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18. DETROIT PISTONS
ESPN Projected Record: 38-44
538 Projected Record: 39-43
My Projected Record: 38-44
Players To Watch: Blake Griffin, PF; Stanley Johnson, SF
Griffin and Andre Drummond are infinitely valuable cornerstones… if this were the 80s or the 90s. Both are dominant interior presences who have underrated passing vision, and Dwane Casey is sure going to put both players in positions where they can play off one another’s strengths. However, the league’s playing style has changed by a ton, and the Pistons are really short on wings to capitalize on the interior presences of the two. Reggie Bullock had a nice little breakout, but Johnson, Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway, and Glenn Robinson III don’t move the needle enough to justify the amount the Pistons are paying just to barely make the playoffs. Griffin and Drummond are good enough that they can make it work, and it’s going to be living hell for teams with small frontcourts to deal with the two, but besides them, there really is no one else threatening enough for the Pistons to become more than a mediocrity.
17. MIAMI HEAT
ESPN Projected Record: 43-39
538 Projected Record: 41-41
My Projected Record: 41-41
Players To Watch: Josh Richardson, SG/SF; Bam Adebayo, C; Justise Winslow, PF
Pat Riley is a genius, and he probably thought that the cap would keep on rising exponentially that the contracts they have would remain tradeable and potentially packaged together to get a disgruntled star. Well, it turns out that that’s not the case, and you’d be hard pressed to find a team willing to take on the contracts of Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, and Kelly Olynyk. The Heat are spending a lot of valuable cap space on players who barely move the championship needle, and they don’t have a true star now that Whiteside has become disgruntled due to the fact that he’s not as big a part of the offense as he had hoped. Goran Dragic is good, but he’s not good enough for the Heat to be more than first-round fodder for the Celtics, Raptors, or, as we saw just this past season, for the 76ers as well. They need Richardson, Adebayo, and Winslow to break out, but with the aforementioned veterans in the way, the opportunity to break out might not be there for them either.
16. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
ESPN Projected Record: 43-39
538 Projected Record: 39-43
My Projected Record: 44-38
Players To Watch: Damian Lillard, PG; C.J. McCollum, SG
Their embarrassing first round exit against the Pelicans shed light on the greatest flaw of their roster – they are overly reliant on the shot and space creation of their lead guards. Their wing depth is non-existent, and they have tied up valuable cap space on below average players such as Evan Turner and Meyers Leonard and this has handicapped their ability to add versatile two-way players to the mix. They don’t have any other players who generate open shots for them like Lillard and McCollum, and once they are blitzed, their other pieces don’t have enough passing and playmaking amongst themselves to make the defense pay for trapping. Lillard played out of his mind last season en route to an All-NBA First Team selection only to lose in the first round, and it’s been noted that he has been critical of some past personnel moves, such as trading away Will Barton and letting Ed Davis go. He has also repeatedly said that he wants to win a chip in Portland, but with how flawed the roster is, it’s hard to see that happening, especially with how brutal the West is, especially this season. Look for Lillard (or McCollum) trade talks to heat up soon.
15. WASHINGTON WIZARDS
ESPN Projected Record: 44-38
538 Projected Record: 48-34
My Projected Record: 46-36
Players To Watch: Dwight Howard, C; John Wall, PG
This team definitely belongs on the #2 spot on the Meme Team Power Rankings, but alas, here they are in the real Power Rankings. They should improve solely on the fact that they replaced a rapidly declining Marcin Gortat with a still functional Dwight Howard, and to their credit, they also improved their bench with the additions of Austin Rivers and Jeff Green. If they are able to set aside their egos and work for the collective good of the team, they are going to be good. It’s just not happening. Bradley Beal has improved so much that it’s fair to wonder whose team this is. How is Wall going to take it if Beal becomes undoubtedly better than him? Or heck, how would the Wizards feel, knowing how much money they have tied up to Wall? This is a team that should threaten the single-season record for players-only meetings. Here’s to hoping the Wizards actually bond and perform to their best because the East could sure use another contender.
14. INDIANA PACERS
ESPN Projected Record: 47-35
538 Projected Record: 43-39
My Projected Record: 47-35
Players To Watch: Victor Oladipo, SG; Myles Turner, C
The surprise team of the 17-18 season, the Pacers shattered basically every expectations fans had for them, especially after the initially disappointing return for their former franchise star, Paul George. They were projected to win a measly 32 games, but Oladipo had something to say about that. I don’t really believe that players leaving Oklahoma City become better – context matters, like Oladipo being the lead guard in Indiana, something that was never going to happen with Russell Westbrook around, but to his credit, he took full advantage of the opportunity handed to him and he hasn’t looked back since. It’s now a matter of surrounding him with other stars, which the Pacers have yet to do. They made solid, yet unspectacular, signings, inking Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott to reasonable contracts, but for the Pacers to make the jump to the upper echelon of the league, they’d need any of Turner, Domantas Sabonis, or even Aaron Holiday to be a star, which looks unlikely, and Indiana has never been an attractive free-agent destination, so signing a star also seems far-fetched. But Indiana has a deep team, and they are a few pieces away from true contention.
13. MILWAUKEE BUCKS
ESPN Projected Record: 47-35
538 Projected Record: 47-35
My Projected Record: 47-35
Players To Watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF/PF/C; Khris Middleton, SG
It’s funny how dominant the Bucks can be in 2K, while being closer to mediocre than elite in the real world. When you look at Milwaukee’s roster construction, it’s a very ideal and complete roster – an all-world superstar (Antetokounmpo), a consistent second option (Middleton), a complementary ball-handling shot creator (Eric Bledsoe), three-and-D specialists (Tony Snell and Malcolm Brogdon), and defensively solid big men (John Henson and Thon Maker). It speaks volumes to the inability of both Jason Kidd and interim coach Joe Prunty to maximize the roster that the Bucks haven’t really made a huge leap despite Antetokounmpo’s massive improvement. With superstars leaving becoming more of a thing by the day, it’s fair to say that the Bucks are on the clock in keeping Giannis. However, with the additions of all-around offensive bigs Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova, along with the hiring of Coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks have more firepower than ever that it’d be a disappointment if they don’t make it to the second round.
