Question marks for the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference right now
The standings could change as the playoffs get closer, especially in the Western Conference, but it doesn’t hurt to start thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of teams that have a good chance of making the final cut — especially since there are 16 teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
For each team, there are serious question marks that could end up being a benefit to them in crunch time or their worst nightmare when they least expect it.
That being said, let’s break down the biggest question mark for the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference, starting at the top.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo has helped put the Milwaukee Bucks back on the map in the first year in what feels like forever since LeBron James isn’t dominating the Eastern Conference.
If the season ended today, their first-round opponent would be a sub-.500 team in the Charlotte Hornets whose only hope is Kemba Walker. That being said, getting out of the first round isn’t where the concern lies with this team.
However, the second round could be an opponent like Philadelphia or Boston, should the matchup between fourth and fifth seeds look this way in a few months.
This type of second-round challenge is where the Bucks need to be careful. They’ve been able to ride a hype train for the majority of this season, but the playoffs are where we’ll know if the push from this team is authentic.
In particular, Philadelphia is the closest in terms of points per game. The Bucks currently lead the conference in points per game with 117.6 on average with the 76ers averaging 115.5.
This would mean a Sixers-Bucks second-round matchup would be a place where the scoring wouldn’t be the edge for Milwaukee like it would definitely be against a squad like Charlotte.
That being said, the biggest question mark for the Bucks right now is whether or not their scoring edge will be able to carry them as far as they hope to go in the playoffs.
Toronto Raptors
In both surprising and unsurprising news, Kawhi Leonard seems to be getting comfortable in Toronto (at least on the court). The former NBA Finals MVP leads his new team in scoring with a 27.6 average — Leonard also averages the most rebounds (7.9) and steals (1.9) per game on the Raptors.
While he didn’t get anywhere close to a warm welcome in his return to San Antonio earlier this season, Leonard seems to have his focus on greener pastures and prepping the Raptors for a deep playoff run.
If the season ended today, their first-round opponent would be the Miami Heat, who are also part of the sub-.500 club.
Toronto averages eight points more per game than Miami, but the Heat bost the second-best defense in terms of points allowed (105.9) in all of the playoff-eligible teams in their conference.
Should the Raptors advance to round two, they’d face the winner of the Indiana Pacers-Brooklyn Nets series. A Brooklyn victory would be a huge upset, but it’s what Toronto would need for us to have any reasonable faith in a conference finals berth or beyond.
An Indiana series win would mean that Toronto would get the tough job of playing the second-best defense (Miami) and best defense (Indiana) in back-to-back playoff series.
Both times that they’ve played the Pacers this season were games in Toronto, with the first clash in Indiana coming on January 23. While the Raptors won a close game and a blowout in those first two games, how they play on the road against the Pacers will tell us a lot.
Their biggest question mark is deciding if this year’s Raptors team is worth the faith if Indiana and Miami are their first two playoff opponents.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana was a team that I personally picked to win the entire Eastern Conference before the season began — while that is still a very real scenario, the reality is that they are still behind Toronto and Milwaukee for the time being.
Victor Oladipo leads the team in points per game (19.6) and looks like he’ll continue to polish his game to get the Pacers into a place where they’ll be able to contend for the next several years.
The team has a great balance around Oladipo, with the motivation for this season stemming from a dramatic, disappointing seven-game series against Cleveland to end last season. Indiana did all of the right things against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers and they were just one win away from sending James home early.
If the season had ended today, they’d be paired up against the Brooklyn Nets, who are looking to make some noise themselves this season with the talent that’s been brewing for a few seasons.
Brooklyn has been no match for Indiana, losing their first meeting by 20 and then their follow up before Christmas by eight. The Nets did play much better against the Pacers when they were on their own floor, but that’s not something the Pacers should be worried about if they have home court advantage.
Right?
They cannot afford to make similar mistakes to a season ago. That being said, their biggest question mark right now is a matter of how much they underestimate their first-round opponent.
That’s a big red flag, but it’s something the Pacers won’t be able to shake until they prove it’s not a factor anymore for them. Dominating to open the playoffs would be enough of a statement to take care of that.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia is the team in the Eastern Conference that is rightfully dead center in the playoff standings. They’ve got the talent to be a top-three team in their conference, but how the Jimmy Butler trade will payoff in the playoffs is something we have yet to see.
Butler’s exit from Minnesota was anything but graceful, and he hasn’t backed down from being himself after the trade either. Somehow, that could be what saves the Sixers as much as it could be what makes them look like a lottery team in the first round.
Their first-round opponent would be the Boston Celtics if the season ended today — the best matchup out of what would be of the first-round.
The biggest weakness for this team outside of what will happen when Jimmy Butler is needed in the playoffs is how they play away from home. As of this writing, they are 11–12 in games away from Philadelphia whereas they are a whopping 19–4 at home (tied with Toronto for best home record in the conference).
