Eastern Conference Players to Watch
Eastern Conference Players to Watch
Hello friends. As we embark on the weekend of the Superb Owl, I figured I’d fly around the league and take a look at which players are worth a hoot and come away with some wise takeaways. More specifically, I’m gonna pick a “player to watch” from each team, give their preseason 2 stats, and opine on what hangs in the balance for their team based on their performance this year. Enjoy!
EDIT: Was gonna do the whole league but actually have to do SOME work today and this took longer than expected. Sry West, dock me RP
Boston Celtics: 484 Ja Morant PG 13 33.4 24.1 4.2 8.0 1.5 0.1 2.2 .454 .828 .375
Only blood may pay for blood, sangre por sangre, and only shitty TCs may pay for the best resigning luck a team has had in some time. After a step back in TC, Ja’s Preseason 2 sim looked exceptionally average almost across the board. I’d guess he won’t get much playing time unless/until James Harden is traded, but he’s really the key to the future of this team - if he’s not gonna be a clear-cut top 10 point guard, I fear the Celtics may be headed towards a rebuild sooner than Joe would have anticipated.
Miami Heat: 356 Alperen Sengun C 13 32.0 19.1 12.2 3.6 1.8 2.9 2.3 .495 .672 .440
538 Killian Hayes PG 13 34.9 19.0 3.5 9.5 1.8 0.0 1.5 .400 .918 .305
Two-fer in Miami. Sengun is getting all of the airtime after his stat-stuffing preseason - his line is eerily similar to a Hakeem-type line, and we haven’t really had anyone we could say that about since Hakeem retired. If I’m not mistaken, Sengun is due a super camp next offseason, and it’ll be fascinating to see how Scoops decides to camp him. If he can reproduce this line over the course of a large sample size, he’s probably a top 5 asset in the league.
While Sengun talk takes over the preseason, Killian Hayes quietly had >85 handles during TC, which is kind of broken for a PG. He shot a bad FG% in pre 2 but shot it 92% from the line, so clearly has super high jump shot. Hayes has two more years on his rookie deal, but likely won’t be RFA’d because Scoops will need to save that tag for Sengun…but his development could catapult the Heat into contention ahead of schedule.
New Jersey Nets: 489 Zion Williamson PF 17 34.9 22.8 11.0 5.1 1.0 0.5 2.5 .451 .690 .000
Can’t really be anyone else, although Scotty Pippen Jr. is super interesting to me and Jabari was someone I was considering picking at 3. Zion is the first player we’ve seen (in SLN or in our old league, at least from when I joined) to reach A+ inside - and yet his preseason sims look meh at best and he doesn’t even seem to have the crazy volume you’d expect from A+ inside, given how little scoring is on the roster around him. As the centerpiece of the AD deal, he was thought to have enough potential to overcome his weaknesses, but it looks like it may be going to the wrong places - 5.1 assists for him seems like his passing is weirdly high and contributing to his TO problem. After a nice offseason from Steven (loved his 3-way trade), Zion’s performance will dictate how the rebuild continues in the Swamp.
New York Knicks: 139 Walker Kessler C 16 27.1 7.4 9.8 1.3 0.6 1.8 1.5 .421 .475 .000
The Knicks look a bit different this season, with Embiid setting sail for the Stocky Mountains and Nav turning a large chunk of that return into Walker Kessler before he saw a minute of court time in SLN. Kessler will likely be entrusted with third big duties out of the gate in his rookie year, and while Nav’s moves were made with longevity in mind, every season with Turner / Okogie / Jones at the 1-2-3 should be treated as part of their championship window, and if Kessler is able to contribute right away, Nav’s offseason moves will look great. If Kessler needs a little more time to develop, this team may struggle to find home court advantage in the first round.
