It is no secret, but the Eastern Conference is weak. In a wide-open playoff race, the Orlando Magic could find a way to sneak into the postseason.
As chaos engulfed the NBA offseason, the Orlando Magic decided to stay relatively quiet. Orlando did not land a superstar or decide to clean house by trading pieces.
The rest of the conference did not follow suit. Paul George was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kyrie Irving made the move to the Boston Celtics. The New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls also moved on from stars Carmelo Anthony and Jimmy Butler.
Additionally, a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference decided to look toward the future. Both the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers have no expectations heading into the season and could potentially allow for young teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic to slide up in the standings.
Still, the powerhouses in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics remain. The top of the Eastern Conference will probably look the same. But, aside from those teams, the East might as well be the wild west.
The question on everyone’s mind is: Where does Orlando fit in?
On paper, most believe the Magic are returning to the lottery. But if players like Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton can take strides, Orlando just needs to play .500 basketball to return to the postseason.
Frankly, the Eastern Conference can be broken down into a handful of categories. The lottery-locks, the no-doubters, the probables and the borderline teams.
The lottery-locks feature teams like Chicago. Franchises that are building toward the future and have no expectations. While the no-doubters are the total opposite. The Clevelands of the conference led by superstars.
The probables and the borderline teams are almost in the same boat, but the probables have playoff-or-bust mentalities.