Injuries to star players and shifting team strategies will significantly transform the upcoming NBA season.
The Eastern Conference will be up for grabs for more teams than usual, as superstars from elite East teams—such as Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton—are set to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season.
With the decline of the East’s top teams, several teams that wouldn’t contend in the West now have more hope.
Here’s our list of the Eastern Conference teams we expect to make or miss the playoffs next season, as well as an exact record prediction for each team.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record Prediction: 60-22
After a successful 64-18 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be bringing back the same amount of talent in hopes of another great franchise season.
The Cavaliers were on track to make a deep playoff run in 2025 before Darius Garland and Evan Mobley suffered injuries that derailed the Cavs against the Pacers.
The Cavaliers stated that Darius Garland would be limited in their training camp due to toe surgery that he had in June. Garland will certainly miss the start of the 2025-26 season, and he’ll have a possibility of returning to action by around November or December.
If Garland returns soon and the Cavs stay healthy, all signs are pointing to another elite season for the Cavaliers on both offense and defense.
2. New York Knicks
Record Prediction: 52-30
The New York Knicks didn’t make any big offseason additions, and they really didn’t need to, either, after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
They did sign Jordan Clarkson after he received a buyout from the Utah Jazz, where he was a longtime Sixth Man of the Year winner. The acquisition addresses the Knicks’ need for a microwave scorer off the bench that will be a good addition to the Knicks’ offense.
Hiring a new head coach, Mike Brown, after they fired Tom Thibodeau, may also turn out to be a good move, as Brown is known for a more balanced coaching style than Thibodeau.
Overall, the Knicks should be similar to last season, and they’ll be hoping to make a finals run without having to worry about the Celtics and Pacers in the playoffs.
3. Orlando Magic
Record Prediction: 50-32
The Orlando Magic’s defense last season ranked 2nd in the NBA, which was the reason why they made the playoffs, as they were only 27th in offense.
Key defensive contributors included long, versatile defenders like Jonathan Isaac and Franz Wagner. Jalen Suggs has also developed into a great defensive guard, both on-ball and off-ball.
They addressed their offensive issues by trading for Desmond Bane by giving up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four first-round draft picks. This was a win-now move, and the Magic will be competing for a top spot in the Eastern Conference next season with a more balanced offense and defense.
4. Milwaukee Bucks
Record Prediction: 46-36
The Milwaukee Bucks‘ supporting cast for Giannis Antetokounmpo has dwindled ever since their 2021 NBA championship.
Even with the addition of Myles Turner (whose three-and-D game fits Giannis well), the Bucks don’t have enough elite offensive or defensive players to be a championship contender. Turner is a good player, but he’s not a center who is suited to be the second-best player on a team.
While Giannis continues to play at an MVP-caliber level, it’s unlikely the Bucks will be well-rounded enough to compete for a title.
In the Eastern Conference, 46 wins are enough to get a decent seed, so we’ll see if Giannis could potentially take over in the playoffs and help the Bucks exceed expectations.
5. Detroit Pistons
Record Prediction: 45-37
The Detroit Pistons are on an upward trajectory after going from the worst team in the league in the 2023-24 season to the 6th seed in the East in the 2024-25 season.
It looks like the Pistons won’t have any significant roster changes by the time the season starts. They finished with the 16th-best offensive rating in the NBA last season, but we can expect that to improve into the top 10 next season. Their young players will continue to develop to help the Pistons surge in the East.
Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey are Detroit’s two main offensive weapons, and both players are only 23 years old. Assuming they take another offensive leap, Detroit’s backcourt could emerge as one of the best young duos in the league.
6. Atlanta Hawks
Record Prediction: 44-38
The Atlanta Hawks have been stumbling around mediocrity for the past few seasons, but this year is shaping up to be their best chance to solidify a solid playoff spot.
Beyond the length, athleticism, and defense that come from Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta added Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker this summer. The former Celtic can protect the rim on one end while pulling bigs away from the rim with his shooting on the other. Alexander-Walker will be a boost to both the Hawks’ second unit and its overall perimeter defense.
Trae Young has proven himself to be a great playoff performer in the past, so if Atlanta can skip the play-in and clinch a 1-6 seed, they’d be in a great position for a potential playoff run.
7. Boston Celtics
Record Prediction: 41-41
With Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, as well as the departures of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics will surely drop down the standings by a good amount. The question is how much they will decline.
The Celtics have multiple talented guards in Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Anfernee Simons. Their issue is their frontcourt talent that consists of Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, and Chris Boucher.
Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown are definitely players who could step up into bigger roles in scoring. But the lack of an elite frontcourt is what will limit this team from obtaining an above .500 record.
8. Miami Heat
Record Prediction: 40-42
The Miami Heat have now moved on from their Jimmy Butler era, and Butler’s role has been filled by Jaime Jaquez Jr, a well-rounded small forward at 24 years old.
The addition of Norman Powell could go a long way toward boosting the Heat on both ends this season, but he’s now a 32-year-old guard who won’t make an overwhelming impact for this average team.
Tyler Herro is a dynamic shooting guard who can take over a game as a jump shooter. And Bam Adebayo, with his passing and ability to anchor a defense, is one of the game’s more unique centers.
They’ve got some decent talent, which isn’t enough to make them any more than a decent team.
9. Philadelphia 76ers
Record Prediction: 39-43
With how frequently the Philadelphia 76ers are injured, it’s quite difficult to predict where exactly they’ll finish in the standings.
If they were to stay healthy for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, they would be among the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but that isn’t realistic.
Joel Embiid has missed almost as many games as he’s played since 2020, and Paul George is now 35 years old, and he missed half of last season with multiple injuries. Jared McCain missed most of his rookie season and was just reported to have injured his thumb, which will cause him to miss the start of this season.
With all the uncertainty around this team, they could finish high or very low, like last season. It’s hard to say, so it’s safest to predict that the 76ers finish around the middle of the Eastern Conference.
10. Toronto Raptors
Record Prediction: 37-45
Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl are five talented players who could very well push the Raptors into the play-in tournament.
But the lack of three-point shooting, both in terms of volume and efficiency, from Ingram, Barrett, Barnes, and Poeltl could be the weakness of this team. Their offensive rating of 110.5 last season was only 25th in the NBA.
Having three small forwards in their starting lineup isn’t ideal. The Raptors will likely put Barrett at the 2, Ingram at the 3, and Barnes at the 4, but in-game chemistry with each other may hurt this team.
11. Charlotte Hornets
Record Prediction: 34-48
The Charlotte Hornets have an abundance of young talent, which is good for the future, but not great for winning this next season.
Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Liam McNeeley are three players the Hornets are counting on to develop into quality players over the next few seasons. LaMelo Ball has already developed into an all-star talent, but his issue has been staying healthy.
The Hornets also have a new, important offensive addition in Collin Sexton. Sexton has averaged 18.8 points per game over the course of his career, a number that could help raise the Hornets’ offense.
As a result of their young players, the Hornets will likely improve from last season and find themselves higher than they normally finish in the standings.
12. Indiana Pacers
Record Prediction: 33-49
After a thrilling finals run, the Pacers will slide back into the dark abyss of the Eastern Conference in the 2025-26 season.
Their offensive general and facilitator, Tyrese Haliburton, has an Achilles injury that will sideline him for the entire season, severely limiting Indiana’s potential.
Best-case scenario, they snag a play-in spot, but without any star players outside of Pascal Siakam, expect the Pacers to finish in the lower half of the standings.
13. Chicago Bulls
Record Prediction: 30-52
The Chicago Bulls have some decent talent, but not quite enough to make the play-in tournament again.
Coby White is an explosive scorer. Josh Giddey is a terrific all-around player. Nikola Vucevic is a steady presence inside, who can also hit threes and set up his teammates. And Matas Buzelis has plenty of upside to uncover.
They’ve made the play-in tournament the last three seasons, but that streak probably won’t be continued after the end of this next season.
14. Brooklyn Nets
Record Prediction: 25-57
There’s not too much to say for the Nets; it should be another uneventful season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for Brooklyn.
This offseason, they traded Cameron Johnson for Michael Porter Jr, one of the most dangerous catch-and-shoot three-point threats in the league. Egor Demin is a good passer who should be able to orchestrate the offense and find Porter Jr. on the perimeter for catch-and-shoot looks, but he’s only a rookie.
It’s going to take time for Egor Demin, Ben Saraf, and/or Nolan Traoré to figure out how to run an offense at basketball’s highest level.
Their best scorer, Cam Thomas, could very well average over 25 points per game. The Nets were a little better when he played, but they still had a point differential around that of a 27-win team with him on the floor.
15. Washington Wizards
Record Prediction: 21-61
The Washington Wizards are deep within their rebuilding stage, and while they have a good amount of young talent, you shouldn’t expect them to win many games in the near future.
A large portion of the Wizards’ game minutes will go to Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Cam Whitmore, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and AJ Johnson, who are all very young, developing players.
The Wizards do have two veterans in CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, but neither of them is a player who could make a significant impact in the win column.