Orlando Magic: 431 Aaron Gordon PF 15 34.0 29.0 7.5 2.6 1.1 2.4 1.1 .438 .920 .291
Aaron Gordon has been unlocked in Orlando, with his two seasons there resulting in insane jumps in almost every relevant statistical category, most impressively his scoring and blocks (he also took way more threes last year). After a career year last season, Merv made some retooling moves to get value for Steph and Kawhi, likely under the assumption that Aaron Gordon was ready to take on a larger role in the offense and blossom into a true two-way superstar. If he can continue to grow, this team may not lose a step, but I’m a bit lower on DLo than others and think this team probably takes a (designed) step back this season.
P.S. Terence Davis scored 30 in pre 2?
Philadelphia 76ers: 3 LeBron James SF 14 32.2 20.9 7.1 3.8 1.6 0.7 1.5 .452 .663 .314
In what will likely be LeBron’s penultimate season, the goal for the 76ers should be to tank hard enough to land his successor in Wemby. But can a team with LeBron tank hard enough? If Delon Wright starts at PG, the answer to that question looks to be a resounding yes. There aren’t really moves to be made on this roster - none of the veterans really have trade value (save for maybe RoCo), so it’s time to wait and see if Dmo can summon the lotto gods once again to land a generational superstar (assuming Wemby even comes out in this draft, which seems to not be a given).
Washington Bullets: 358 Tyrese Maxey SG 12 32.3 23.2 3.3 6.1 1.3 0.3 1.7 .507 .882 .426
This team is trying to stay ahead of schedule and find another playoff berth, and much of that will come down to how ready Maxey is to take on a scoring load (ayo?) at point guard. After getting up to flat A outside, that looks likely, but with Shabazz now in Portland, it’ll be even more important for him to score with volume. Of course, honorable mention is Ant, who is the proud owner of some of the prettiest ratings in the league with A- / A- scoring and A- defense at SG - he notched over 2 steals in 17 minutes in preseason 2…he’ll need to pick up some of Maxey’s slack on the defensive end for this team to be successful methinks.
Atlanta Hawks: 649 Zach Collins PF 13 33.9 11.8 9.9 3.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 .409 .733 .522
With Deron Williams in Cancun, this team will need to find some scoring elsewhere to stay as dominant as they were last season (or maybe KD and TyFreke will just combine for 80 ppg…both seem possible). Heimer’s low cost move for Zach Collins last season was driven by his eagerness to launch the three ball at will, and he shot it at 52.2% in pre 2. If Collins can give Heimer a viable frontcourt scoring option to complement the superstar wing duo, D-Will’s loss may barely be felt.
Charlotte Hornets: 338 Draymond Green PF 14 30.2 11.1 9.5 3.1 0.7 0.6 1.5 .446 .836 .250
The Hornets backcourt is up there with the best in the league top to bottom, especially after the in-season move to add Lou Williams and the heads-up addition of Monta Ellis on the MLE. But the frontcourt is a mess after Jonathan Isaac - the third best big on the roster is an FBB created player (Lloyd Nichols). It looks like Draymond is going to be entrusted to play big minutes in Charlotte, and I’m not really sure what you’d say he’s “good” at in SLN - I guess he’s an above average stealer? Good free throw shooter? The ceiling of this team depends on Draymond’s ability to take a big step forward or Jack’s ability to go out and find another serviceable big.
Chicago Bulls: 425 Nerlens Noel C 10 20.0 5.5 7.2 1.5 1.3 1.9 1.1 .733 .733 .000
We had as crazy a preseason sim as I’ve ever seen, and as Merv said on the pod, it was definitely just a perfect storm of amazing dice rolls resulting in an insane shooting performance from everyone - but what I was most excited by was our defense. We led the league in oFG% in preseason 2, and Noel is likely a big part of that. We don’t have a single A- rebounder on our team, and while Otto and Luka are definitely plus rebounders, I’m nervous that we may be at a significant rebounding disadvantage against good teams this season, and Noel will need to come up big for us in order for our championship aspirations to hold any weight. Him shooting 73% from the floor wouldn’t hurt either.
