NBA 2018-19: Eastern Conference playoff picture prediction
For the last few pieces, I've been trying to give a preview of this upcoming season. I've ranked the top 10 players in the East and the West, and this time it will be more of a focus on teams as a whole.
You will hear all the time about how weak the Eastern Conference is and how it is nothing compared to the West.
The polarization of the two conferences has been overblown, and it has taken away from the talent that is present in the East.
There have been many changes to the East. Coaching changes, injured players returning to their teams, and the younger players having more experience will all contribute to different conference standings than last year.
The obvious most notable change will be the Cavaliers. Losing the King will push them outside of the clear-cut teams, as they will have to battle for the 8th seed. It is unlikely the team will be able to make the playoffs with their primary ball-handler will being rookie, and under immense pressure to replicate the magic, Kyrie Irving once had on the city of Cleveland.
My conference predictions will be assuming none of the teams listed have any major injuries that will derail their season. I can't predict injuries but I do hope everyone is able to stay healthy, despite however hopeless that dream may seem.
8th seed: Detroit Pistons
There will be many teams competing for that eighth seed. The Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and possibly the Miami Heat will all be in the hunt. This one was close between the Pistons and Heat, but I decided to go with the Pistons because of their level of talent.
Detroit has always been an underwhelming team that has found themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the last few seasons after the first few games with Blake Griffin there was some hope, but that quickly faded. The Pistons have pieces that can contribute, but they just were never able to execute.
Until now.
Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond are some of the game's best big men. Both of them have good passing ability, and Drummond has arguably the best rebounding in the league.
The difference maker will be Griffin staying healthy and the arrival of the 2017-18 Coach of the Year, Dwane Casey. Griffin needs to return to his All-Star level of play, and Drummond needs to add some more scoring to his game and get close to being a top three center in the league, which is where I think he has the potential to become. The keyword is potential.
Casey is an excellent coach who has great success with point guards with Kyle Lowry, Delon Wright, and Fred Van Vleet.
He should be able to take that success and elevate Reggie Jackson's game. Other pieces like Stanley Johnson and Luke Kennard will also need to step up their scoring numbers to help the team.
The new culture that Casey will implement along with being healthy are the keys for the Pistons making the playoffs.