Central Division, Milwaukee with Lillard and Giannis is the favorite. Cleveland tries

In Central the balance, at least in terms of predictions, seems clear. It will be a land of conquest for Milwaukee which, after having scored the Lillard coup, becomes the clear favorite of the division, as well as, according to the bookmakers’ odds, the one in pole position in the title race. Playoff ambitions for the Cavaliers and the interesting Pacers, the Bulls are more complex to decipher, while another transition season awaits the Pistons.

THE QUINTET

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Lillard, Beasley, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Lopez.

THE STAR

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Giannis Antetokounmpo sent clear messages to the management in the offseason that they listened to, then pulling the Lillard trade out of the hat. Now the Greek becomes even more devastating on an offensive level and doubling him consistently will not be easy, with a player like the former Blazers player on the perimeter, for the opponents.

MAIN RESERVATIONS

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Portis, Connaughton, Crowder, Payne.

TRAINER

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Adrian Griffin (new)

OBJECTIVE

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The NBA title

BECAUSE YOU CAN

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With Lillard, defending Milwaukee becomes a real feat. Giannis couldn’t ask for anything better from his management and now the Bucks seem to have very few weaknesses on an offensive level. However, a team capable of winning more than 60 games in the regular season seems built to give its best in the postseason.

WHY NOT

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Losing an excellent defender and a great leader like Holiday can have consequences. Giannis and Lopez in help will have to make up for Lillard’s defensive gaps on the perimeter, but the risk of a dangerous involution on the side of the pitch where the former Blazers player is less comfortable certainly exists.

THE QUINTET

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Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley, Allen

THE STAR

For four-time All Star Donovan Mitchell, next season will be a special one also because the rumors about his possible trade have not yet died down. With the addition of shooters like Strus and Niang, Mitchell can become even more difficult for opposing defenses to contain.

MAIN RESERVATIONS

LeVert, Okoro, Niang, Jones, Thompson.

TRAINER

J.B. Bickerstaff

BECAUSE YOU CAN

A very solid roster found exactly what it was missing in the summer market: reliable shooters. Under the basket Allen and Mobley can have their say in the East, Mitchell remains “instant offense” and Strus can become an X-factor especially in the postseason.

WHY NOT

The team still needs to mature and show that it has learned the lessons of last postseason. Mitchell will then have to manage to live with the usual rumors of potential trades, a situation that is not easy to manage.

THE QUINTET

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Haliburton, Mathurin, Brown, Toppin, Turner.

THE STAR

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After constant progress, Haliburton made the leap in quality last season, becoming the true leader of the Pacers and collecting the deserved call-up to the All Star Game. With the addition of Brown’s experience, the player from Iowa State could take another step forward in this championship.

MAIN RESERVATIONS

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McConnell, Hield, Nwora, Smith, Walker.

TRAINER

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Rick Carlisle (confirmed)

OBJECTIVE

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The playoffs.

BECAUSE YOU CAN

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A truly intriguing team that could surprise the East. Brown’s shot is really good, fresh from the title with the Nuggets and the addition of an interesting player like Toppin is also very interesting. However, everything revolves around Haliburton, the potential of a team yet to be discovered is linked to his progress.

WHY NOT

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Quality in the backcourt but also some question marks under the basket. An alternating current Turner and a timid Toppin could limit the growth of a group that still has a lot to prove to the NBA.

THE QUINTET

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Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan, Williams, Vucevic.

THE STAR

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Zach LaVine should have been the added value for a team that two seasons ago seemed on the verge of taking off. Instead, the one who in all respects is the star of the Bulls has remained in a sort of limbo. There is no shortage of talent but it takes another step to become a true star. His future could be far from Chicago, in fact, a trade for him would not surprise anyone in the Windy City

MAIN RESERVATIONS

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Carter, White, Craig, Terry Drummond.

TRAINER

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Billy Donovan (confirmed)

BECAUSE YOU CAN

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With two interesting additions like Carter and Craig, the team on paper has improved both in shooting and defense, but the burden of the absence of Lonzo Ball, who will remain out for the entire season, prevents Bulls fans from dreaming of an all-round season. ‘sign of smile.

WHY NOT

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Lots of question marks about the direction of the franchise. The LaVine era seems to be at an end, the Bulls puppeteer, the former Fortitudo Karnisovas, could also decide to reset everything at the trade deadline and rebuild from scratch.

THE QUINTET

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Cunningham, Thompson, Bogdanovic, Stewart, Duren.

THE STAR

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After a complicated season, marked by many physical problems, the Pistons are ready to find Cade Cunningham capable of showing flashes of his great talent, especially in his rookie year. The former Oklahoma State player will have many offensive opportunities for a team that has no other objectives other than developing its young players.

MAIN RESERVATIONS

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Burks, Bagley III, Wiseman, Ivey, Hayes.

TRAINER

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Monty Williams (new)

OBJECTIVE

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Lay the foundations for the future.

BECAUSE YOU CAN

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No real objective for a group that could potentially also have fun under the guidance of new coach Monty Williams. Cunningham, Ivey, Duren and Thompson can become a group to work on for years to come. The present, however, still says Lottery.

WHY NOT

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A team that basically has three real centers on its roster is something anomalous in current basketball, the management must decide who to focus on and whether to deprive themselves at the deadline of solid veterans like Bogdanovic who have a lot of transfer market.