As good as I expect the NBA to be, the Central Division just always seems to be strong and gritty. From the days of the Detroit Pistons to the Chicago Bulls going after it, which recently resulted in Michael Jordan admitting that he HATES Isiah Thomas, to the Malice at the Palace between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers, to the dominance of LeBron James in the previous decade. This division has it all, and it will be no different this year.
#5 - Chicago Bulls
Let's face it, the Bulls are in trouble again. After having the best record in the NBA at one point in 2021-22, the Bulls lost what I feel was their most precious asset in Lonzo Ball. Without Ball to run the offense, the Bulls had to turn to Demar DeRozan and Zach LaVine for answers. Since LaVine's tenure as primary ball-handler has gone amuck, the Bulls have been trying desperately to trade him and big man Nikola Vucevic this offseason to no avail. The departure of DeRozan to Sacramento makes the situation even worse.
Despite the issues with their veterans, the Bulls have put a decent group of young players together. Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White continue to be the Bulls' most trusted young playmakers, while first-round pick Matas Buzelis impressed many at Summer League. The Bulls also traded Alex Caruso in favor of an excellent playmaking guard in Josh Giddey, despite his recent off-the-court scandal. While the Bulls won't be great this season, they have a group of players that could easily see a major draft pick or superstar join them in the next couple of years. This year won't be great, but the Bulls tend to bounce back from these situations very quickly.
#4 - Detroit Pistons
Surprise! The Pistons will not be last this year. After a couple of miserable seasons, Detroit finally has a little bit of daylight, but not much. Cade Cunningham is a former number-one pick and he was averaging all-star numbers last year. Now, he's entering his mid-20s and his team is...not rising to new heights when they should be.
Overall, I think the Piston's organization as a whole can share the blame because Detroit has had so many top five draft picks over the years, and these players are not worthless potential. I remember when Jaden Ivey was considered the best player in the Big Ten in college. He was pure pro talent. Why that hasn't transferred to the NBA is befuddling to me. Ausar Thompson is still a work in progress, but how does a top five draft pick shoot only 18% from three in a league that is increasingly valuing three point shooting? The only thing big man Isaiah Stewart is known for is going crazy trying to fight LeBron James. The last time the Pistons had a winning record was nine seasons ago in 2016. Since then, they've changed coaches four times. The organization as a whole could use some better leadership.
The Pistons should never have set the all-time losing skid record at all. Cunningham doesn't deserve that. This year, the Pistons have added some established veterans to go along with their young core. Tim Hardaway Jr. was starting in the NBA Finals a few years ago and Tobias Harris was on the number one team in the Eastern Conference a few years back. They are going to give a lift to Detroit and might make them a playoff contender, but don't expect the Pistons to go anywhere without size.
#3 - Milwaukee Bucks
Sure, the Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best players in basketball with Giannis Antetokounmpo (in my mind, he's still the most athletic right now). However, the Bucks have not won a playoff series in the last two years. Both their coaching situation and their team's complexion have changed drastically since then. They traded Jrue Holiday in order to get Damian Lillard, and I'm honestly not sure that giving away your main facilitator and moving Giannis off the ball was the right move. The Bucks did manage to get Gary Trent Jr. this offseason, but he's more of a shooter than a facilitator.
On top of all that, the Bucks are aging. Giannis turns 30 this season, but Lillard is 34, Khris Middleton is 33, and Brook Lopez is 36. The Bucks are not going to last much longer with this crew. They're legendary players to be sure, but that was four years ago. They need to start trading assets and go get some younger prospects while they still can. Sure, they'll keep winning so long as they have Giannis and Lillard, but a championship seems out of the picture.
#2 - Cleveland Cavaliers
Why is nobody talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers? They are a serious NBA championship contender with all players in their prime. Donovan Mitchell had a 70-point double-double a year and a half ago. That had never been done in NBA history. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen were all stars before Mitchell was even traded to Cleveland and Evan Mobley will get there eventually. That's some serious young talent that needs to be given respect. Additionally, this team became the first Cavalier team in 30 years to win a playoff series without LeBron James. You take Cleveland sports somewhere without LeBron, you're doing something right.
The only issue that could come up for Cleveland is the ability to shoot the ball from deep. Max Strus was brought in last year for that purpose, but Cleveland may want to find a way to bring in a sharpshooter before it's too late. They could be wasting an opportunity to prove to the world that Cleveland doesn't need LeBron to win a championship.
#1 - Indiana Pacers
After a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the second best NBA team from last year in my opinion will have all the momentum going for them. Tyrese Haliburton is the best facilitator in the NBA, and he just got some major help on the interior. Pascal Siakam being traded from Toronto was the perfect piece for the Pacers. They needed offensive rebounding and a solid inside presence to take pressure off of their elite shooters. Putting Siakam next to Myles Turner will make for one of the best front courts in the NBA.
That's sparking championship vibes considering the best group of three-point shooters outside of Golden State are on your team. Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Ben Mathurin are going to light it up from three like they did last year and Siakam will give them so many more opportunities. A dynamic offense that just found its golden ticket should at least return to the Eastern Conference Finals this season. The Pacers will be phenomenal.
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