If there’s one thing that we know after watching last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs, it’s that we don’t know anything.
As usual, we enter the 2025-26 season with significantly more questions than answers. But that feeling is exacerbated in an increasingly bewildering Eastern Conference, where two teams look like the favourites and the rest is a hodgepodge of unfulfilled potential, injury concerns and young cores hoping to take the next step.
Though confusion is at an all-time high, nothing can be solved until regular-season play tips off on Oct. 21. So without further ado, here’s one burning question for each team in an increasingly bewildering Eastern Conference.
Atlanta Hawks: Can active off-season translate to regular-season success?
On paper, the Hawks may have had one of the best off-seasons in the NBA this summer, adding Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. But the game isn’t played on paper.
While Porzingis projects to be a multi-faceted upgrade over the one-dimensional Clint Capela, health remains a concern. When he did suit up last year, he averaged 19.5 a night while shooting 41.2 per cent from range, which should give assist-leader Trae Young a massive new weapon.
Defence remains a question, but the addition of Alexander-Walker should give them a boost, while his and Kennard’s shooting adds to the spacing. It’s an intriguing team built around Young’s strengths and weaknesses; it’s time to see where he can take them.
Boston Celtics: Will Jayson Tatum really be back in time for playoffs?
Only five months removed from an Achilles tear, Jayson Tatum is already back on the court and looking to play himself into shape.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The chance that he returns by the new year is slim, let alone dangerous. Chances are he won’t return until late in the season, if at all. But is that all the Celtics really need?
They still have Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, a reinvigorated Derrick White and an intriguing scorer in Anfernee Simons. If the Celtics can keep their head above water in a weak East, get into the playoffs as a lower seed, and welcome Tatum back into the mix during the playoffs, could they make some noise come May?
Brooklyn Nets: How does massive — but confusing — draft class make impact in Year 1?
Comparison is the thief of joy, but the last time a team made four picks in the first round of the draft in 2009, the Timberwolves landed Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington and whiffed on Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Jrue Holiday.
It’s not to say the Nets made the wrong choice in each spot, but sometimes having too many chances at the quiz gives you a sense that you can’t fail. They wound up with Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, who are intriguing but are far from sure things, veering closer to project than plug-and-play.
The Nets surely don’t come into the year expecting to compete, which should give them a good runway to see what they’ve got in their chocolate box of prospects, but it’s gonna be an ugly season.
Charlotte Hornets: Can LaMelo Ball find a balance between flair and floor?
LaMelo Ball might’ve put up the highlight of the pre-season this week, nutmegging Jock Landale then throwing up an underhand lefty lob to Brandon Miller in transition. It was LaMelo at his most genuine.
He plays with a joie de vivre, a game crafted by years of playing HORSE and spending more time figuring out what he can’t do than what he can. The talent has never been the point of contention; it’s always just been about whether it can translate into winning basketball.
Coming into Year 6, something has to change in Buzz City. The front office bet on Ball’s ceiling-raising capabilities by drafting floor raisers like Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley and Ryan Kalkbrenner, and anything other than a play-in spot would call into question Ball’s ability to be anything more than a Baz Luhrmann movie — all style, no substance.
Chicago Bulls: Is Josh Giddey’s end-of-season stretch the real deal?
When the Bulls chose to swap Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey last summer, the move came with the ire of the analytics community.
The Timothee Chalamet lookalike silenced those doubters in the last couple months of the regular season. Over his final 20 games, Giddey averaged 21 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 47.1 per cent from three. Those percentages are unlikely to stay stable, but Giddey looked every part an offensive engine, capturing a scoring touch he didn’t have in OKC while still setting the table.
If what Giddey showed at the end of the year is legit, his four-year, $100 million contract will look like a steal. If not, well, the Bulls were in the midst of a rebuild anyway.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Are the Cavaliers more than a regular-season juggernaut?
64 wins, the most since the 2008-09 season with LeBron James, but what does it matter if you get smoked by the Pacers in Round 2?
For the most part, the Cavaliers will be running back the same team they had last year, but with an extended look at wing De’Andre Hunter. They also swapped Ty Jerome for Lonzo Ball, choosing defence over offence, but overall doesn’t move the needle much, if at all.
But nothing they do during the regular season — save for a record-breaking or mind-bogglingly disappointing campaign — should matter in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are too talented and the East is too weak for them to settle for anything less than a Finals appearance.
Detroit Pistons: Can Cade Cunningham make the MVP leap?
Where Cade Cunningham goes, the Pistons go. He proved as much last season, guiding his team to the sixth seed in the East while averaging 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists.
Now, with an All-NBA nod to his name and some playoff experience under his belt, the only step remaining for him is entering the MVP stratosphere.
On one hand, the loss of Malik Beasley will hurt, and an injury to Jaden Ivey calls into question the team’s depth in the backcourt. On the other, Ron Holland and Ausar Thompson are expected to progress. But in all, the team will rest on the shoulders of Cunningham, and should he be willing, a place in the MVP conversation is there for the taking.
Indiana Pacers: How will Andrew Nembhard fare as lead ball-handler without Haliburton?
Speaking of a team that marched to the beat of its star player’s drum, the Pacers were built on the speed at which Tyrese Haliburton can run the offence.
