After an offseason packed with movement, the league spent months talking itself into a new order in the East. The idea was simple: the Eastern Conference would finally overtake the West, load up on contenders, and leave the old balance of power behind. Instead, almost a month into the season, that talk looks a lot bigger than the reality.
The preseason picture had the East projected as deeper, with as many as seven or eight legitimate contenders and 12 teams fighting for playoff spots. That hasn’t come close to playing out. The conference still looks like a place where a few teams belong near the top and a whole lot of others are just trying to keep up.
A quick tour through the league makes the point pretty clearly. The Raptors were a trendy dark-horse Finals pick, but that looks shaky now.
They’re 5-6, and Kawhi Leonard is already hurt. Banking on him to stay healthy and carry this group to the top of the East never made much sense given his recent history.
They can defend and they can hang around in regular-season games, but that’s a long way from being a real title threat.
Miami’s situation has gone from ambitious to messy fast. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s tenure there has gotten off to a miserable start, and the roster around him still doesn’t fit. They look like a team that needs major changes, not a quick fix, and probably more than one transaction cycle before they’re anywhere near contention.
Indiana hasn’t found its footing without Tyrese Haliburton, and there’s no clean answer there because he still isn’t healthy and may not be for a while. Their run to the Finals two years ago already feels distant, and right now they don’t look like a group headed back anytime soon.
Elsewhere, the Cavaliers and Hornets appear to have slipped back, while the Magic don’t look like a good team at all. The Hawks and Wizards aren’t ready for prime time either.
So far, the East hasn’t really changed much from last season. It still looks like a conference with a clear upper tier and a long list of teams trying to break into it.
And at the top, Boston still looks like Boston. The Celtics are being treated like a team that got passed by, but that argument is looking thinner by the day.
They still seem like the class of the East, with as few questions as anyone in the conference. Health will matter, as it always does, but the Celtics also have as much depth as anybody.
There’s a long way to go, and the season will turn into a grind. But for now, the loud talk about a dramatic power shift has not matched what’s showing up on the court. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.
In Other News...
Celtics Could Face A Risky Decision On Tatums Closest NBA Friend
Paul Georges recent bounce with Boston has been tied to something simple enough to sound obvious and still matter a lot: health. After dealing with injury issues that slowed him before, he said his improved play with the Celtics has come from finally feeling right again, which is exactly the sort of reminder that can reshape how a team evaluates a veteran. For Boston, it also keeps the focus on a familiar kind of calculation, where talent, timing and durability all have to line up.
Bradley Beal is part of that conversation because of his connection to Jayson Tatum and the idea that the Celtics could someday circle back if the circumstances were right. Tyronn Lue recently said Beal is dealing with knee issues and may need time to recover, which only adds another layer to a situation Boston would have to monitor carefully. If Beal gets back to full health and ever becomes available at a low enough cost, the Celtics could be forced to weigh whether the fit is worth the risk. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum's Real Celtics Power Is Suddenly Up For Debate
Isiah Thomas added a familiar layer to the Celtics ongoing conversation about star power and front-office control, suggesting that Jayson Tatums voice may not have carried as much weight in a hypothetical Jaylen Brown trade as some might assume. The broader point is one Boston fans know well: even franchise faces do not always get the final say when it comes to major roster decisions, especially when the front office believes a move is necessary.
The uncertainty around Tatums involvement is what keeps the discussion alive, because the exact extent of his input remains unknown. What Thomas made clear, though, is that decisions of that magnitude usually live with the people running the team, not the player at the center of it, which is why the Celtics history of big trades still hangs over any debate about how much influence Tatum really has. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Hot Start Is About To Face Its Toughest Test Yet
The Celtics have opened the season 10-2 and sit atop the Eastern Conference, a strong start made more impressive by the way they have already handled a demanding early slate. Even with back-to-backs and plenty of travel mixed in, Boston has kept rolling and still owns the leagues best net rating, a sign that the performance has matched the record.
November is where the grind really sharpens. Boston is staring at a packed month that will keep the team away from home for long stretches and send it crisscrossing the continent, a test of depth, conditioning and focus that could shape how long this hot start lasts. The wins have come early, but the schedule is about to ask a lot more of this group. [Read more 🡒]