One Question For Each NBA Team In The 2024-25 Atlantic Division

The NBA season is around the corner, and to preview the upcoming year, our group of experts has been asked to think of one question for every team.

Here it is for the Atlantic division!

Boston Celtics: How volatile is their center situation?

If there is anything that the last two seasons have taught us, it’s that it is extremely difficult to be a repeat champion in today’s NBA. The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors entered their title belt defending seasons as obvious powerhouses, only for both of them to be vanquished in the second round.

As students of the game, to avoid repeating our sins of the past, we need to preemptively look for ways the ship could sink for the Boston Celtics in 2024-25.

From a broad view, the boat looks rock solid. The Celtics are one of the few teams in league history to return all of their top eight players from the season before. But look closer, and you will see a defect in their manufacturing.

The team’s starting center, Kristaps Porzinigs, is set to miss the start of the season with injury. That means the archaic Al Horford (who will turn 39 in June) will have to take the mantle in his absence. 

Horford has aged better than almost anyone not named LeBron James or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but that doesn’t mean relying on him as your full-time starting center all season long is wise. A big reason why Horford was able to have such a strong postseason is because the Celtics limited him to a career-low 26.8 minutes per game during the regular season.

What happens if Porzingis can’t stay healthy and Horford finally loses his hard-fought battle with Father Time? Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman were good in spots, but there’s a big difference between being a part-time contributor and someone the team relies on night after night.  

The Celtics are still one of the best (if not the best) teams in the association, but a repeat title is far from guaranteed. — Mat Issa

Brooklyn Nets: What will be the outlook of the young core after this season?

After a nauseating decade of mediocrity and flashes of greatness, the Nets are finally bottoming out. Brooklyn moved on from Mikal Bridges in the offseason. Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith will remain coveted trade targets. Outside of Nic Claxton, there aren’t many long-term established core pieces.

For this season to succeed, the Nets must learn more about their young core. Cam Thomas will see an astronomical offensive load. Can he continue to improve his decision-making, efficiency and defensive ability to become a true impact starter? Noah Clowney flashed impressive three and rim protection skills as a rookie, can he become a key core piece? Will Jalen Wilson establish himself as a useful NBA wing? Can Dariq Whitehead maintain good health?

Brooklyn threw darts at low-cost reclamation projects over the last year or so: Ziaire Williams, Keon Johnson, Trendon Watford, Killian Hayes and Amari Bailey. One of those players developing into a viable rotation player would help build depth. We’ll see if new head coach Jordi Fernandez looks like a future franchise head coach even in a likely heavy losing season.

Most of all, Brooklyn will set its sights to the top of a loaded 2025 NBA draft. There’s a strong chance they end up with a high lottery pick and a new franchise cornerstone. Developing the infrastructure to support that eventual star will be critical regardless of wins and losses. — Ben Pfeifer 

New York Knicks: Will Their Off-Season Moves Push Them Past The Celtics?

The Knicks emptied their chest this offseason in pursuit of a title. In trading for Mikal Bridges and recently Karl-Anthony Towns, New York sacrificed depth and future flexibility to boost their title odds. That’s a prudent approach with Jalen Brunson entering his peak as one of the league’s best initiators. Building the best possible team around him should be paramount.

Towns finally gives New York a true second-star who should be more reliable than Julius Randle, even accounting for Towns’s own consistency issues. He’s a dynamic second option and an elite floor-spacing five, opening previously locked doors for this Knicks offense. After the Nets overtaxed Bridges as a primary option, he should see increases in efficiency and defensive output as a complementary option. We’ve seen Bridges act as a key cog for a deep playoff run in Phoenix before. 

Last season, New York’s stifling defense and depth helped define its success. Isaiah Hartenstein anchored their defense at times throughout the season. The Bridges and Towns trade sapped even more depth. It’s easy to project a strong defense in New York behind Tom Thibodeau. OG Anunoby is one of the NBA’s best defenders and Bridges should bounce back, but Brunson must be hidden on defense and Towns has his own limitations. Mitchell Robinson returning from injury would be massively beneficial for their defensive outlook.

Despite these concerns, New York added pieces this offseason with the 2025 NBA title at the front of mind. It’s a wise decision to take on more risk to build a roster fit to compete with Boston and the rest of the East’s top teams. If New York’s injury luck normalizes, we should consider them one of the East’s legitimate championship threats. — Ben Pfeifer 

Philadelphia 76ers:  Can Their New-Found Depth Help Them Deal With Injuries To Their Stars?

The Sixers’ preseason didn’t start as you would have hoped. Joel Embiid was shut down for the exhibition games as he was managing an issue with his left knee. It was later reported that he would likely rest on back-to-backs and prioritize ‘load management’ to be ready for the playoffs. On top of that, Paul George sustained a bone bruise in his left knee that forced him to get shut down for the rest of pre-season, and… well… it’s adding injury to injury. These two players have their fair share of injury concerns; both are in their 30s and are on a team looking to win a championship this season. This was the worst-case scenario.

Still, the Sixers didn’t spend over $60M this summer for nothing. If there’s one thing that’s different between this Sixers team and the Sixers team of the past with Embiid, it’s that they have depth. Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Kyle Lowry, even Reggie Jackson, and Guerschon Yabusele all round out a rotation that can help the Sixers weather the storm while their two stars are out. If Tyrese Maxey can take another step as a lead initiator, you’re looking at a team that can beat up on the cellar dwellers of the NBA while staying competitive on any given night against the rest of the league.

The Sixers went 47-35 and finished tied for 5th (they ended up 7th due to tiebreakers) without George and Embiid only playing in 39 games. They did that with an objectively worse roster. I think this season, they have the platoon that can serve as innings-eaters in a much more manageable way, and that might help them get to their aspirations of getting a well-rested George and Embiid for the post-season. — Es Baraheni 

Toronto: Can Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, or Gradey Dick Become Burdgeoning Stars Next To Scottie Barnes?

The Toronto Raptors seem to know what they have in Scottie Barnes. The 5-year/$224M contract this summer speaks volumes. He is the future of their franchise, and they will go as far as he goes. But who will be there with him? Point guard Immanuel Quickley seems to be contestant number 1 in that regard, having signed his own extension this summer, making him the second-highest-paid player on the team.

This season, he’ll receive ample opportunity to iron out the kinks in his game as a ballhandler, test his limits on both ends of the floor, and see if he can truly break through and become the All-Star level player the Raptors are paying him to become. Quickley’s Knicks counterpart, RJ Barrett, will get his chance, too. He broke out in Toronto through 32 games, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, field-goal percentage, and 2-point percentage, and knocked down nearly 40% of his threes. The man was on a mission and it seems like Darko Rajakovic’s offensive system of cutting and playing in transition really feeds into the best qualities Barrett has offensively. The same can be said for Gradey Dick, who broke out in the second half of his rookie year, hit on 40% of his threes, and will be stepping into a starting role for the Raptors after the departure of Gary Trent Jr in the offseason. Dick is the prototypical player to pair next to Barnes. His blend of shooting, cutting, and playmaking on the go is the exact type of player you’d want to surround your All-Star offensive hub.

While there is a chance that this Raptors team, led by these four players and Jakob Poeltl, can be frisky in the Eastern Conference, I do think they will prioritize developing and figuring out who will be that guy next to Scottie. — Es Baraheni