NBA Power Rankings: Can the Toronto Raptors rise in a wide open East?

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Power ranking the Eastern Conference prior to the start of the 2018-19 NBA season

For the upcoming 2018-19 NBA season, the Eastern Conference expects to play out differently from year’s past with the departure of LeBron James.

James dominated the Eastern Conference for the better of the last decade, so who will take the East now? Let’s breakdown the Eastern Conference Power Rankings entering the 2018-19 season.

15. Atlanta Hawks

Off-Season Grade: B-

Team Skills’ Grades

Offense: C+

Defense: C-

Chemistry: C-

Coaching: B-

Front Office: C+

Team Outlook:

The Atlanta Hawks enter the 2018-19 season with a brand new first-year Head Coach in Lloyd Pierce, first-year general manager Travis Schlenk while being led on the basketball court by rookie point guard Trae Young. The Hawks will have their struggles all season as the rebuild their franchise and Pierce tries to instill his culture and vision for the Hawks’ basketball future.

Young has been compared to Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry for his long range shooting ability but I believe the player that Young most resembles or projects to me is former Sacramento Kings’ guard Mike Bibby who also had a great shooting touch but was a deft passer like Young. Schlenk comes with the history of working in the last 12 years in the Warriors’ front office where he personally was apart of and witnessed the development of Curry. We will see how Trae Young is able to adjust and develop as a critical player for the new Atlanta Hawks era of basketball.

Team Record Predictions : 16 – 66