2023-24 Standings Predictions
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2023 3:59 pm
Alright, let's get it out there.
Western Conference
1 - Golden State Warriors
2 - Los Angeles Lakers
3 - Minnesota Timberwolves
4 - Denver Nuggets
5 - Dallas Mavericks
6 - Memphis Grizzlies
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7 - Phoenix Suns
8 - New Orleans Pelicans
9 - Sacramento Kings
10 - Oklahoma City Thunder
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11 - Los Angeles Clippers
12 - Portland Trail Blazers
13 - San Antonio Spurs
14 - Utah Jazz
15 - Houston Rockets
The Lakers will depend on Lebron's health. I think they could easily drop if he falls off. But they are rather deep, and I can see them handling themselves.
Suns: Beal is overrated, and Durant is 35 years old. And Nurkic? I don't like their chances.
Ultimately, the west is really balanced, and I don't see much separation between the 3rd and 11th seed.
Eastern Conference
1 - Milwaukee Bucks
2 - Boston Celtics
3 - Toronto Raptors
4 - Indiana Pacers
5 - Atlanta Hawks
6 - New York Knicks
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7 - Miami Heat
8 - Philadelphia 76ers
9 - Cleveland Cavaliers
10 - Brooklyn Nets
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11 - Chicago Bulls
12 - Orlando Magic
13 - Detroit Pistons
14 - Washington Wizards
15 - Charlotte Hornets
I totally expect the Bucks to dominate the East.
I think the Celtics' bench is worrisome, but their top 3, Jrue, Jaylen, and Jayson, should be good enough to propel them fairly high.
Raptors baby: I like our chances. If Barnes's 3pt shooting is a thing (5-11 in the pre-season), he'll be very difficult to stop. Also, our bench looks fairly stacked right now. To the point where, even with Koloko out, neither Boucher or Thaddeus have a role to play.
Haws: expecting a breakout season from AJ Griffin, to improve the Hawks from last year.
Heat: reliable bench, but I don't see a starting 5 there that can improve upon last year.
76ers: I fully expect the Nurse tenure in Philly to be a total catastrophe. PJ is an old man. Embiid won't handle Nurse's schemes and the stop-gap Bamba is about as low IQ as they come. Oubre is likely getting Nurse's "nope nope nope" dog house treatment. A few losses and a sub-par record, and my guess is that Embiid will be sharing his thoughts about his personal misery on twitter before Christmas.
I don't see the Cavs making their gig work unless Mobley brings on the juice and takes it to another level.
Nets: hard to gauge but I can see them taking a relative step back with the Hawks and Pacers improving.
Western Conference
1 - Golden State Warriors
2 - Los Angeles Lakers
3 - Minnesota Timberwolves
4 - Denver Nuggets
5 - Dallas Mavericks
6 - Memphis Grizzlies
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7 - Phoenix Suns
8 - New Orleans Pelicans
9 - Sacramento Kings
10 - Oklahoma City Thunder
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11 - Los Angeles Clippers
12 - Portland Trail Blazers
13 - San Antonio Spurs
14 - Utah Jazz
15 - Houston Rockets
The Lakers will depend on Lebron's health. I think they could easily drop if he falls off. But they are rather deep, and I can see them handling themselves.
Suns: Beal is overrated, and Durant is 35 years old. And Nurkic? I don't like their chances.
Ultimately, the west is really balanced, and I don't see much separation between the 3rd and 11th seed.
Eastern Conference
1 - Milwaukee Bucks
2 - Boston Celtics
3 - Toronto Raptors
4 - Indiana Pacers
5 - Atlanta Hawks
6 - New York Knicks
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7 - Miami Heat
8 - Philadelphia 76ers
9 - Cleveland Cavaliers
10 - Brooklyn Nets
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11 - Chicago Bulls
12 - Orlando Magic
13 - Detroit Pistons
14 - Washington Wizards
15 - Charlotte Hornets
I totally expect the Bucks to dominate the East.
I think the Celtics' bench is worrisome, but their top 3, Jrue, Jaylen, and Jayson, should be good enough to propel them fairly high.
Raptors baby: I like our chances. If Barnes's 3pt shooting is a thing (5-11 in the pre-season), he'll be very difficult to stop. Also, our bench looks fairly stacked right now. To the point where, even with Koloko out, neither Boucher or Thaddeus have a role to play.
Haws: expecting a breakout season from AJ Griffin, to improve the Hawks from last year.
Heat: reliable bench, but I don't see a starting 5 there that can improve upon last year.
76ers: I fully expect the Nurse tenure in Philly to be a total catastrophe. PJ is an old man. Embiid won't handle Nurse's schemes and the stop-gap Bamba is about as low IQ as they come. Oubre is likely getting Nurse's "nope nope nope" dog house treatment. A few losses and a sub-par record, and my guess is that Embiid will be sharing his thoughts about his personal misery on twitter before Christmas.
I don't see the Cavs making their gig work unless Mobley brings on the juice and takes it to another level.
Nets: hard to gauge but I can see them taking a relative step back with the Hawks and Pacers improving.