That being said, their biggest question right now is two-fold. First, the Jimmy Butler situation — will it save or sink the ship? And then from there, how this team will perform on the road in the playoffs is very iffy at best right now.
5. Boston Celtics
You can’t talk about bipolar basketball teams without bringing up the Boston Celtics.
The number one team in the Eastern Conference a season ago has looked like it is still somehow trying to find an identity at the halfway point of this season.
It’s been a campaign-long struggle for the Celtics up to this point despite having one of the best coaches in the business in Brad Stevens at the helm.
The struggles have emerged after Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward both returned to the starting lineup healthy and it has raised plenty of questions about who the Celtics should trust long-term with the keys to the franchise.
Hayward doesn’t look anywhere near the kind of player that they paid him to be while Irving looks more and more like he’s on his way out of Boston as soon as the season is over.
In a recent radio appearance with 98.5 The Sports Hub, Danny Ainge had the following to say about the environment surrounding the team right now, per Celtics Wire:
““It only becomes toxic if guys are sensitive,” Ainge said. “… Everybody’s so sensitive, or they think everybody’s so sensitive. We live in a real sensitive society now, and all these things that we’re talking about: ‘Oh, you mean a veteran player called out the young guys? Oh wait, a young guy stood up for himself?’
So we know that an identity is crucial to the Celtics pushing past the first round of the playoffs, but whether or not they’ll find it in time is something that needs to be addressed unless they want an early exit.
6. Brooklyn Nets
Sneaking up in the standings and currently sixth in the conference is none other than the Brooklyn Nets.
Beyond Brooklyn, no other teams in the Eastern Conference are at .500 — and Brooklyn is barely above the threshold at 24–23.
Their first-round opponent would be the Indiana Pacers and would prove to be an intriguing matchup behind the Boston-Philadelphia potential series.
It’s been a long back to being in the picture for the Brooklyn Nets, but it’s looking like their talent is finally at a place where they can compete. Especially when you consider that it will be much longer before more than five teams are really considered “threats” to take the conference crown.
This gives Brooklyn’s players a unique opportunity to use this season as a learning curve if they do end up making the playoffs when it’s all said and done. Indiana is the perfect opponent for them, too.
The Pacers’ biggest problem, as discussed above, is that they run the risk of underestimating — possibly severely underestimating — who they play to start their playoff campaign.
Brooklyn’s a great dark horse, but it’s no harm, no foul if they don’t advance.
But they can still make plenty of a statement against Indiana, particularly if they can push the series to six or even seven games.
Their biggest question mark right now is if they can use this opportunity in the playoffs correctly — assuming they make it. They must keep in mind that a deep run is not something that they are quite ready for, but a taste of what it feels like to get back to the playoffs would be a great spark for this team.
Overthinking the first series will result in an embarrassing output. Balance is everything for Brooklyn.
7. Miami Heat
Alright Miami, here comes your last dance with Dwyane Wade.
Like it was mentioned earlier — at least if we’re basing defensive performance on points allowed per game — the Heat are second only to Indiana for best defense within the conference.
That’s great news if you expect your defense to win all of your battles, however, having to potentially face Toronto as your first opponent raises some questions.
Miami’s defensive allowance of 105.9 points per game is exactly the same that they average on offense, which limits their defensive accomplishments.
They need more plays like this.
Not really, but being open helps.
This is also a team that is under .500 at home and breaking even on the road through 20 games away from Miami. It’s not a record I would trust on either end of a series, so this raises the question of how ugly the first round could be for Miami.
On the off chance that they either don’t face a team like Toronto (or Milwaukee) there’s more hope to have — but an upset of that magnitude is doubtful.
That being said, the biggest question for the Heat that we should have right now is why they can’t do better on offense than defense — even if it’s a little bit. Putting out the same number of points on average as you allow is a great way to stay mediocre, but that won’t get Miami very far this season.
8. Charlotte Hornets
The team on the edge of the playoff picture is the Charlotte Hornets. It seems like week after week they are single-handedly carried by the phenomenal talent of Kemba Walker — and if you make that same observation, you’re not crazy.
It’s literally only because of Walker that this team is even relevant right now.
If the season ended right now, the Hornets would have to go up against the Milwaukee Bucks without much to cling to besides their somehow impressive home record of 15–8.
What’s really hurt the Hornets this season is their play on the road, as they’ve only won six of 21 contests there.
They’re on the weaker side, defensively speaking, as they’re currently allowing an average of 111 points per game (not ideal). In fact, this is the stat that more than likely would be the death of them in a series against the Bucks.
It’s unclear if they’re really going to end up being the eighth seed in the playoff picture or if they’ll be on the outside looking in. As it stands right now, Detroit is just one game behind them while the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic also trail, but by less than three games.
For the Hornets, they’re going to need someone other than Kemba Walker to step up in order to have a chance at making the playoffs. Anything beyond just making it to the first round of the playoffs should be considered nothing short of a miracle.
