1. New York Knicks
2024-25 record: 51-31, second in the Atlantic
Head coach: Mike Brown, first season with the Knicks
Coming and going: New York has more depth this season than a year ago thanks to the offseason acquisition of Jordan Clarkson, a former Sixth Man of the Year who averaged 16.2 points per game for Utah in 2024-25. The Knicks also signed Guerschon Yabusele, who tossed in 11.0 points per game on 50.1% shooting with the 76ers last season. Former coach Tom Thibodeau was fired last June despite leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Numbers to crunch: New York finished last in the league in bench scoring (21.7 points per game) last season.
Season snapshot: The Knicks should be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference thanks to a strong starting five that includes Jalen Brunson, who averaged a team-high 26.0 points and 7.3 assists during the 2024-25 regular season; and Karl-Anthony Towns, who was the team’s second-leading scorer (24.4 points) a year ago, while he also pulled down a team-high 12.8 rebounds per game. Much will depend on how much New York’s beefed-up bench can contribute. There’s also the question of what kind of impact the offseason coaching change will have.
2. Boston Celtics
2024-25 record: 61-21, first in the Atlantic
Head coach: Joe Mazzulla, fourth season with the Celtics (182-64 record)
Coming and going: Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded during the offseason, and Al Horford left via free agency and signed with Golden State. All were key pieces in Boston’s success last season. Anfernee Simons is the key addition. He averaged 20.7 points with Portland over the last three seasons and should take some of the scoring burden away from Jaylen Brown while Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery.
Numbers to crunch: Boston had an 8-2 record in regular season games without Tatum last season.
Season snapshot: Will Tatum return at some point this season? Can the Celtics contend without him? Those are the questions Boston fans are asking as they wait for the season to begin. The spotlight on Brown will be even brighter until Tatum is able to play. Brown is a four-time All-Star who averaged 22.2 points last season, which put him above 20 points per game for the sixth straight year. More will likely be needed from guards Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
If Simons proves to be a good fit and center Neemias Queta continues to improve, the Celtics will be a handful for anyone — with or without Tatum.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
2024-25 record: 24-58, fifth in the Atlantic
Head coach: Nick Nurse, third season with the 76ers (71-93 record)
Coming and going: Philadelphia has high expectations for guard V.J. Edgecombe, the third pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Edgecombe, who made headlines by scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Utah in his NBA Summer League debut, broke Baylor’s freshman steals record last season.
Numbers to crunch: Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey played just 15 games together last season, when Embiid (63 games missed), George (41 games missed) and Maxey (30 games missed) struggled to stay healthy.
Season snapshot: Health is the key question for the 76ers, especially since Embiid has played in a total of 58 games over the past two seasons. Philadelphia could finish at the top or the bottom of the division based on his availability. Jared McCain underwent thumb surgery Sept. 30 and won’t be available until November. Maxey was excellent when healthy last season. He led the team in points (26.3) and assists (6.1) and shot 87.9% from the foul line. There’s plenty of talent, it’s just a matter of getting that talent on the court. On paper the 76ers appear capable of making a deep playoff run, but if the injury bug bites again, Philadelphia could miss the playoffs for a second straight season.
4. Toronto Raptors
2024-25 record: 30-52, third in the Atlantic
Head coach: Darko Rajakovic, third season with the Raptors (55-109 record)
Coming and going: Defense may have been Toronto’s No. 1 strength after the All-Star break last season, when the Raptors went from 26th to second in defensive rating while posting a 22-21 record in their final 43 games. Collin Murray-Boyles, the ninth pick in the draft out of South Carolina, should add to that defensive prowess. Murray-Boyles played well at Summer League in Las Vegas, where he helped Toronto win four games and earn a spot in the semifinals.
Numbers to crunch: The Raptors finished 23rd in scoring last season and their offensive issues extended beyond the 3-point arc. Toronto ranked 29th in made 3-pointers and 23rd in 3-point percentage.
Season snapshot: Ten Raptors appeared in at least 50 games and averaged more than 17 minutes last season. The only player in that group who did not return is Chris Boucher (10.0 points per game in 2024-25), who played the fewest games and minutes of the 10. That group also doesn’t include Brandon Ingram, who was acquired via trade last February but was sidelined for the remainder of the year with an ankle injury. Ingram gives Toronto another scorer to go with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Toronto’s success will depend largely on Barnes, who averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 65 games last season. Toronto was 7-32 in the 39 games he missed to injury in the last two seasons.
5. Brooklyn Nets
2024-25 record: 26-56, fourth in the Atlantic
Head coach: Jordi Fernandez, second season with the Nets (26-56 record)
Coming and going: The Nets made two major trades during the offseason: They sent Cam Johnson to Denver for Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round draft pick, and acquired Terance Mann and the draft rights to Drake Powell, the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 draft, in a three-team trade that included Boston and Atlanta. Porter averaged 18.2 points on 50.4% shooting last season, including 39.5% shooting from 3-point range.
Numbers to crunch: Brooklyn used 44 different starting lineups during the 2024-25 season.
Season snapshot: The Nets came close to a complete makeover during the offseason with a mix of trades and draft selections. Cam Thomas is the only player on the roster who was in Brooklyn’s starting five on opening night last season. Thomas has been the team’s leading scorer in each of the last two seasons, but he missed 57 games in 2024-25 with recurring hamstring issues.
Brooklyn has five rookies on its roster who were taken in the first round of the 2025 draft: Egor Demin (eighth pick), Nolan Traore (19th pick), Powell (22nd pick, acquired via trade), Ben Saraf (26th pick) and Danny Wolf (27th pick). Four of the five draft picks are guards. The level of Brooklyn’s success this season will hinge on how much the rookie class can contribute in Year 1.
–Field Level Media
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