Cleveland Cavaliers: 301 Brandon Clarke PF 10 27.7 8.7 9.1 0.7 2.1 1.9 1.1 .372 .483 .500
The Cavs have famously been stock:TO ratio deficient for the last several years, so they’ll need someone in their front court to break out for this team to be successful. If Brandon Clarke’s Preseason 2 is for real, he may have done just that. 4 stocks (including 2.1 steals!!) in just 28 minutes is wild, and exactly what this team needs to counteract Lavine and Steph’s tendency to give the ball to the other team. The goal for this team is again to make the playoffs, and the Central just may be too tough for the new-look Cavs to break through, but if Clarke can produce at that level for starter minutes, they have a chance.
Detroit Pistons: 578 Cade Cunningham SG 15 30.5 12.7 5.3 2.9 1.4 0.7 1.9 .439 .787 .356
Haliburton is a certified stud, and the Bazley trade looks more prescient from RB’s perspective with every sim that we get - but Cade has yet to truly impress to the level that most of the league expects him to as a former first overall pick. As much as RB wants to make the playoffs this season, that goal is relatively insignificant compared to Cade’s development and performance. If he can turn the corner and become a top-tier shooting guard, this team has the bones of a perennial contender with a few more moves. But if he plateaus, it may be tough for the Pistons to ever reach the promised land. With A potential still showing, I’d be betting on him, but I also wouldn’t hate kicking the tires and seeing if there are any prime-aged studs available from GMs who wouldn’t mind a reset with Cade.
Indiana Pacers: 436 Andre Drummond C 14 33.6 12.6 13.7 1.4 1.0 3.4 2.0 .486 .548 .000
Drummond received the +20 potential a few seasons back and has quietly developed into a two way big, jumping his efficiency last season to 44.5% and shooting a scorching 48.6% in this preseason sim through a 14 game sample size. After the Oden / Drummond experiment failed last season, Tonger may consider retooling / finding a new timeline, and Drummond is probably his most valuable asset given contracts (maybe Fox). If Drummond comes out of the gate scoring efficiently, does Tong capitalize on that and try to get younger to wait out the Central division superpower Hawks and plan long-term around Fox? Or would a hot start incentivize Tong to move Tyler Herro, who is on the last year of his rookie deal with A+ outside, for someone with two-way ability and a more proven track record?
Milwaukee Bucks: 427 Trae Young PG 13 20.2 15.0 4.4 3.2 0.7 0.0 1.2 .503 .857 .413
The Trae Young for Donovan Mitchell trade was one of the biggest trades made in an offseason chock-full of big moves, and Derek definitely zagged, grabbing Young to slot him in at the backup 1/2. Young’s performance will certainly be tied to Mitchell’s this season, and time will tell if Derek’s vision for this iteration of the Bucks will come to fruition. Until then, Derek will have to contend with some difficult DC decisions and figure out a way to get the most out of the 6 playable players they have in their backcourt.
Toronto Raptors: 445 Scottie Barnes SF 14 28.9 15.9 8.9 2.9 0.4 1.0 2.6 .436 .691 .478
On a roster with a few super exciting prospects, Barnes looks like the third best (behind Amen and Okoro) despite his IRL pedigree and being the highest-drafted of anyone on the roster. The ratings are nice: A- inside to go along with B+ defense and C+ rebounding all raise his floor, but the ceiling remains capped unless he can improve his shooting and possession efficiency. If Barnes can show Jwoo something this season, he may be cooking with gas depending on how the lotto balls bounce. But if Scottie truly doesn’t know (how to improve), the rebuild may take an extra year or two.
EDIT: Was gonna do the whole league but actually have to do SOME work today and this took longer than expected. Sry West, dock me RP
Boston Celtics: 484 Ja Morant PG 13 33.4 24.1 4.2 8.0 1.5 0.1 2.2 .454 .828 .375
Only blood may pay for blood, sangre por sangre, and only shitty TCs may pay for the best resigning luck a team has had in some time. After a step back in TC, Ja’s Preseason 2 sim looked exceptionally average almost across the board. I’d guess he won’t get much playing time unless/until James Harden is traded, but he’s really the key to the future of this team - if he’s not gonna be a clear-cut top 10 point guard, I fear the Celtics may be headed towards a rebuild sooner than Joe would have anticipated.
