Atlantic Division Preview

The Atlantic Division, comprised of Boston, Brooklyn, Philly, Toronto, and New York, was one of the league�s most competitive last season.  It was a mix of contending teams and hopefuls, led by NSL juggernauts in Toronto and New York, with young teams looking to blossom like the Celtics, 6ers, and Nets.  The Knicks paced the division last year with a 57-25 record good for 4^th in the East but were bounced in the 2^nd round of the playoffs after a hotly contested 7 game series with the eventual Eastern Conference Champion.  Boston and Brooklyn return much of the minutes from last year�s squad, but there were significant changes made to the other three teams that should have them headed one way or another.  

Team to beat: The team to beat on paper appears to be the Knicks, but at the time of writing they have gotten off to a lackluster 0-2 start on the season.  Boston has always been primed for a breakout season, and perhaps this is the year, but with major regression from James Wiseman, the clock may be ticking for Boston to consolidate more and make the final contending move many have expected for years.  Brooklyn is a 3 headed juggernaut, but not a threat for the division title if they don�t have the health of all 3 of their stars.  Toronto is a major unknown, going through a total renovation from this year to last, that began at the deadline.  They rely on a ton of youth, which doesn�t often translate to early wins in the NSL.  Though the early indications are they have perhaps taken a mini step back too, the Knicks are the odds-on favorites to retain the division crown. 

Key Story Line:

Redemption: New York Knicks, 57-25

Marcus Smart, Juluis Randle, Bobby Portis, and Terrance Mann are all gone.  Part of a meticulous reshaping process once again undertaken by GM Smokey to best position his team for another run.  In comes Derrick White, Zach Collins, and Chris Paul, amongst others.  There�s another year of development and tendency building for the Knicks young players in Cole Anthony and Walker Kessler that should only add to their potency.  The Knicks on paper have turned in some of their star power for additional depth, a move Smokey is hoping will pay off.  There are additional conversations rumored to be happening in New York, and if history is any barometer, these moves will put Smokey in an even better position to compete. 

Foxadelphia: Philadelphia 76ers, 39-43

The 6ers were dealt a couple of costly blows before the season even began.  Steven Adams will miss the entire season with injury, just months after Ben moved on from 76ers big man, Rudy Gobert.  The 6ers still head into the season with a strong trio of guards in DeAaron Fox, Malcolm Brogdon, and the newest 76er Russell Westbrook, but they are lacking in the big man department, as evident by some off season moves that saw the 6ers bringing in big men.  Fox is a fantastic NSL player, one of the better NSL all-time PGs, but even he has a tough task ahead of him, in trying to carry this team to a post-season berth.  Ben is a veteran NSL GM, and I�d expect him to decide on a direction one way or the other, sooner rather than later, to put his team in the best position for the current or future, or when referencing Ben, probably both.  This team more than ever needs the gentle touch of the leagues most giving teacher to navigate these treacherous waters. 

Youth in Revolt: Toronto Raptors, 49-33

Jimmy Butler and DeAndre Ayton were here last season, now they are both gone.  Some may say on to greener pastures, as the Wolves and Wizards appear to be teams competing at the upper echelon of the NSL, and the Raptors are�well what are they?  They are a young, defensive minded team, who might surprise some early.  We just aren�t sure at this time which of the league�s fans, or commentators they will surprise.  GM Dylan has been a hot early pick for GM of the year, mostly due to the league�s admiration in Dylans ability to reshape his team, while seeming to have an incredibly high competitive ceiling, all while getting younger.  Not many teams or GM�s can get a team potentially more competitive, and younger all in 1 off-season.    The former Philly Big Man in Gobert did not stray far, staying within the Atlantic Division, returning to Toronto after a brief hiatus in Philly, and a briefer off-season stay in Los-Angeles.  Chet Holmgren, Keegan Murray, and Amen Thompson make up an exciting young trio of players who should don a Raptors uniform for quite some time.   The jewel of the free agency period was Dylan slipping the bottle from under Yeet�s nose as he slept.  Or sorry, Yeet maintained his bottle, but lost his key free agent in DeAngelo Russel.  Nothing is sweeter than free stuff. 

