Between each NBA season, there are always talks of which conference will be more difficult to ascend. While in recent history, at least since the turn of the century, the power has generally resided in the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference has been steadily improving.
It seemed for a while that the Boston Celtics were set to run through the East with their powerhouse of a roster, but, alas, last season, several teams improved.
That hadn’t stopped sports media from their usual tone, though, as most in the field are being dismissive of the potential the East has next season.
With that in mind, here’s why the narrative that the Eastern Conference is “wide open” may be partially correct, but not like the media is portraying.
When looking at the Eastern Conference, there are multiple teams that can realistically win it. That’s not, however, because none of the teams are quality; on the contrary, rather, as many of the best teams got better this offseason.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished last season atop the East with a 64-18 record. Considering this Cavaliers team’s calling card is continuity, and Evan Mobley seems poised to hit another level, there’s zero reason to think they won’t come back better next season.
The New York Knicks, too, should continue to be a force to be reckoned with. Boasting a roster that’s not only full of talent but who has chemistry going back to college, they should be able to overcome their inability to beat the best in the regular season.
The Orlando Magic, finishing last season an even 41-41, made one of the biggest trades of the offseason when they acquired Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. While this does address their immediate need for legitimate shooters, Bane is also a player whose best years are ahead of him. The Magic’s status as a contender in the East should be elevated this season, as their best player in Paolo Banchero, is one of the best young players in the entire NBA.
The Atlanta Hawks, too, should be significantly better than last season. Having acquired both Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and still having Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Zaccharie Risacher, the future is extremely bright for Atlanta.
Those are just the teams who seem poised to improve, too, as there are still teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Detroit Pistons. Although not having the best 2024-25 seasons, each of them could still very easily improve into one of the better teams in the conference.
Then there are the wildcard teams: the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers, and the Celtics. These teams, although having success in the past, are all either facing major injuries or have players with injury concerns significant enough to make the team a postseason question mark. It would not be surprising, however, to see any of these teams end up as the fourth-sixth seed and make a deep postseason run.
With so many teams legitimately vying for a competitive season, maybe the east is ‘wide open,’ just not how the media is portraying it. How, then, is the Western Conference shaping up?
Despite the abundance of talent in the west, the conference as a whole will not be as competitive as it’s being made out to be. Among the teams considered the best, there is one team that the road to the finals goes through: the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coming off the best record in the entire NBA last season at 68-14, the second-place team wasn’t even close. Trailing the Thunder were the Houston Rockets with a record of 52-30.
Oklahoma City is only getting better, too, with their best player being only 27 in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are 24 and 23, respectively, meaning their competitive window is the foreseeable future.
They also have a staggering amount of draft picks, with four in 2026, five in 2027, four in 2028, six in 2029, five in 2030, and two in both 2031 and 2032. 12 of these 28 picks are in the first round, with nine of these first-round picks coming before the turn of the decade.
This means, aside from having the best roster in the league last season, they have more of a chance than almost any other team (statistically) to land the most lottery picks going forward.
Even teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic, or the Houston Rockets, with Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant, and Amen Thompson, aren’t a guarantee. Last season, Oklahoma City definitively established itself as the best team in the West and the broader NBA, and there’s no reason to think they will be surpassed this season.
Even the likes of greats aren’t enough to sway the needle. Pairs like Doncic and James or Kawhi Leonard and James Harden may have all the talent in the world, but still have yet to make any real postseason noise.
The Eastern Conference doesn’t have a clear-cut front runner like the Western Conference does, as the Cavaliers finished with the best regular-season record but failed to reach the conference finals. This doesn’t mean, however, that the conference is weaker.
The West is certainly going to be less competitive next season, at least when it comes to the top seed. From second and under, however, it will be just as much of a bloodbath as the east will be.
The narrative, then, that the East is “wide open” may be correct, partially. Sure, it will be more competitive as a whole, but saying the Eastern Conference is weaker because of this is not only incorrect, but ignorant to the abundance of quality rosters vying for the postseason.
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