Miami Heat: 356 Alperen Sengun C 13 32.0 19.1 12.2 3.6 1.8 2.9 2.3 .495 .672 .440
538 Killian Hayes PG 13 34.9 19.0 3.5 9.5 1.8 0.0 1.5 .400 .918 .305
Two-fer in Miami. Sengun is getting all of the airtime after his stat-stuffing preseason - his line is eerily similar to a Hakeem-type line, and we haven’t really had anyone we could say that about since Hakeem retired. If I’m not mistaken, Sengun is due a super camp next offseason, and it’ll be fascinating to see how Scoops decides to camp him. If he can reproduce this line over the course of a large sample size, he’s probably a top 5 asset in the league.
While Sengun talk takes over the preseason, Killian Hayes quietly had >85 handles during TC, which is kind of broken for a PG. He shot a bad FG% in pre 2 but shot it 92% from the line, so clearly has super high jump shot. Hayes has two more years on his rookie deal, but likely won’t be RFA’d because Scoops will need to save that tag for Sengun…but his development could catapult the Heat into contention ahead of schedule.
New Jersey Nets: 489 Zion Williamson PF 17 34.9 22.8 11.0 5.1 1.0 0.5 2.5 .451 .690 .000
Can’t really be anyone else, although Scotty Pippen Jr. is super interesting to me and Jabari was someone I was considering picking at 3. Zion is the first player we’ve seen (in SLN or in our old league, at least from when I joined) to reach A+ inside - and yet his preseason sims look meh at best and he doesn’t even seem to have the crazy volume you’d expect from A+ inside, given how little scoring is on the roster around him. As the centerpiece of the AD deal, he was thought to have enough potential to overcome his weaknesses, but it looks like it may be going to the wrong places - 5.1 assists for him seems like his passing is weirdly high and contributing to his TO problem. After a nice offseason from Steven (loved his 3-way trade), Zion’s performance will dictate how the rebuild continues in the Swamp.
New York Knicks: 139 Walker Kessler C 16 27.1 7.4 9.8 1.3 0.6 1.8 1.5 .421 .475 .000
The Knicks look a bit different this season, with Embiid setting sail for the Stocky Mountains and Nav turning a large chunk of that return into Walker Kessler before he saw a minute of court time in SLN. Kessler will likely be entrusted with third big duties out of the gate in his rookie year, and while Nav’s moves were made with longevity in mind, every season with Turner / Okogie / Jones at the 1-2-3 should be treated as part of their championship window, and if Kessler is able to contribute right away, Nav’s offseason moves will look great. If Kessler needs a little more time to develop, this team may struggle to find home court advantage in the first round.
Orlando Magic: 431 Aaron Gordon PF 15 34.0 29.0 7.5 2.6 1.1 2.4 1.1 .438 .920 .291
Aaron Gordon has been unlocked in Orlando, with his two seasons there resulting in insane jumps in almost every relevant statistical category, most impressively his scoring and blocks (he also took way more threes last year). After a career year last season, Merv made some retooling moves to get value for Steph and Kawhi, likely under the assumption that Aaron Gordon was ready to take on a larger role in the offense and blossom into a true two-way superstar. If he can continue to grow, this team may not lose a step, but I’m a bit lower on DLo than others and think this team probably takes a (designed) step back this season.
P.S. Terence Davis scored 30 in pre 2?
Philadelphia 76ers: 3 LeBron James SF 14 32.2 20.9 7.1 3.8 1.6 0.7 1.5 .452 .663 .314
In what will likely be LeBron’s penultimate season, the goal for the 76ers should be to tank hard enough to land his successor in Wemby. But can a team with LeBron tank hard enough? If Delon Wright starts at PG, the answer to that question looks to be a resounding yes. There aren’t really moves to be made on this roster - none of the veterans really have trade value (save for maybe RoCo), so it’s time to wait and see if Dmo can summon the lotto gods once again to land a generational superstar (assuming Wemby even comes out in this draft, which seems to not be a given).
