4. Cleveland Cavaliers

Record:50-32

Power-Rating: 7 

While the recent buzz seems to be slightly more centered around second-year power forward Evan Mobley, the other half of last year’s most dynamic front-court defensive duo, Jarrett Allen, is arguably one of the best and most versatile defending bigs in the league, averaging 10.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last season and will hopefully be back full-time after missing the end of last season due to injury. 

I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest Donovan Mitchell fan, but he fits in perfectly as a piece to taking this impressive young team to the next level and I’m willing to go all in on the Cav’s breaking the top 5 in part because of this. Also, the Cavaliers won 44 games last year and were 35-23 at the All-Star break before Jarrett Allen fractured his middle finger and Mobley additionally missed five games which can’t have helped. Therefore, this team has already proven they could be a winning team as is and now have a multi-time all star in place of Sexton, which allows LaVert to be a primary ball handler and energy guy off the bench, a role he is definitely better suited for.

I believe the fit here for Mitchell allows him to optimize his talents and this will also push Garland to take the next step in his stardom. Unlike Tre, Mitchell has already proven in the past as a shooting guard that he is a very capable off-the-ball scoring threat and I would actually argue he’s much better suited for it, although his play-making has developed over time which is an additional bonus. For Garland, who is already not only an impressive shooter, but also an arguably elite play-maker, it’s going to give him an optimal opportunity to continue to develop in that regard with the best guard he’s played next to.

The one downside of Cleveland’s guard duo, which still might prove to be the best in the NBA this season, is obviously the defensive liability has neither have shown much aptitude on that end in recent time. This, of course, is perfectly backed by Allen and Mobley who were probably the funnest front-court defensive duo to watch last season when both were healthy. Though they are both very switchable and versatile, one could argue the Cavs lack anyone to actually switch with those two on defense. However, I believe with a solid three and d guy (I think Okoro can step into this role) as well some seasoned bench guys like Kevin Love (who could be trade value before the deadline if they need an extra piece by the way to finish out the season), it’s not going to matter because of how how good these two are together on defense as well as how good the two guards with a developing Mobley are going to be on offense.

Lastly, Mobley very well could have been ROTY last year if the Cavs kept their momentum going and was still a formidable runner-up. I really believe he is going to develop into a continuous DOPY candidate who also could be a perennial all-star and I think his ceiling could be even higher than this. With a big four as good as any in the NBA, I think the Cavs can reach the 50 win mark if everyone stays healthy, which I believe they do within reason.

3. Boston Celtics 

Record: 52-30

Power-Rating: 8

Coming into just his second NBA season after only playing 26 games last year, Sam Hauser’s three point shooting looked unstoppable during the first two pre-season games. While he did cool a bit, he still shot 48% off of 6.8 attempts per game and also averaged 12 PPG and 4.3 RPG off 23 MPG. A Celtic’s version of Duncan Robinson who can occasionally make a lay up and grab a couple boards when his shot isn’t on? Sounds lethal to me.

Yes this could seem high if you point out that I am in fact a Celtics fan, but I’d like to point out that Vegas has them as the clear winner of the east still, which I believe is absurd. I don’t think the Celtics are going to have a better record than the two teams in the regular season and I’m fairly confident they won’t be able to overcome at least one if fully healthy in the playoffs. I do however think that, despite the Ime debacle and injuries of Williams and Galinari, this team is still a very deep defensive powerhouse that boasts two of the best young wings in the league surrounded by a versatile and competent core and I can think of several other reasons this team will remain highly competitive.

For starters, Joe Mazzula also has been with the team for multiple years and seems content to continue the plan the team stuck with last year. They’ve also proven they can win without Williams, but he’s expected to return within twelve weeks and if he does and is fully healthy, I believe this team will once again be elite after what I’ve seen so far with the starting core in the pre-season as well as projected back-up Noah Vonleh. Additionally, this team added Malcom Brogdon, a shooter who can put up 20 any given night as well as a creative playmaker, which were all boosts this team needed over the off-season. He also can play 1-3 and can be a solid wing defender, which was another need. His facilitating and willingness to come off the bench in the pre-season looked impeccable and added a whole other dimension to their offense.

Furthermore, Jaylen Brown looks incredible and I really think he is going to have an All-NBA season. He gets better every year, yes, but the guy wore the shoes he lost the finals in every day he went to the gym to work out this summer. That is some psycho shit. He also shot incredibly well (52 3p% off 6.5 attempts per game) and appeared to have much tighter handles, which I believe will propel him to the next level as he continues to develop court vision and adaptability as a rising star. I’m also not overly worried about Tatum in the sense I think he seems content to also impact the game through his playmaking, defense, and rebounding while still forever remaining a scoring threat even if he isn’t putting up the most points each game and that’s a big if.

Lastly, as I could go on about this team forever, Derrick White’s three point shooting looks not only competent, but incredible based on the pre-season glimpse (56% off 4.5 per attempts per game). While this certainly won’t last forever and White has been known to be a streaky shooter at best throughout his career, it shows us that he still got his dad swag on and is just another reason to be excited about this young Boston team.