My power rankings before LeBron makes his decision. He’s taking too long, and I’m about to leave on my mission, so my hand has been forced:
1 – San Antonio Spurs
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Dylan Harper
SG – Stephon Castle
SF – Devin Vassell
PF – Julian Champagnie
C – Victor Wembanyama
The Spurs will only be better next year. Another year of development for their young trio of Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, and Wemby plus the addition Tobias Harris. I am curious what is going to happen with De’Aaron Fox. He was terrible in the finals, and he is not a good fit with Wemby. Dylan Harper is better, and Fox is making a lot of money. There are teams out there that need a PG, so there should be a market for him. If I was the Spurs, I would trade him.
2 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG – Cason Wallace
SF – Jalen Williams
PF – Chet Holmgren
C – Isaiah Hartenstein
They lost several players, and yet they should be better next year. J Dub is healthy again and they get a full year of Jared McCain. They are still probably the deepest team in the league.
3 – Philadelphia 76ers
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Tyrese Maxey
SG – VJ Edgecombe
SF – Jaylen Brown
PF – Dean Wade
C – Joel Embiid
The 76ers are a title contender without LeBron. With LeBron, they might just be a shew-in to win the East. They have a championship winning coach, 3 All-NBA level players, a rising star in VJ Edgecombe, and good depth. They are super dangerous.
4 – Indiana Pacers
Projected Starting Lineup
PG – Tyrese Haliburton
SG – Andrew Nembhard
SF – Aaron Nesmith
PF – Pascal Siakam
C – Ivica Zubac
Guess what? Haliburton owns New York, and he’s back. This roster looks better than the one that should have won in the finals a couple years ago. This team will be back with something to prove, and I would not want to run into them in the playoffs.
5 – New York Knicks
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Jalen Brunson
SG – OG Anunoby
SF – Mikal Bridges
PF – Josh Hart
C – Karl Anthony-Towns
The Knicks had one of the most dominant runs I have ever seen, and you can’t take that away from them. However, before that run, they were pretty mediocre. Can they stay hot? OG and KAT played way better than ever had before. Can we expect them to sustain that success? Maybe to an extent, but don’t be surprised if they aren’t as dominant as they were in the playoffs last year.
6 – Minnesota Timberwolves
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – LaMelo Ball
SG – Anthony Edwards
SF – Ayo Dosunmu
PF – Jaden McDaniels
C – Rudy Gobert
I really don’t like this team’s front court, but that won’t stop them from being really good. They have one of the best individual offensive players (Ball), one of the best indivisual defensive players (Gobert), and a top 5 player (Edwards) all on the same team, plus McDaniels, who is one of my favorite role players in the NBA. If Ayo can play like he did in the playoffs, this team will be a really good, but I don’t know if they have the depth for a championship… unless they get LeBron.
7 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – James Harden
SG – Donovan Mitchell
SF – Max Strus
PF – Evan Mobley
C – Jaret Allen
I think this is where LeBron is going to go, but I’ll just talk about them as if they don’t have him. They are basically the same as last year. Really good, but no championship ceiling. James Harden SUCKED major BALLS in the playoffs. They were really good in the regular season though. If they get LeBron, they could be a contender, but for now, ECF is the best case scenario.
8 – Detroit Pistons
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Cade Cunnigham
SG – Duncan Robinson
SF – Ausar Thompson
PF – John Collins
C – Jalen Duren
Is this roster better than they were last year? Maybe a little bit. If Duren locks in and plays in the playoffs like he does in the regular season, they could win the East. If not, they will have a similar result to last season.
9 – Denver Nuggets
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Jamal Murray
SG – Christian Braun
SF – Cam Johnson
PF – Aaron Gordon
C – Nikola Jokic
They will be worse than last year, and obviously that team wasn’t championship-caliber. This team needs to shake things up. Honestly, I would trade just about everyone and build around Jokic and Peyton Watson. Murray needs to go, and probably Gordon too.
10 – Boston Celtics
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Derrick White
SG – Payton Pritchard
SF – Paul George
PF – Jayson Tatum
C – Mitchell Robinson
The Celtics were really good last year, and that roster was (mostly) worse than this year’s. Remember, they didn’t have Tatum for most of the year. Tatum is better than Jaylen Brown. The surrounding talent is better than it was for Brown last year. Their record might improve, but that doesn’t mean they are a championship contender. They lost to the Sixers last year, who didn’t even have Embiid for the whole series. They need some people to breakout if they want to get back to the Finals.
11 – Houston Rockets
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Fred VanVleet
SG – Amen Thompson
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Jabari Smith Jr
C – Alperen Sengun
This team will be better just because they are healthy. Personally, I think they should trade Sengun. He isn’t good enough on defense to be a $35 million+ a year center to build around, and is scoring isn’t good enough to make up for that lack of defense.
12 – Los Angeles Lakers
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Luka Doncic
SG – Austin Reaves
SF – Quentin Grimes
PF – Sandro Mamukelashvili
C – Walker Kessler
This team just looks like a less good version of the Mavericks team Luka took to the finals. Emphasis on less good. They will make the playoffs, and they might even win a series, but they would need some luck to get further than that.
