A month into the 2023-24 NBA season, we explore how the playoff picture looks in both the Eastern and Western Conference.
One month through the 2023-24 NBA season, there's been more than a few interesting storylines that have already begun to write themselves. And a few of the bigger ones revolve around a handful of teams that have gotten off to hot starts. In each of those specific situations, the big question revolves around how much sustainability they have in their respective conferences.
And that's what we'll explore a bit. Before we get to a point where we predict which team's surprising hot starts have sustainability or not, we'll take a look at how the playoff picture looks in both the East and West through the first month of the season. Let's begin with the Eastern Conference.
Eastern Conference NBA Playoff picture
1. Boston Celtics (12-3) - There's not much of a surprise here. The Celtics added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday during the offseason in place of Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and Marcus Smart. That's a win no matter how you chop it up. And through the first month of the season, the Celtics are living up to the hype.
2. Orlando Magic (10-5) - The Orlando Magic have been one of the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference so far this season. The Magic has a top 5 defense and a top 10 net rating.
3. Milwaukee Bucks (10-5) - After a somewhat of a slow start to the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have won five of their last six games to regain ground in the East standings. The scary part about the Bucks is that they're only going to get better and more comfortable with each other as the season progresses.
4. Miami Heat (10-5) - After taking L after L during the offseason, the Miami Heat has figured out how to remain one of the best teams in the East. And they're doing this recently without Tyler Herro, who got off to a red-hot start to the season.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (10-5) - Life without James Harden hasn't been as difficult for the Sixers as many believed it would be. If the Sixers can add another difference-making piece ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, they could be a legit championship contender this season.
6. New York Knicks (8-6) - The New York Knicks very much appear to be in that third tier of the contenders in the East. They're still missing a legit No. 1 option.
East Play-In Tournament teams
7. Indiana Pacers (8-6) - Another one of the bigger surprises this season, Tyrese Haliburton is playing like an NBA MVP candidate. However, this is a team driven by offense. I'd be concerned about how sustainable that is in the long run.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-7) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a slow start to the season. The supporting stars around Donovan Mitchell haven't been as good or consistent as last year. It's certainly something to watch.
9. Atlanta Hawks (7-7) - I'm still not sure what to make of the Atlanta Hawks and I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to retool the roster around Trae Young and Dejounte Murray at some point before the NBA Trade Deadline.
10. Toronto Raptors (7-8) - The Toronto Raptors still very much have the look of a team that needs to choose a path. Juggling between building for the future and trying to win now is not going to work out for the team this season.