Official 2023-2024 D5 Predctions
Nov 1, 2023 16:33:54 GMT
Ian Noble, Glenn Robinson, and 8 more like this
Post by Jared Montini on Nov 1, 2023 16:33:54 GMT
Eastern Conference
2. Boston Celtics: Boston had a pretty disappointing season just a few months ago. Some may say it was a championship hangover. Others say the team needs to make a big move. They stayed relatively stagnant this off season from a roster perspective, which isn't a bad thing. They are absolutely loaded with talent. Murray-Brown-Lebron-Embiid is an insanely stacked team and the east should be nervous. If Lebron stays at his current rating, and the rest of the team stays healthy, there are few teams who can take these guys out
3. Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs have been very solid the past few years. Making the conference finals just 2 seasons ago. Since then, they have been ACTIVE in regard to trading. Adding stars such as Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. The Cavs biggest weakness last season was the lack of a good big man. They addressed that by dealing Dejounte Murray for Myles Turner. Outside of the 3 players I named, Hana has surrounded them with absolute snipers. Kennard,Niang,Yuta, and Hart are very good shooters who provide elite spacing for his stars. This is the best Cavs team to date and can win the East if things fall their way.
4. Detroit Pistons: Chauncey has been a fantastic GM since taking over Detroit a few years ago. They have a loaded roster filled with young talent with great upside. Armed with 4 players 85+, they will be a tough team to beat. The issue at hand for the Pistons is who is the star? Mitchell,Zion, and Edwards all have the potential to break out and be a top 10 player in the league. If one or even two can break into that 90+ rated tier, the Pistons will be trouble. Beware of Detroit!
5. New York Knicks: The Knicks had a pretty impressive season last year. Going from a lotto team to the playoffs a year later. Like Detroit, this roster is on the younger side. Their 2 best players are still on rookie deals! They weren't really able to add any more talent via free agency unfortunately, so I don’t see a deep playoff run this year. If Poole and or Mobley can break out to all-star level this season, they could play spoiler this postseason. Until then, they are just a solid playoff team.
6. Atlanta Hawks: Jay Z had an EOTY level year last season. He swindled bottom 5 gm Jared Montini and acquired a shit ton of 1sts as well as NBA phenom Victor Wembenyama. He may not have a deep team, but a Wemby increase at the ASB, should put this team as a low-end playoff squad! Hats off to Hov for finessing the idiot, Jared.
7. Indiana Pacers: Larry has assembled a really deep team. 6 players rated 80+. They do lack a true superstar having 0 90+ players. That caps there upside a ton. Look for them to make a move to either improve or rebuild a bit.
8. Milwaukee Bucks: Glenn has rebuilt the Bucks insanely fast after being a contender for years. They were nearly a playoff team last season and I think they will get in this year. They have plenty of assets to go for a young star upgrade if they want to go that direction. Even if they don't, Garland and Scottie Barnes will help run the offense, while DPOY candidate Brook Lopez mans the paint. They will need some leaps from the younger guys to be anything more than a play in a team, but the talent is there!
Western Conference
2. Golden State Warriors: Is anyone else sick of this team's dominance for the last 5 decades? No? Well good, because Chris Mullin is not going away. Steph Curry still looks like a top 5 player and Kd isn't far behind. He has been a brilliant drafter as well, giving him cheap depth in Kessler, Anthony, and Bey. Mcdaniels is also super underrated and an elite defender. If healthy, this team could win its 50th title with ease.
3. Memphis Grizzlies: No clue who the GM is, but it doesn't matter. The roster is set in stone for now with a full roster loaded with great players. Kawhi and PG13 should be able to dominate as long as they are healthy. Rudy Gobert is still an elite inside presence, and CJ and Spence provide solid guard play. I do think age and or injury will hit this team, causing them to regress a little. At the end of the day they can still win the title behind superstar Kawhi Leonard
4. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have been consistently solid since George Gervin had Luka magically fall in his lap. He has done a pretty solid job getting him some help, by adding Bam Adebayo. Bam is a perfect pairing as he is an elite defender and fits in Lukas timeline. To surround this dynamic duo, GG has a ton of role players with 6 77-79 overalls. He also has elite sniper Bojan Bogdaovic who needs to get healthy. The Spurs seem to be missing a 3rd all-star that most other teams seem to have. At the end of the day, as long as he has Luka, you can not sleep on them.
5. Utah Jazz: The Jazz have been through a lot this past year. They took the league by storm by making an all-time great big 3 last season with Harden-Tatum-Butler. It ended up going horribly wrong as they could not win a simple playoff series. This offseason they retooled and downgraded from Harden to Marcus Smart and lost a ton of depth. Tatum and Butler are a polarizing duo, so they have a chance to make a run, but they lack bigs. If they can add a solid center at the deadline there may be some potential. Until then, look for the Jazz to be a round 1 loser again
6. Phoenix Suns: Bradley Stevens has been a genius since taking PHX from bottom 5 gm Jared Montini . He has 2 budding stars in SGA and Mikal Bridges. They have insane depth as well as being very young. They have the chance to consolidate assets as well to find a true 3rd all-star. This team has insane upside and could make a run in the postseason.
7. New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans are solid. They have a 3-man core of Trae,Fox,JJJ. Unfortunately for Scal, they have had another brutal FA attempt. They are now out of cap room for the future and need to rely on Trae or Fox to hit that 90+ rating. Trae has been brutal as of late and not looking promising. Will a potential Vassell leap help them make a run? Until we see some changes, they lack the star power to make a legit playoff run.
8. Sacramento Kings: Amare will always be Amare. He has been insanely active in the trade market this offseason. He was able to create a pretty deep lineup. Dejounte Murray and Demar Derozan are all stars who can lead this team to the playoffs. They were able to re-sign Grant, Sexton, and Ayton as well. They do still lack a true alpha, but the Kings should be feisty.
Championship Prediction
The Brooklyn Nets will defeat the Houston Rockets in 5 games. A Tom vs Josh finals would have insane ratings. I don't even want to imagine the drama that will ensue. I feel the Nets edge them out by a little, due to Jokic being the best player alive. The Rockets also don't have a 2nd star to rival Booker or AD.Award Predictions
MVP: Nikola Jokic(BKN)
DPOTY: Rudy Gobert(MEM)
6MOTY: Norm Powell(HOU)
MIP: Cam Thomas(CHA)
ROTY: Victor Wembanyam(ATL)
EOTY: Jay Z