Well, here we are! The eve of the 2022-23 NBA season, and I couldn’t be more excited! It poses to be one of the best seasons so far, with so many teams capable of winning the championship and many more battling for playoff spots. Both the Eastern and Western Conferences are so even that seeding will all depend on each team’s health and consistency throughout the regular season.
I’ve gone through each team and their expectations for the upcoming season in detail in the Season Preview series. If you want to read your favourite team, use the link below to find all of the articles written in the lead up to this season:
https://iaisports.com/category/season-previews/
But if you haven’t had time, or want to see how your team stacks up against the rest of the league, this article is for you. I’ll run through a brief overview on both conferences, looking into the win/loss projections and trying to predict the standings for the East and West.
Also included in this article are predictions for the individual award winners for this season, which includes MVP (Most Valuable Player), DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year), 6MOY (6th Man of the Year), MIP (Most Improved Player) and COY (Coach of the Year).
Eastern Conference
Here are my predicted standings for the Eastern Conference:
1. Boston Celtics – 58 wins
2. Milwaukee Bucks – 53 wins
3. Brooklyn Nets – 52 wins
4. Philadelphia 76ers – 52 wins
5. Cleveland Cavaliers – 48 wins
6. Miami Heat – 48 wins
7. Atlanta Hawks – 48 wins
8. Toronto Raptors – 45 wins
9. Chicago Bulls – 45 wins
10. New York Knicks – 35 wins
11. Washington Wizards – 35 wins
12. Charlotte Hornets – 34 wins
13, Orlando Magic – 28 wins
14, Detroit Pistons – 26 wins
15. Indiana Pacers – 24 wins
It’s crazy thinking about how the Eastern Conference is so stacked with talent. For years, the Western Conference has been the dominant conference with more competitive franchises and better talent overall. Now, I believe that has been flipped.
There are five tiers when it comes to the Eastern Conference. Firstly, we have our genuine contenders – the teams who currently have the best chance at getting through to the NBA Finals. This includes the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. While there has been so much turmoil with the Celtics, the way their roster is constructed still has them as favourites to take out the Eastern Conference. The Bucks will also believe they are a shot, especially considering they pushed the Celtics to 7 games in their 2nd round playoff matchup last season. The 76ers have put together a recognisable support crew for the James Harden-Joel Embiid pairing. The team are expected to have a successful regular season, it’s the playoffs where the questions lie. While the Brooklyn Nets could be anything, purely depending on team cohesion and availability. Their star power is too difficult to ignore them for Tier 1.
Tier 2 includes the playoff fancies – the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. The Cavs made a big move to bring in Donovan Mitchell to their young core and should improve on their play-in tournament departure from last season. The Hawks also brought in an All-Star calibre guard in Dejounte Murray, and hope to be competitive with their star back court of Murray and Trae Young. The Heat will be as consistent as always, but concerns over their PF depth remain, which is why they drop from Tier 1 to Tier 2. The Raptors have to be considered in the playoff race as always, while the Bulls already have injury issues surrounding Lonzo Ball, dropping their ceiling massively.
Tier 3 has the teams battling for the final play-in tournament spot, including the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. I’m predicting the Knicks to re-establish their presence on the defensive end and steal the last play-in spot. The Wizards are the main competitors for that spot, but the historic durability concerns surrounding Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis reduces their ceiling. The Hornets could be anything – they could be competing for the 10th spot; they could also fall down to Tier 5 and battle for lottery picks. It all depends on how far LaMelo Ball can take them.
Tier 4 consists of the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic – two teams who have been rebuilding over the past 2-3 seasons and are not quite ready to take the next leap and go for the play-in tournament. The Pistons should see big gains from Cade Cunningham and their young core, who will continue to develop through trial and error. It will be a similar tale for the Magic, as they begin to fit their young pieces around Paolo Banchero and look to be a contender in the near future.
