The 2015-16 NBA regular season tips off this Tuesday evening, and to celebrate, here is Wash U Sports Analytics’ primer for the season. We’ll give predictions for following categories: end of year conference standings, All-NBA teams, end of season awards, and playoff. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Miami Heat
6. Washington Wizards
7. Milwaukee Bucks
8. Indiana Pacers
9. Boston Celtics
10. Detroit Pistons
11. Brooklyn Nets
12. New York Knicks
13. Orlando Magic
14. Charlotte Bobcats
15. Philadelphia 76ers
-Few things are guaranteed in the NBA, but the Cavs as the #1 seed looks about as sure as anything in the league. No other team in the East can field a starting 5 as talented as Cleveland, and the Cavs’ bench got even deeper this offseason after the re-signing of Tristan Thompson and J.R Smith, the return of Anderson Varejao from injury, and the signing of Mo Williams. Once everyone on the team returns to full strength, it should be smooth sailing for Cleveland.