Holding Stock: Brooklyn Nets, 26-56

The Brooklyn Net�s finished last season with a record of 26-56, good for a 13^th place finish in the Eastern Conference.  The team is almost identical to the iteration that finished in Brooklyn last season, but this year, the expectations remain the same, playoffs, and we will see.  So, what gives?  What happened within a year span that this team can remain confident that they might have something as currently constructed?  Well, the strange answer is, much of the same.  Many last season pegged Brooklyn as a team on the up. They have 2 premiere guards in Kyrie Irving and Jamal Murray, and a dominant offensive wing in Lauri Markkanen.  Now unfortunately for GM Breece, those players� talents weren�t on par with their NBA output, which led to the team being where they were.  Perhaps this 2k will be kinder to the nets with their trio of stars, and premiere role player in KCP.  I partially expect this to be the last run for the current iteration of the Nets.  If they have another down season, Breece will likely close the book on the 3 current stars and move 1 and/or role players for someone who fits the team better.  If they meet expectations and rise to the occasion, I�d expect Breece to allow that excitement to a win-now move to better position the team for contention.  Either way, this trio does not seem long for Brooklyn, or so I believe. 

The IRS: Boston Celtics, 51-31

I gave Boston the title of The IRS because I can imagine that is GM Toby�s mantra around the team this year.  It�s time for some of these picks to pay some dividends.  The Celtics are bookended by perennial superstar Jayson Tatum, and he looked like he had a real running mate in Darius Garland.  Toby has boycotted NBA Cavs games, as Bickerstaff and Co. seem to have different plans, as Garland has played a deferred role to Donovan Mitchell, and even Evan Mobley to start the season, with Max Strus and Caris Levert popping up occasionally as well.  James Wiseman and Johnny Davis are NBA busts, Deni Avdija, Moses Moody, Jeremy Sochan, Kuminga and Sengun are fine NBA players, but they don�t provide much value as NSL players.  That is 7 picks within the top 15, and of those 7 picks, only Wiseman provides the impact you�d expect from such high value picks, and he may not be long for the NBA.  Perhaps GM Toby will finally give up his search for a high performing draft pick and turn some of those future assets into a player who can help the team win more now.  To this point, GM Toby has remained steadfast on not wanting to deal any of the aforementioned players, with the exception of Johnny Davis.  Unfortunately, with every day that passes, the value continues to lessen, while Toby holds onto hope that one or multiple will have an eventual breakthrough, that has yet to come.  Boston should be right about where they were last season, this season, barring a major stray from GM Toby�s wait and see approach. 

Five best players:

1)     Celtics, Jayson Tatum

Tatum is a top 5 player in the NBA, and likely top 10 in the NSL.  He can score at an insane clip, and defend better than his NBA counterpart seemingly does, which makes for a potent 2-way forward.  He can create as well when needed, though much of the Boston offense is run through Garland.  Tatum loves his iso opportunities and sees many of his points by way of his own creation. 

2)     Knicks, Kawhi Leonard

When Kawhi is healthy and on his game, he is as good if not better than Tatum.  Unfortunately, the best availability for these guys is their availability, and that is an area where Tatum far surpasses Kawhi�s ability.  When healthy, he is the ultimate 2-way force in the NSL, adept at getting his points through the flow of the offense and falling back on one of the best ISO games across the league.  He can also take away the opposing team�s best offensive player, which is a huge bonus. 

3)     Nets, Kyrie Irving

When Kyrie gets cooked, you better get out of the kitchen, or you will get burned!  Kyrie possess� one of the best offensive skillsets in the NSL, consistently going for 25+.  I can�t imagine him in an offense as the only lead guard, though the early indications are that he will thrive in the early going with Murray down.  Across 2 games now he is scoring an average of 43 points on 56% shooting, leading the Net�s to two big wins.  