Tier 5 has the one team – the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers still have some really experienced guys, but are not expected to be successful and will struggle as they develop their new core around Tyrese Haliburton.
It shapes as an exciting season for the Eastern Conference. One team out of the top two tiers will miss the playoffs, which should make for an exhilarating finish to the season. It’s going to be a year where every game counts, especially early on to establish the hierarchy. My prediction is the Milwaukee Bucks will take out the Eastern Conference – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton will do everything they can to reach their 2nd NBA Finals
Western Conference
Here are my predicted standings for the Western Conference:
1. Los Angeles Clippers – 54 wins
2. Phoenix Suns – 54 wins
3. Golden State Warriors – 52 wins
4. Minnesota Timberwolves – 49 wins
5. Denver Nuggets – 48 wins
6. Memphis Grizzlies – 46 wins
7. New Orleans Pelicans – 46 wins
8. Dallas Mavericks – 44 wins
9. Los Angeles Lakers – 41 wins
10. Portland Trail Blazers – 40 wins
11. Sacramento Kings – 36 wins
12. Oklahoma City Thunder – 25 wins
13. Houston Rockets – 22 wins
14. San Antonio Spurs – 21 wins
15. Utah Jazz – 20 wins
Much like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is tight up the top. The conference sees the return of previous championship contenders as they welcome back stars from injury (Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers), while new up-and-coming teams will be ready to take the next step (Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans).
The Western Conference has the four tiers this season. Tier 1 (the championship contenders) consists of the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. The Clippers are the deepest squad in the league and will slowly bring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George up to speed throughout the regular season, before being at full strength in time for the playoffs. The Warriors and Suns have both seen their fair share of controversy this off-season, but are ready-built to battle for the Western Conference once again.
Tier 2 are the teams who are capable of being contenders and will be in the running for playoff positions. These teams include the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks. The Nuggets will welcome back Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr to partner alongside reigning-MVP Nikola Jokic to contend for the top-4 in the West. The Pelicans will also benefit from the inclusion of Zion Williamson; putting together a really solid starting-5. The Timberwolves will be the high risers thanks to their addition of Rudy Gobert. We should see a big 3rd season from Anthony Edwards, where he will become the leader of this Timberwolves franchise. While the likes of the Grizzlies and Mavericks have key pieces removed from their starting line-ups last season (Jaren Jackson Jr and Jalen Brunson respectively), but have superstars that will put the franchise on their backs (Ja Morant and Luka Doncic).
Tier 3 are the teams battling for the final play-in spots. These include the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings. If you haven’t heard about the rumours that swirled around the Lakers, you have been living under a rock. There is so much uncertainty surrounding the team, that it’s difficult to put them above the other top-8 teams. Can Anthony Davis have a full, healthy season? Can Russell Westbrook co-exist in the star-heavy ecosystem? The Trail Blazers have retooled their starting core around Damian Lillard, but the quality isn’t as good as other playoff-bound teams. While the Kings are the wildcard team that have the chance to break their playoff drought. They’re building their roster the right way, but may still not be good enough yet to get into the playoffs.
The last tier contains all of the rebuilding franchises; they include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. The Thunder and Rockets have been accumulating talent from the draft for a while now, but both teams are either super young or dealing with injuries to key personnel to battle for play-in tournament positions. While the Spurs and Jazz have just begun their respective rebuilds, blowing up their rosters in the most recent off-season to go for high-end draft picks.
There’s more uncertainty in the Western Conference this year. Many teams are predicted to return to where they left off after injuries ruined previous campaigns, while others are dealing with missing personnel and are not as strong as last season. It’s going to make for interesting viewing and a close battle for the Western Conference crown. Ultimately, the injury management the Clippers will be conducting with Leonard and George will be very similar to what occurred with the Raptors in 2019, allowing the team to trust their depth to get themselves in a solid position for the playoffs. Because of this, I’m predicting the Los Angeles Clippers to take out the Western Conference.