13 – Toronto Raptors
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Immanuel Quickley
SG – RJ Barrett
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Scottie Barnes
C – Jakob Poeltl
This team could be really good assuming the Leonard trade goes through. They are really good, there isn’t much else to say, I just think these other teams ahead of them are more proven.
14 – Miami Heat
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Davion Mitchell
SG – Tim Hardaway Jr
SF – Andrew Wiggins
PF – Giannis Antetokounmpo
C – Bam Adebayo
This team’s defense should be one of the best. Spoelstra is probably the best coach in the NBA. Now he has a top 5 player in Giannis. If he stays healthy, this team could be dangerous. I just worry about their depth, especially in the backcourt.
15 – Phoenix Suns
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Jalen Green
SG – Devin Booker
SF – Dillon Brooks
PF – Miles Bridges
C – Mark Williams
This team was a pleasant surprise last year, and I think they will be even better this year, though I don’t think they are a serious contender.
16 – Portland Trailblazers
PG – Ja Morant
SG – Damian Lillard
SF – Toumani Camara
PF – Deni Avdija
C – Donovan Clingan
I’d imagin this team will probably trade one of their guards and get some front court depth. This team is really good, just nothing spectacular… unless Ja and Dame play like they did a few years ago.
17 – Golden State Warriors
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Steph Curry
SG – Brandin Podziemski
SF – Jimmy Butler
PF – Draymond Green
C – Kristaps Porzingis
Steph is past his prime. Jimmy is coming off injury. Tingus Pingus will probably get injured. The rest of the team isn’t that great. They’ll be lucky to make the playoffs.
18 – Charlotte Hornets
PG – Coby White
SG – Kon Knueppel
SF – Brandon Miller
PF – Naz Reid
C – Moussa Diabate
This team is good, but without LaMelo, I doubt they will be as good unless Kon and Brandon take big steps forward. They will be good, but with so many teams around them making significant win-now moves, they have been left in the dust.
19 – Atlanta Hawks
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – CJ McCollum
SG – Nikeil Alexander-Walker
SF – Dyson Daniels
PF – Jalen Johnson
C – Onyeka Okongwu
They made some really good moves to improve their depth, but their high end talent doesn’t really match the rest of the East. They could still make the playoffs, but I highly doubt it.
20 – Dallas Mavericks
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Kyrie Irving
SG – Klay Thompson
SF – Cooper Flagg
PF – PJ Washington
C – Daniel Gafford
I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about this team. Kyrie’s return and Cooper Flagg’s 2nd year are both things othe teams should be scared of. They will be pretty good, and they could make the playoffs.
21 – Orlando Magic
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Jalen Suggs
SG – Desmond Bane
SF – Franz Wagner
PF – Paolo Banchero
C – Wendell Carter Jr
The Desmond Bane trade may go down as one of the dumbest trades in NBA history. They really thought they were a player away. Bane is probably their best player right now, but that isn’t a good thing. Paolo plateaued hard. Franz can’t stay healthy. I think they should trade either Franz or Paolo.
22 – Utah Jazz
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Keyonte George
SG – Darryn Peterson
SF – Lauri Markkanen
PF – Jaren Jackson Jr
C – Jusuf Nurkic
The Jazz have a really good young corps, and a couple good veterand to go with it. I still think they are a year away though.
23 – Washington Wizards
PG – Trae Young
SG – Kyshawn George
SF – AJ Dybantsa
PF – Anthony Davis
C – Alex Sarr
This team looks pretty good on paper, but AD will surely get injured, and, honestly, I think Trae Young is among the most overrated players in the NBA. They’ll be decent, but they won’t make the playoffs.
24 – Los Angeles Clippers
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Darius Garland
SG – Bennedict Mathurin
SF – Brandon Ingram
PF – Rui Hachimura
C – Brook Lopez
This team has a lot of good players, but not any great players. They could sneak into the playoffs, but I doubt it.
25 – New Orleans Pelicans
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Dejounte Murray
SG – Herb Jones
SF – Trey Murphy III
PF – Zion Williamson
C – Derik Queen
This team should be better, but they aren’t. The Pelicans are doomed to be the Pelicans.
26 – Chicago Bulls
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Josh Giddey
SG – Norman Powell
SF – Matas Buzelis
PF – Caleb Wilson
C – Nic Claxton
This team is interesting, but I don’t think they’ll be good.
27 – Milwaukee Bucks
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG – Ryan Rollins
SG – Tyler Herro
SF – Jaime Jaquez Jr
PF – Kyle Kuzma
C – Myles Turner
This team is going to be pretty bad.
28 – Brooklyn Nets
PG – Egor Demin
SG – Mikel Brown Jr
SF – Michael Porter Jr
PF – Julius Randle
C – Day’Ron Sharpe
MPJ and Dubious Handle together should be fun.
29 – Sacramento Kings
PG – Darius Acuff
SG – Zach LaVine
SF – De’Andre Hunter
PF – Keegan Murray
C – Domantas Sabonis
I like the Acuff pick.
30 – Memphis Grizzlies
PG – Ty Jerome
SG – Cedric Coward
SF – Cameron Boozer
PF – Jerami Grant
C – Zach Edey
Yikes. Sorry Memphis fans. Boozer will probably be good.
JacobErwin.com 