With Haliburton likely out for the season with a torn Achilles, the lead ball-handling duties will fall to Canadian Andrew Nembhard. The Aurora, Ont., native has been solid in his absence, averaging 13.0 points and 6.8 assists in 43 career games without Haliburton, but he’ll be counted on to up those numbers in 82 without him if the Pacers want to recreate any of the magic of their Finals run.
While Pascal Siakam will surely be the focal point of the offence, Nembhard will have to be the guy to set him up for success.
Miami Heat: Is it finally time for the Heat to blow it up? Or is a blockbuster trade on the horizon?
Whenever a superstar finds himself on the trading block, the Heat always seem to be the first name in the hat — though it’s been a while since they got pulled. That inability to secure another star beside Jimmy Butler led to him finally forcing his way out last year, relegating the Heat to the outskirts of the playoff picture.
While they still have stars like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, and have added solid ancillary pieces in Norm Powell and Andrew Wiggins, the Heat have always built themselves around superstars.
It’s unclear who that player may be (maybe the next team might provide a solution?), but if they can’t find that game-changing talent, could it be time for the Heat to truly rebuild for the first time since 2003?
Milwaukee Bucks: How can the Bucks convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay?
There comes a point in a relationship where you go out of your way to buy flowers, spend money on nice dinners, take extra time to vacuum the house and even hit the gym, hoping that it can restore that honeymoon phase you enjoyed all those years ago.
The Bucks are there, but there are only so many Antetokounmpo brothers they can sign to help their cause. The only thing that matters to Giannis Antetokounmpo is winning, and it’s hard to envision the Bucks being a winning situation.
It’s not for a lack of trying. The decision to sign Myles Turner was a good one, giving Giannis the spacing at the five he needs in the paint. But their supporting cast of Kyle Kuzma, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and a group of other middling players is hardly a strong selling point. This season is boom or bust for Milwaukee, and if they suffer another first-round defeat or worse, it’s likely the end of their time with Giannis.
New York Knicks: Will increased depth, new coaching be the key?
Considering the injury history of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, to get at least 65 games from each in the regular season was nothing short of a miracle, especially considering the minute loads former coach Tom Thibodeau put on them.
That shouldn’t be the case this year, as savvy off-season signings of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele could help this team be in top form come playoff time.
Can the new pieces, along with new head coach Mike Brown — who should be more willing to experiment than Thibs — be what New York needs to finally get back to the big dance and send the city into a frenzy?
Orlando Magic: Is Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane the best trio in the East?
While the Hawks may have had the best off-season by volume, the singular most impactful move could be the deal for Desmond Bane.
The Magic were by far the worst three-point shooting team last year, hitting only 31.8 per cent of their 35.3 attempts per game, and while Banchero and Wagner are both impressive offensive pieces, their inability to space meant they would get in each other’s ways and turn a strength into redundancy.
With Bane and his career 41 three-point percentage joining the mix, the Magic took the first massive step in rectifying that issue. The 27-year-old guard will have free rein to fire away and should still add to the Magic’s defensive identity.
Philadelphia 76ers: Do injuries force 76ers to transition to new era?
Whatever your thoughts on Embiid are, there’s no denying how incredible a player he is. It’s an all-time tragedy how big a role injuries have played in his career, and it’s fair to question whether we’ll see him be at 100 per cent ever again.
But with a little lottery luck and some smart drafting, the 76ers have set themselves up to move on should Embiid be on the way out or should Paul George continue to fall below expectations.
With Tyrese Maxey already steering the ship, a third-overall pick spent on athletic marvel VJ Edgecombe, and promising youngsters like Jared McCain, Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona and Justin Edwards filling out the gaps, the main question is how/if the 76ers should offload Embiid and George.
Toronto Raptors: Can Brandon Ingram’s scoring touch unlock Scottie Barnes?
Well, the pre-season results sure haven’t looked promising.
The Raptors didn’t sign Ingram and extend Barnes for the pre-season, though — what matters is how Ingram’s pull-up scoring can give Barnes an outlet to work down low and use his point-forward abilities to create in space.
It was never going to be an easy task, especially with a starting five that struggles to space beyond Ingram — who prefers the mid-range anyway — and Immanuel Quickley. But this was a move meant to build around Barnes for the foreseeable future, giving him and the team a reliable scorer when the offence dries up, as it did so many times last season.
But if Barnes keeps forcing the issue from three-point range or trying the unimpressive jumpers that have led to his paltry 6 points per game on 20 per cent from the field and 0 per cent from deep, it could call into question whether he’s a player worth building around in the first place.
Washington Wizards: What does second-year leap from Alex Sarr look like?
The Wizards have had some horrendous lottery luck in recent years. While 2025 No. 6 pick Tre Johnson and his three-point shooting acumen should serve well, the Wizards will continue to have to hang their hat on the development of 2024 second-overall pick Alex Sarr.
Though it wasn’t a groundbreaking rookie season by any stretch, it was never expected to be, as the young Frenchman was regarded as a project. He certainly looked the part of an unfinished player in the first half of the year, and though he still struggled with efficiency in the last month, the signs were there as he averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks a night.
Year 2, with the Wizards still firmly out of contention, should be about honing those skills and ironing out his fundamentals. The raw ability is there, but this process calls for patience.