4)     76ers, DeAaron Fox

The only star on this list to not have yet graced the court, DeAaron Fox is a special talent in the NSL.  His uber athletic profile makes it very difficult to contain him without a top defensive specialist.  Teams must keep track of him in transition, as open layups are plenty when Fox is on the floor.  He is one of the best young point guards in the NSL, and just now hitting his prime. 

5)     Raptors, Rudy Gobert

Number 5 was a very tough decision, as there are plenty of deserving secondary stars in the NSL.  The Raptors deserve their spot in the rankings though, and I believe Gobert is deserving of the recognition of this spot.  The Raptors are at the time of writing, the only team who has not yet played an NSL game on the year, but there are huge expectations in Toronto for the season, and Gobert is a massive(literally) reason why.  In 6 preseason games Rudy poured in 12 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.  Perhaps not an offensive juggernaut, but one of the most impactful guys in the division without a doubt. 

Honorable Mention: 

Chet Holmgren, DeAngelo Russell, Darius Garland, Alperen Sengun, Lu Dort, Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan, Jamaal Murray, Lauri Markkanen, Andrew Wiggins.

Sleeper: The sleeper player belongs to who I believe will be the sleeper team in the division this year.  That player, to me, must be Chet Holmgren of the Toronto Raptors.  Such an anticipated debut, after missing all his rookie season, Chet has looked the part in an NBA Thunder uniform, and looked the part in the NSL pre-season.  21 points, almost 13 rebounds, on 56% shooting, while also blocking 4.2 shots per game, are numbers that can likely only be rivaled by he who shall not be named.  Chet though, I am hopeful we are all able to give him the credit he�s due after a great season.  

Breakout star: There is a pair of foreign-born big men within the division who are both primed for a breakout NSL season.  After the breakout NBA season last year for Lauri Markkannen and Alperen Sengun, both players return to the team�s they suited up for in 2022(a rarity in the NSL it seems).  Both players have had anticipated tendency and skillset updates that would lead to an increased output for their NSL selves, but neither player has come full circle, yet.  Both players have the size that so many NBA GMs crave, though neither player is especially adept at creating their own shot.  This is a problem that has plagued many an NSL GM who built plans around such a star.  Here�s to hoping it works out otherwise for GM�s Toby and Breece.  

Most Impactful newcomer: The Atlantic Division seems to be up there for the division with the least off-season movement in the NSL, or so it seems.  Toronto brought in Gobert, Chet, Murray, and others, but they have already been written about in depth in this article.  The other team who made sizeable moves in the off-season was the Knicks, who brought in Chris Paul to mesh with their other aging stars.  Chris Paul will need to play a highly impactful role for the Knicks this season, as one of their two best on-ball defenders, pairing with Derrick White to make a potentially stifling backcourt.  Replacing Marcus Smart is no easy task, but luckily Paul brings more offensive chops to the court, which should allow for a very free flowing offense for the Knicks.  

Prediction: I think this division could be won by any of the 4 teams who aren�t located in Philly, sorry Ben. Realistically, the winner likely comes from New York, Boston, or potentially Toronto, though I am not sure the Raptors will have enough offensive fire power to keep up with the Knicks and Celtics.  2k has and always will be a game that is heavily influenced by the best player on the court, and Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum well surpass the best player on the other divisional teams.  I see New York comfortably in the playoff picture, with a potential to rank anywhere from the 2-6 spots out East, while Brooklyn, Boston, and Toronto battle for seeds 6-11.  Philadelphia likely takes the year off after the crushing Adams news, in a situation that potentially sees other contending pieces being shipped out to reshape things better for 2024-25.  

1: Knicks, 55+ wins.
2: Celtics 45+ wins.
3: Raptors 45+ wins.
4: Nets 40+ wins.
5: 76ers, 30+ wins