The upcoming NBA season presents a lot of possibilities for teams around the league. With specific emphasis on the Eastern Conference, NBA insider Zach Lowe recently presented his tier list of teams on “The Zach Lowe Show“.
Lowe presented some interesting takes across the board. Predicting a paradigm shift in the structure of the East, Lowe placed the Boston Celtics as one of the lowest teams. He justified this by saying:
“The depth chart after White, Brown, Pritchard, and whatever you think of Simons, crumbles to sand so fast. And being that top-heavy, and that dependent on guys with minimal to no NBA track records, is a recipe for a wildly below expectations regular season. I don’t really see a case for Celtics optimism.”
Overall, Lowe presents a rather dismal outlook for Boston. With Jayson Tatum expected to be sidelined for a significant duration, the Celtics have had to endure more hardships as the second apron forced them to trade key rotation players.
In addition to this, Boston is expected to continue to clear salary by facilitating trades for Anfernee Simons. This presents a possibility that the team’s roster strength could be depleted further.
Many saw the Celtics’ fall from grace as inevitable given their immediate condition heading into the offseason. But considering they still have gifted players like Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, Boston may remain a difficult team to beat next season.
Lowe continued by ranking the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons, and the Miami Heat as the mid-tier teams in the conference. Concerning Miami, he said:
“What I see there is depth… I see IQ. I see an elite coach. Depth is very powerful in the regular season. Coaching is very powerful in the regular season… I see a formula where this team is 45-37 and gets the 6th seed. I just think they’re better than Boston and Indiana. I’m putting them in a tier above Boston.”
The insider pointed out the potential shortcomings on Miami’s roster, but in doing so, also presented the optimism with this team owing to the overall depth and the talented coaching staff.
In making key acquisitions this offseason, the Heat have certainly made improvements. What remains to be seen is whether their new additions and their young players can assimilate and contribute to winning.
While discussing some of the other teams in the conference, Lowe showed a massive investment in the rise of the Orlando Magic as a powerhouse in the East.
“They’re talented, they’re surging, they’re young, they’re on the rise, and they have a defensive identity that is really hard to play against’ added Lowe. “They need Franz Wagner to actually hit the apex of his game. But it would be premature in a normal year; something crazy’s going to happen. This team is set up to be the something crazy team.”
With particular emphasis on Paolo Banchero‘s development after a contract extension, he said:
“I don’t know what y’all are seeing. This dude is f***ing awesome. I am more than okay paying him the max. I don’t know if he’s going to be a first-team All-NBA player at any point. I would probably lean towards believing there’s a season in there where he cracks it.”
Lowe goes on to talk about Banchero’s offensive arsenal, adding, “He’s also shown me he’s a good passer, he’s a good playmaker on the move as a screener. The more talent around him, the more he’ll tap into those parts of his game…Give me all the Paolo Banchero stock, that dude is ready for everything.”
While the Magic are expected to be strong contenders, especially with the addition of Desmond Bane, it seems like their success could be dictated by Banchero’s development.
Coming off a season of averaging 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, the 22-year-old forward has displayed that he is ready to take the next step. With Orlando investing in his future growth, the Magic could be primed to make a big jump up the rankings if their star forward comes through.
The East will be interesting next season. With several top teams falling off the radar due to injuries, an opportunity arises for a lot of mid-table teams to contend at the top. As the balance of power continues to shift this offseason, it will be exciting to see what the regular season holds for the aspiring teams in the Eastern Conference.
