Credit head coach Jamahl Mosley, who shepherded that transformation in his first year at the helm. Who is to say he cannot do the same for Orlando’s offense, expediting a title contender.
The Pacers are fresh off an appearance in the Eastern Conference finals, where they were swept in Tyrese Haliburton‘s absence. He will be back and presumably better, hopefully healed from a hamstring strain. He was in line for an All-NBA First Team nod prior to the injury, averaging 24.2 points (on 50/40/87 shooting splits) and 12.7 assists per game, but fortunate to land on the All-NBA Third Team afterward.
Haliburton lifts all boats on offense, and he is flush with vessels. Pascal Siakam signed a max contract in Indiana, where they rarely boast a pair of All-NBA talents. Myles Turner is a foundational center. Andrew Nembhard showed promise in the playoffs, and Bennedict Mathurin will be back from injury to compete with him for minutes on the wing. Obi Toppin, who also signed a lucrative extension, and Aaron Nesmith are athletic running mates. T.J. McConnell is a pest. More recent first-round picks wait in the wings.
This is a deep and young team in need of collective development. At last season’s end, Haliburton was not a primary option on a serious…
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