NBA Southeast Division Outlook: Which Team Is The Favorite In 2016-17?

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Feb 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) is defended by Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Hornets 87-76. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

A logjam defined the NBA’s most competitive division last year; what team will separate from the pack and win the NBA’s Southeast Division in 2016-17?

Heading into the NBA offseason, the top of the Eastern Conference looked incredibly clear. Namely that it was the Cleveland Cavaliers, a distant second being the Toronto Raptors, and then there was just everybody else.

The East was much more competitive in the 2016 playoffs, aside from Cleveland, and that was largely due to the massive logjam of talent at the third to sixth seeds in the standings. In that jam, three of those teams were from the Southeast Division, all finishing with the same record and struggling to separate themselves from the rest.

The East was much more competitive in the 2016 playoffs, aside from Cleveland, and that was largely due to the massive logjam of talent at the third to sixth seeds in the standing

We got to see a showing of Charlotte and Miami in the first round, and it went exactly as close as expected, with the Heat eking out a come-from-behind win on the back of Dwyane Wade in Game 7.

And as teams turned their attention to the offseason, especially in that division, the organizations made efforts to separate themselves from a jumbled bunch. And after all the crazy moves and shuffling of the offseason, have we gotten any clearer of a picture on the Southeast?

Who really is the top team in this muddled division now?

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