Entering last season, the Heat were embarking upon a new stage of the franchise’s history: life after Dwyane Wade. Most pundits projected the team to struggle without the future Hall of Fame shooting guard and through 41 games as the team sat at just 11-30, they were right. But during the second half of last season, head coach Erik Spoelstra led his team on a remarkable run, going 30-11, highlighted by strong play from Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. All of this was done without Justise Winslow, the team’s first round draft pick back in 2015. While Team President Pat Riley fell short in his pursuit of free agent Gordon Hayward, the team was still able to re-sign Waiters and Johnson while also signing Kelly Olynyk to a four-year, $52 million deal. With the Eastern Conference watered down as a result of George, Butler and Millsap’s departures, the Heat should find themselves comfortably in the top eight — with a chance for even more.
For the past seven seasons, the Grizzlies have been defined by a tough, defensive-minded brand of basketball known as “Grit ‘n’ Grind”. Yet with Grizzlies’ stalwart Zach Randolph departing to Sacramento and Tony Allen’s likely exit, that era of Memphis basketball appears to have concluded. Despite these losses, the Grizzlies still roster two of the most underrated stars the league has to offer in Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr. This offseason, the team signed former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. When healthy, the injury-prone Evans is a strong playmaking guard with the ability to score inside. While the Western Conference will certainly be loaded with talented teams across the board next season, the duo of Gasol and Conley Jr. along with head coach David “TAKE THAT FOR DATA!” Fizdale gives the Grizzlies a chance to make their eighth straight playoff appearance.
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The 2016-17 season was the most successful year the Jazz had experienced since former head coach Jerry Sloan’s retirement back in February of 2011. Small forward Gordon Hayward made his first All-Star team, center Rudy Gobert emerged as one of the league’s top defensive players and the Jazz won a playoff series for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Suddenly, Utah had the looks of a perennial top four seed in the West with a relatively young core and fantastic head coach in Quin Snyder. All of that changed when Hayward spurned Utah in favor of the Boston Celtics. Now, the Jazz must treat Gobert as the franchise’s centerpiece if they wish to experience more playoff success in the near future. With the newly acquired Ricky Rubio and retaining of swingman Joe Ingles, the Jazz will certainly still be a solid team. Additionally, rookie Donovan Mitchell has dazzled with his athleticism during Summer League play and fourth year guard Dante Exum looks ready to become a strong contributor as he enters the season fully healthy. If Gobert takes another step forward in his development and Derrick Favors can return to his pre-injury form of 2015-16, the Jazz will remain in the hunt for a playoff spot next season.
The Pistons returned to the playoffs during the 2015-16 season for the first time in six years but after an injury to point guard Reggie Jackson and regression from All-Star center Andre Drummond, the team failed to make it back-to-back postseason appearances. After drafting Duke guard Luke Kennard and trading for Avery Bradley, the Pistons look ready to be a playoff contender once again. Offseason knee surgery derailed Reggie Jackson’s 2016-17 season as he failed to replicate his borderline All-Star play from the year prior. Jackson’s lackluster season seemed to affect Drummond as well with the 2015-16 All-Star failing to produce at a similar level this past year. Resurgent seasons from those two along with strong contributions from Bradley and Kennard should have the Pistons back in playoff contention.
Similar to that of the Pistons, the Hornets experienced a renaissance season in 2015-16, finishing 48-34, tied for the third best record in the Eastern Conference. But last season, the team was unable to replicate the prior year’s success despite point guard Kemba Walker making his first All-Star appearance. After drafting Kentucky’s Malik Monk and trading for Dwight Howard, Charlotte looks poised to once again be a playoff contender. Walker and Monk will form one of the more dynamic offensive backcourts in the Eastern Conference while Nicolas Batum should continue to serve as the team’s secondary playmaker. Cody Zeller has developed into a solid role player for Charlotte while Howard, albeit far past his prime, can still contribute in a limited role. Barring any major injuries, head coach Steve Clifford will have Charlotte in the mix for a playoff spot next season.