Washington Bullets: 358 Tyrese Maxey SG 12 32.3 23.2 3.3 6.1 1.3 0.3 1.7 .507 .882 .426
This team is trying to stay ahead of schedule and find another playoff berth, and much of that will come down to how ready Maxey is to take on a scoring load (ayo?) at point guard. After getting up to flat A outside, that looks likely, but with Shabazz now in Portland, it’ll be even more important for him to score with volume. Of course, honorable mention is Ant, who is the proud owner of some of the prettiest ratings in the league with A- / A- scoring and A- defense at SG - he notched over 2 steals in 17 minutes in preseason 2…he’ll need to pick up some of Maxey’s slack on the defensive end for this team to be successful methinks.
Atlanta Hawks: 649 Zach Collins PF 13 33.9 11.8 9.9 3.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 .409 .733 .522
With Deron Williams in Cancun, this team will need to find some scoring elsewhere to stay as dominant as they were last season (or maybe KD and TyFreke will just combine for 80 ppg…both seem possible). Heimer’s low cost move for Zach Collins last season was driven by his eagerness to launch the three ball at will, and he shot it at 52.2% in pre 2. If Collins can give Heimer a viable frontcourt scoring option to complement the superstar wing duo, D-Will’s loss may barely be felt.
Charlotte Hornets: 338 Draymond Green PF 14 30.2 11.1 9.5 3.1 0.7 0.6 1.5 .446 .836 .250
The Hornets backcourt is up there with the best in the league top to bottom, especially after the in-season move to add Lou Williams and the heads-up addition of Monta Ellis on the MLE. But the frontcourt is a mess after Jonathan Isaac - the third best big on the roster is an FBB created player (Lloyd Nichols). It looks like Draymond is going to be entrusted to play big minutes in Charlotte, and I’m not really sure what you’d say he’s “good” at in SLN - I guess he’s an above average stealer? Good free throw shooter? The ceiling of this team depends on Draymond’s ability to take a big step forward or Jack’s ability to go out and find another serviceable big.
Chicago Bulls: 425 Nerlens Noel C 10 20.0 5.5 7.2 1.5 1.3 1.9 1.1 .733 .733 .000
We had as crazy a preseason sim as I’ve ever seen, and as Merv said on the pod, it was definitely just a perfect storm of amazing dice rolls resulting in an insane shooting performance from everyone - but what I was most excited by was our defense. We led the league in oFG% in preseason 2, and Noel is likely a big part of that. We don’t have a single A- rebounder on our team, and while Otto and Luka are definitely plus rebounders, I’m nervous that we may be at a significant rebounding disadvantage against good teams this season, and Noel will need to come up big for us in order for our championship aspirations to hold any weight. Him shooting 73% from the floor wouldn’t hurt either.
Cleveland Cavaliers: 301 Brandon Clarke PF 10 27.7 8.7 9.1 0.7 2.1 1.9 1.1 .372 .483 .500
The Cavs have famously been stock:TO ratio deficient for the last several years, so they’ll need someone in their front court to break out for this team to be successful. If Brandon Clarke’s Preseason 2 is for real, he may have done just that. 4 stocks (including 2.1 steals!!) in just 28 minutes is wild, and exactly what this team needs to counteract Lavine and Steph’s tendency to give the ball to the other team. The goal for this team is again to make the playoffs, and the Central just may be too tough for the new-look Cavs to break through, but if Clarke can produce at that level for starter minutes, they have a chance.
Detroit Pistons: 578 Cade Cunningham SG 15 30.5 12.7 5.3 2.9 1.4 0.7 1.9 .439 .787 .356
Haliburton is a certified stud, and the Bazley trade looks more prescient from RB’s perspective with every sim that we get - but Cade has yet to truly impress to the level that most of the league expects him to as a former first overall pick. As much as RB wants to make the playoffs this season, that goal is relatively insignificant compared to Cade’s development and performance. If he can turn the corner and become a top-tier shooting guard, this team has the bones of a perennial contender with a few more moves. But if he plateaus, it may be tough for the Pistons to ever reach the promised land. With A potential still showing, I’d be betting on him, but I also wouldn’t hate kicking the tires and seeing if there are any prime-aged studs available from GMs who wouldn’t mind a reset with Cade.
