Is this the year LeBron James and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers finally figure it out? Can the Boston Celtics pick up where they left off without Ime Udoka at the helm? Are Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers the biggest challengers to the NBA’s throne?
John Hollinger, The Athletic’s NBA front-office expert, has made his record predictions on each NBA team throughout the month of October, and you can find links to all those stories and much more in our season preview cheat sheet. Now, it’s time for our writers to sound off on those projected win totals and react to those win/loss totals for each team. From the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards, here’s what they had to say:
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics
Hollinger’s prediction: 55-27, first in the East
Projecting the Celtics at 55 wins seemed like a no-brainer entering September, but so much has changed since then. Robert Williams III is out long enough that their shallow frontcourt depth will be a major pressure point at a time when they are most vulnerable under interim coach Joe Mazzulla. Things can either go south out of the gate, or the Celtics cruise through the Williams recovery period and take over the league in the second half of the season once again.
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