Power ranking the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Eastern Conference
#12 – New York Knicks – composite score – 22.4
Projected starting lineup – Dennis Smith Jr., RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
The New York Knicks are finally on the right track. RJ Barrett is someone that can be built around. He will have some inconsistent moments this season but he should be the team’s best player.
While they struck out on their major free agent targets this past summer, they did bring in some solid players. They signed Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, and Marcus Morris.
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It’s going to be another down year in New York but there are signs of building a team. Knicks’ fans should be excited about the future.
#11 – Detroit Pistons – composite score – 18.8
Projected starting lineup – Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Tony Snell, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond
It starts and stops in the Pistons frontcourt with Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. Wing Luke Kennard will likely see his fair share of starts and in all honestly should probably be the full-time starter at small forward. Tony Snell is not the answer as he has shown since he came into the NBA.
Griffin and Drummon make up one of the best big men duos in the entire NBA and those two alone will keep Detroit in a lot of games. They will have a chance of making a run at the eighth seed in the East if someone else steps up. If not, some trade speculation may begin for Griffin.
#10 – Atlanta Hawks – composite score – 19.8
Projected starting lineup – Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, Alex Len
The Atlanta Hawks have rebuilt their roster quickly. They are going to be a must-watch team this season. They will be looking to make a run at a playoff spot but it could be a year early.
They have a lot of potential young stars on the roster. Trae Young and John Collins both had an incredible season last year and will be looking to build off of it. Kevin Huerter may have been the steal of the 2018 NBA Draft. They added De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish in the 2019 NBA Draft and will likely play a lot of small ball with Reddish taking Alex Len’s spot with the remainder of the projected starting lineup.
The Hawks will have moments of excellence this season and moments where they look like a young team. Either way, they will be very exciting.