Ranking the best potential defensive teams in the Eastern Conference

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Ish Smith, Philadelphia 76ers, Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic

Feb 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) dribbles against the defense of Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Orlando Magic won 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

With less than two weeks before the start of training camp, we rank the top eight defensive teams in the East heading into the 2016-17 season.

The Eastern Conference looks totally different from a season ago.

Most teams in the East have re-tooled their rosters this offseason in an attempt to overthrow the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers led by LeBron James.

The Toronto Raptors blew the chance to overthrow the Cavaliers last year, and lost a key piece to their defensive identity when Bismack Biyombo left for Central Florida.

Most teams like the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks all upgraded defensively.

Some teams in the East needed more defense while others needed more offense. In the case of the young Orlando Magic, defense was a clear priority.

So much so the organization hired a defensive-minded head coach in Frank Vogel and sacrificed sharp-shooting forward Ersan Ilyasova, its first-round selection in Domantas Sabonis and their second-leading scorer in Victor Oladipo to bring in Serge Ibaka to help bolster its frontcourt.

They also brought in a defensive-minded small forward in Jeff Green.

Whether or not these offseason moves will increase the Magic’s win total for the upcoming remains to be seen. Although most critics have the Magic looking on the outside of the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, there now is intrigue within the locker room.

There is a legitimate pressure to be great, which has eluded the Magic for quite some time. It all starts with the defensive personnel and trickles down to the playoff experience within the offseason acquisitions.

Creating a healthy chemistry between lineups and learning how to play with one another may be one of the biggest obstacles facing this year’s team. Frank Vogel will have to find the right starting players who complement each other well.

That will be the job of every coach in the Eastern Conference after these massive changes to rosters. With that being said some team had to come out on top and some team had to fall at the bottom.

Here is our top eight defensive Eastern Conference teams for the 2016-17 year.

Next: Hall of Fame backcourt?