Indiana Pacers: 436 Andre Drummond C 14 33.6 12.6 13.7 1.4 1.0 3.4 2.0 .486 .548 .000
Drummond received the +20 potential a few seasons back and has quietly developed into a two way big, jumping his efficiency last season to 44.5% and shooting a scorching 48.6% in this preseason sim through a 14 game sample size. After the Oden / Drummond experiment failed last season, Tonger may consider retooling / finding a new timeline, and Drummond is probably his most valuable asset given contracts (maybe Fox). If Drummond comes out of the gate scoring efficiently, does Tong capitalize on that and try to get younger to wait out the Central division superpower Hawks and plan long-term around Fox? Or would a hot start incentivize Tong to move Tyler Herro, who is on the last year of his rookie deal with A+ outside, for someone with two-way ability and a more proven track record?
Milwaukee Bucks: 427 Trae Young PG 13 20.2 15.0 4.4 3.2 0.7 0.0 1.2 .503 .857 .413
The Trae Young for Donovan Mitchell trade was one of the biggest trades made in an offseason chock-full of big moves, and Derek definitely zagged, grabbing Young to slot him in at the backup 1/2. Young’s performance will certainly be tied to Mitchell’s this season, and time will tell if Derek’s vision for this iteration of the Bucks will come to fruition. Until then, Derek will have to contend with some difficult DC decisions and figure out a way to get the most out of the 6 playable players they have in their backcourt.
Toronto Raptors: 445 Scottie Barnes SF 14 28.9 15.9 8.9 2.9 0.4 1.0 2.6 .436 .691 .478
On a roster with a few super exciting prospects, Barnes looks like the third best (behind Amen and Okoro) despite his IRL pedigree and being the highest-drafted of anyone on the roster. The ratings are nice: A- inside to go along with B+ defense and C+ rebounding all raise his floor, but the ceiling remains capped unless he can improve his shooting and possession efficiency. If Barnes can show Jwoo something this season, he may be cooking with gas depending on how the lotto balls bounce. But if Scottie truly doesn’t know (how to improve), the rebuild may take an extra year or two.
I gotta hear chirps about one season of resigning luck from the guy who got the best player in the league on sub $10M AAV for 14 seasons? And just got a top 3 SG on the minimum? Where's the bad TC karma that came back to Chicago for all that?
I'll tell ya, nowhere to be found on account of being protected by Matt Luck in perpetuity, which has become more Science than Luck at this point
I'll tell ya, nowhere to be found on account of being protected by Matt Luck in perpetuity, which has become more Science than Luck at this point
Celtics ah the balls
Nembhard went back down to C inside this TC :/Joe wrote: February 7th, 2025, 11:40 am I gotta hear chirps about one season of resigning luck from the guy who got the best player in the league on sub $10M AAV for 14 seasons? And just got a top 3 SG on the minimum? Where's the bad TC karma that came back to Chicago for all that?
I'll tell ya, nowhere to be found on account of being protected by Matt Luck in perpetuity, which has become more Science than Luck at this point
Oh wait I forgot the ghost resigning of your best big to the minimum alsoMatt wrote: February 7th, 2025, 11:54 amNembhard went back down to C inside this TC :/Joe wrote: February 7th, 2025, 11:40 am I gotta hear chirps about one season of resigning luck from the guy who got the best player in the league on sub $10M AAV for 14 seasons? And just got a top 3 SG on the minimum? Where's the bad TC karma that came back to Chicago for all that?
I'll tell ya, nowhere to be found on account of being protected by Matt Luck in perpetuity, which has become more Science than Luck at this point
Celtics ah the balls
zach collins is not only my favorite hawk… but also my favorite bull !!
Welcome to Atlanta where the playas play
And we ride on dem thangs like ev-ery day
Big beats, hit streets, see gangstahs roamin'
And parties don't stop 'til eight in the Monin
And we ride on dem thangs like ev-ery day
Big beats, hit streets, see gangstahs roamin'
And parties don't stop 'til eight in the Monin
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