Player Awards
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
I’m predicting Giannis will win his 3rd MVP trophy in 5 seasons, as he gets the Bucks back to the NBA Finals. After the off-season he had with the Greek National Team, Giannis should be as ready as ever to help the Bucks cover the loss of Khris Middleton to begin the season. As a result, he will put up some ridiculous numbers, before maintaining his level of play for the rest of the season. It’ll be a year where Giannis will cement himself as an all-time great of the NBA.
Honourable mentions: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)
Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Rudy Gobert will be the reason behind the significant improvement from the Timberwolves. He has been criminally underrated throughout his career thus far, maintaining his status as the best shot-blocking big in the game. Gobert should thrive in the new system, where he will guard the best opposing big man and back up his guards and wings. Team success from the Timberwolves will help the voters recognise Gobert as the best defensive player.
Honourable mentions: Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
6th Man of the Year (6MOY)
Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors)
This one should be really obvious. Poole showed throughout the NBA Finals his stark improvement as a go-to guy for the Warriors. With the starting core now settled with Klay Thompson back from injury, Poole will consistently come off the bench and play huge minutes, score lots of points and close games with the rest of the starting core. Tyler Herro could easily go back-to-back, but will become a starter this season with the Heat.
Honourable mentions: Christian Wood (Dallas Mavericks), Norman Powell (Los Angeles Clippers), Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics)
Rookie of the Year (ROTY)
Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
Out of all of the incoming 2022 rookie draft class, Banchero was the most ready-made prospect. He arrives in the league in a great situation in Orlando, where the franchise will be happy to give him the keys and let him go to work. While he will be inefficient to begin the year, Banchero will have a consistent role as the lead guy, which helps his case for ROTY.
Honourable mentions: Jabari Smith Jr (Houston Rockets), Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings), Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers)
Most Improved Player (MIP)
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
This award usually goes to a player who has helped a team rise and become a threat in the playoffs. Which is why Anthony Edwards would be a great pick for this award. But I’m going with Maxey. Maxey will be the biggest beneficiary of the Harden-Embiid pairing, as the inclusion of Harden allows Maxey the opportunity to attack weaker opposing defenders, creating opportunities he didn’t have last season. Considering he was such an efficient scorer; those skills should remain as he gets better scoring opportunities.
Honourable mentions: Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), RJ Barrett (New York Knicks), either Keldon Johnson or Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs)
Coach of the Year (COY)
Tyronn Lue (Los Angeles Clippers)
Tyrone Lue has been one of the best tacticians in the game for a long time. The Clippers will have a great regular season, despite letting Leonard and George slowly come back into the fold. The reason for this will be the excellent work from Lue and the coaching staff, in being able to use the depth of the roster to get the most out of each of their players. The voters should recognise this and reward Lue with his first COY.
Honourable mentions: Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics), Doc Rivers (Philadelphia 76ers)
Conclusion
And that’s it! Hopefully now you are all caught up and ready for the beginning of the new season. As mentioned, it’s shaping to be one of the best yet, thanks to the equality of the league and the return of the games’ superstars.
My finals prediction for this season has the Milwaukee Bucks up against the Los Angeles Clippers – the Bucks hoping for their 2nd championship in three years, while it will be the first time in franchise history that the Clippers reach the NBA Finals. Because of the experience of winning a championship in 2021, I’m predicting the Bucks will take out the championship once again this season.
Thanks for reading!! We hope to release a weekly Power Rankings that will keep you all up-to-date with the latest that is happening with your favourite team throughout the 2022-23 season. We also intend to write weekly in-depth articles looking into the big topics that come from the new season.
Be sure to like and follow the page on Facebook and Instagram, @iaisports to be in the know when new articles are released. Also, use these social media platforms to tell us your predictions for the upcoming season. Who will win MVP? Who is your favourite to win the championship? Again, thanks for reading, and welcome to the new NBA season!