As with the Western Conference notes, these observations are based on the games I have watched, along with thorough review of the nightly box scores and game reports.
My first conclusion is that the gap between the two conferences is widening, not shrinking. Expect to see several surprise teams rise in the East, which is shaping up to be a very weak conference.
Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford looks primed for a big year and may scratch first-round value. Kent Bazemore has done enough to win the starts at SF and makes for a decent end-game pick. Knock Jeff Teague down your cheat sheets as Dennis Schroder might force a timeshare.
Boston Celtics
Coach Brad Stevens has some very tough rotation decisions coming. Isaiah Thomas is his best player but Marcus Smart has made 10 of 11 free throws while shooting 45% from the field. If he can hold those improvements, he’s impossible to bench and a steal in fantasy. Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder appear to be safe. David Lee and Amir Johnson are fine too; just don’t reach, as their minutes will be kept down. Jared Sullinger has continued to be a model of inconsistency and seems headed out of the rotation.
Brooklyn Nets
With a very thin roster, the Nets are one injury away from crashing and burning. Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Jarrett Jack have played well, and (health permitting) will outperform their draft cost. Joe Johnson and Bojan Bogdanovic will see heavy minutes but without any defensive contributions and potentially lethal FG%’s.
Charlotte Hornets
The season-ending injury to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hurts more than anyone is willing to admit. Opposing frontcourts are going to crush it against this frontline. Nicolas Batum is being asked to do too much and I expect him to break down. Frank Kaminsky might be most affected though, as he just does not appear to fit in. The lone bright spot is Jeremy Lin, who should eventually get the bulk of the minutes at SG.
Chicago Bulls
There’s lots of noise coming out of Chicago but it is really hard to get excited about anyone on this team. Jimmy Butler is shouldering expectations he cannot bear. Doug McDermott started out hot but has gone ice cold. I am worried that Pau Gasol might be a little gassed from European competition, and we still have little clarity on the roles for Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. The one guy I am not concerned about is Nikola Mirotic, who leads the team in scoring. I’ll wager that he’ll do so by season’s end, too.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavs camp has been as much about who is not playing than who is. As a result, expect their preseason to continue into the regular season. Now that Tristan Thompson has signed, the rotation gets even murkier. Timofey Mozgov will be taking the hardest hit on my draft board. Richard Jefferson, Anderson Varejao and Sasha Kaun were already off. J.R. Smith has been the one standout —keep bumping him up. We still have no timetable for Kyrie Irving.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are one of the teams who could surprise and host a first-round playoff series. Rookie Stanley Johnson has kept his momentum from summer league into the preseason. He is going to start the season from the bench, which will hopefully keep his draft price down.
When (not if) Johnson becomes a starter, Ersan Ilyasova should be be the odd man out, not Marcus Morris. Also looking good so far are Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, none of whom is being drafted too high.
Indiana Pacers
Paul George is back and looks like an MVP candidate. For the first time in the Frank Vogel era, there is a surprising amount of depth in Hoosierland. Ironically, George Hill has had no problems adjusting to the pace-and-space game but Monta Ellis seems a step off. If either of those two is going to lose minutes to accommodate all the guard/wing options, it will be Ellis. Up front, Ian Mahinmi will be cheap source of BLK. Myles Turner has shown flashes but he needs more consistency to justify his current draft cost.
Miami Heat
I loved their off-season until I saw the on-court product. The Heat look old, not like a team ready to contend with the Cavaliers. The core of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic and Luol Deng all seem set to disappoint. The bright lights are Josh McRoberts and Gerald Green – the only true 3PT shooter on the team – who is poised to have a Lou Williams-like breakout as a sixth man. Hassan Whiteside reminds me of Milton Bradley from the baseball world. Too fragile and immature to trust, but too talented to pass up. A lot of folks are going to get burned.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucksare one of the worst offensive teams this pre-season, with no flow. Michael Carter-Williams is barely registering an assist for every turnover and O.J. Mayo, despite being ninth in minutes, leads the team in assists. I think Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greg Monroe should be fine and Khris Middleton has made up for a disappointing start with two good games but there’s something really off here. Never a John Henson fan, I admit he has looked quite good.
New York Knicks
All the wins don’t obscure that this is not a good team. No, Derrick Williams is not the real deal. Jerian Grant is not better than Jose Calderon. Yes, Kristaps Porzingis is going to hurt his team whenever he steps on the floor. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some nice pieces for fantasy. Carmelo Anthony and Calderon appear to be healthy. Kyle O’Quinn flashed this level in 2013-14 so there may be some sustainability there. Arron Afflalo is hitting shots again, though the usage is way down
Orlando Magic
The Magic are another team who could make a surprise playoff appearance. Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo look primed to take their games to another level. Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja are ready to contribute to both the real life and fantasy teams. Also, watch out for Shabazz Napier. He was quietly excellent in summer league and again in preseason; now the starting PG gig appears up for grabs.
Philadelphia 76ers
Assessing the preseason for a team like Philly is essentially worthless. There is just too much flux for any of their players (or their performances) to be trustworthy. Their best player last year, Robert Covington, didn’t even break camp with them. He still looks like their best player too. Steer clear in the draft; I’d wait until the season starts before trying to figure this mess out.
Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry looks awesome, both physically and on the court. Put aside concerns about how last season ended and spend an extra buck or two to get him. DeMar DeRozan on the other hand looks lost and might just find a ticket out of town. Cory Joseph needs minutes and he won’t be taking them from Lowry. With a carousel at PF and three first-round picks in the upcoming draft, look for GM Masai Ujiri to shake things up – once he knows whether his team is headed up or down.
Washington Wizards
By far the best looking team in the Eastern Conference. John Wall and Bradley Beal both figure to out-perform their draft positions. Otto Porter is all set to bust out and make it a big three. Marcin Gortat fits in perfectly too – he also fits in on your fantasy team. Even role players like Ramon Sessions, Gary Neal and Kris Humphries appear set to make valuable contributions. You can’t go wrong drafting Wizards.