2024-25 Southeast Division Preview

 We are officially less than a week away from the start of the 2024-25 NBA season! To celebrate we are doing a brief preview of each division every day leading up to opening tip-off. We will discuss projected lineups and rotations, key players, and any question marks the team may have. For the projected lineups it is a prediction of the starters and the five bench players who will play most if each team has optimal health and success. These are mostly correlated to what is expected, but I sprinkled my own personal opinion in some situations. Any player with an asterisk is someone with a somewhat prolonged injury. Without further ado, here is the Southeast Division preview!

ATLANTA HAWKS

G: Trae Young

G: Dyson Daniels / Bogdan Bogdanovic / Kobe Bufkin

F: Deandre Hunter / Zaccharie Risacher

F: Jalen Johnson / Larry Nance Jr.

C: Clint Capela / Onyeka Okongwu 

Player I Like: Dyson Daniels

-I was a huge fan of Daniels in New Orleans and I loved that the Hawks were able to acquire him in the Dejounte Murray deal this summer. Daniels should bring size and defensive ability in the backcourt to compliment Young. He also offers upside as a connective playmaker and also has shown promising flashes as a primary ball handler.

MVP: Trae Young

-People have become numb to Young's greatness. Consistently averaging 25 and 10 since he entered the league, Young is one of the best guards in the entire organization.

6MOY: Onyeka Okongwu

-Capela is past his prime and the Hawks will continue to look to Okongwu to gradually replace Capelas' production.

X-Factor: Zaccharie Risacher

-Many people, myself included, doubted the Hawks selection of Risacher with the first overall pick. Although it was just preseason, the first look at Risacher in a Hawks uniform was very promising. If he can produce, Atlanta may have their forward duo of the future with Johnson x Risacher.

The Atlanta Hawks are one of the teams I am most excited to watch this season. I am very high on some of their role players in Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels and I think Trae Young will have an All-NBA type season. Look for Atlanta to be among the "best of the rest" in the east.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

G: LaMelo Ball / Vasilije Mijic

G: Josh Green / Tre Mann

F: Brandon Miller / Cody Martin

F: Miles Bridges / Grant Williams

C: Mark Williams / Nick Richards

Player I Like: Tre Mann

-Tre Mann is my pick to win Most Improved Player. A full season in Charlotte I think will be perfect for his talents to truly shine through.

MVP: LaMelo Ball

-An exciting young player, I hope we get a full season of LaMelo being healthy. The Hornets have good pieces around him and if he can remain on the court I think they can be more competitive than people expect.

6MOY: Tre Mann

-Should be the #1 scoring option off the bench for the Hornets.

X-Factor: Tre Mann

-LaMelo and Bridges have proven to be capable of scoring in the NBA and I expect Miller to take a year 2 leap. If Mann can add another dynamic scorer to the mix I think this will unlock the Hornets potential.

I think Charlotte has enough pieces to be competing for a spot in the play-in. They have good go-to scoring options in LaMelo and Miller, and solid role players in Josh Green and Mark Williams. Health has been a bit of an issue in Charlotte for the last couple of seasons. I am looking forward to how all the young pieces mesh together if they can all stay healthy this season.

MIAMI HEAT

G: Tyler Herro

G: Terry Rozier / Josh Richardson

F: Jimmy Butler / Duncan Robinson / Haywood Highsmith

F: Nikola Jovic / Jaime Jaquez Jr

C: Bam Adebayo / Kel’el Ware

Player I Like: Bam Adebayo

-One of the best defenders in the league and I do not think we have seen Bam reach his full potential on offense.

MVP: Bam Adebayo

-I look to Erik Spoelstra to use Bam as an offensive hub more often this season, expanding his role on that side of the ball.

6MOY: Jaime Jaquez Jr

-A great glue guy, Jaquez can give solid minutes at the 3 or 4.

X-Factor: Nikola Jovic

-I am not completely sold on Jovic, but if he can play well that gives the Heat a great forward role player to complement Jimmy and Bam.

I am not entirely too optimistic on the Heat's ceiling. They have good players but I question if the Heat will be good enough to contend at the top of the conference this season. I do hope we see Bam as the #1 option on offense a little more, as I think this will help the team greatly and let Jimmy be Jimmy when he needs to be.

ORLANDO MAGIC

G: Jalen Suggs / Cole Anthony

G: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope / Gary Harris Jr / Anthony Black

F: Franz Wagner

F: Paolo Banchero / Jonathan Isaac

C: Wendell Carter Jr / Mo Wagner

Player I Like: Jalen Suggs

-A fantastic defender since he came into the league, he took a big step offensively last year improving his FG% from 42% to 47% and shooting 39% from three. I do question his ability to full time run an offense but love his upside.

MVP: Paolo Banchero

-One of the best young players the NBA has to offer, look for Paolo to continue to expand his game.

6MOY: Jonathan Isaacs

-One of the most versatile defenders in the world, he will take pressure off the stars and be able to truly defend 2-5.

X-Factor: Franz Wagner

-An elite slasher and driver. Franz struggled mightily from the three point line last year, but if he can get his percentage closer to where it was his first two seasons do not be surprised if he averages close to 25 points per game.

One of the fun surprise success stories of the season last year, the Magic will look to build on that. I

absolutely love the addition of KCP and think he will be a very valuable 3&D veteran. If they prove they can be fine without a true lead guard, and if one of their young wings (Anthony Black, Tristan Da Silva, Jett Howard, Caleb Houstan) can produce for them, then I think they can improve on their 47 win season in 2023-24.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

G: Malcolm Brogdon / Bub Carrington

G: Jordan Poole / Corey Kispert

F: Bilal Coulibaly

F: Kyle Kuzma / Alex Sarr

C: Jonas Valunciunas / Richaun Holmes / Marvin Bagley III

Player I Like: Marvin Bagley III

-Despite his flaws and inefficiencies I do have a soft spot for Bagley. He has shown he can still put up productive numbers and I do hope that eventually it can contribute to winning basketball.

MVP: Kyle Kuzma

-Probably the all around best and most versatile player on this Washington roster.

6MOY: Corey Kispert

-An elite three point shooter that can have an even bigger impact on the game if given the opportunity.

X-Factor: Alex Sarr

-The offense for Sarr looks very raw, but the defense from day one may be very good. Whether he plays more at the 4 or 5 remains to be seen, but if the Wizards want a chance to be competitive they must have a good rookie year from their young frenchman.

The Wizards are going to be one of the worst teams in the league. They do not have any all star level players and I am not particularly impressed by their depth. They do have some intriguing young players in Coulibaly and Sarr, maybe KyShawn George or Bub Carrington show something, and the Wizards hope to rekindle the career trajectory of Jordan Poole. Another rebuilding year, look for them to maybe trade a Brogdon or Kispert at the deadline.