The Toronto Raptors set a franchise record with 49 wins in 2014-15 to win the Atlantic division – finishing nine wins up on the Boston Celtics. The Raptors were quickly dismissed in the opening round of the playoffs when they were swept in four games by the Washington Wizards and while there was a lot of talk about the team blowing things up in the offseason, that simply didn’t happen. Toronto reloaded with a strong offseason and while a couple of other teams made quality moves, they are still projected as the Atlantic division favorites in 2015-16. Here is a look at what to expect in the Atlantic this season.
1. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors largely kept their core intact with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan brought back and center Jonas Valanciunas signed to an extension. Toronto opted to let Amir Johnson sign with the Boston Celtics and traded Greivis Vasquez but they added free agents DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph to the mix and they could be better off because of it.
Carroll was overshadowed on a deep Atlanta team but is a versatile forward that can do it all while Joseph is expected to play a more prominent role with the Raptors than he did in San Antonio with talk that he could share a backcourt with Lowry while DeRozan is potentially moved to the wing. Toronto might not be talented enough to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference but they have more than enough talent to take care of their business in the Atlantic and anything less than another division title would be a disappointment.
2. Boston Celtics
Boston overachieved with a young roster last season thanks in part to the job done by head coach Brad Stevens and the fact that the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers were two of the worst teams in the NBA. The fact that the Celtics still finished nine games back of the Raptors is a testament to that they still have a long way to go but the Brooklyn Nets could take a step back and the 76ers are nowhere closer to competing for a playoff spot so the division is wide open behind Toronto. The additions of Johnson and David Lee should help and while it won’t be enough to put them over the top Boston is certainly a young team on the rise in the Atlantic.
3. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have been retooling their roster but it will be one more year until they really have financial freedom. That’s because Joe Johnson is in the final year of his contract and his $25 million will come off the books.
While they’re not going to compete for a title, it’s hard to say that this team is any worse than the one who went 38-44 and snuck into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Deron Williams won’t be missed while the additions of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Wayne Ellington and Shane Larkin should infuse some much-needed youth. Also, giving a bigger role to Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young should help too. There’s not a lot to get excited about with the Nets but they should be around .500 this season, which makes them the third-best team in the division.
4. New York Knicks
The Knicks are hoping that they can possibly leapfrog Brooklyn and push for a playoff spot and that’s not an unreasonable goal. Carmelo Anthony’s return alone should provide a major spark and New York added some key veteran players in Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams and Arron Afflalo as well as a pair of first round picks in Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant. 38 wins was all it took to get into the playoffs last season and if everything goes right, the Knicks might be in that range in 2015-16.
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5. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are still a mess and it’s unclear what their plans are. Are they actually going to try in 2015-16 or are they tanking for another high draft pick? They’ll be without Joel Embiid for the entire season – again – and they spent another offseason making sure they didn’t find a veteran supporting cast for their youngsters. We’re looking at a starting lineup of Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Jerami Grant, Robert Covington and Tony Wroten. Hopefully Okafor turns into a nice piece and Noel continues to develop, but this is easily one of the worst starting fives in the NBA.
