NBA Southeast Division Preview: Heat, Hawks, Two Way Battle
Mia, Atl, Fav's in Fairly Weak Division
NBA Southeast Division Preview
The Miami Heat lost some players from last year’s team. But they’re still considered the team to beat in the NBA’s Southeast Division. It’s not because Miami is such a great team, but it’s not entirely due to the rest of the division being weak. It’s a little bit of both, with there being a drop-off from Miami to Atlanta. There’s a slightly bigger drop-off from Miami to the Orlando Magic. Charlotte and Washington look to have little chance of making a splash in the Southeast Division. Now, it’s time to look at the NBA Southeast Division preview and odds on the teams.
Miami Heat (-180)
The NBA Southeast Division preview shows Miami as the odds-on favorite to win the division crown. It’s hard to argue otherwise. Miami will miss players like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, but as long as they have Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, the Heat should be in good shape.
Miami Heat was the only team to finish with a .500 record in the division last year, something Atlanta and Orlando could challenge for this year. But the Heat appear to have too much talent for anybody to make a run at them. Miami has a couple of weak spots, such as no true passer at point guard and nobody approaching one of the NBA 3 point leaders, but it’s a well-rounded team. The departure will chip away at the team’s depth a little bit and they can’t afford any extended NBA injuries. But a couple of role-playing veterans, Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry, might have another decent season left in the tank.
Atlanta Hawks (+200)
Trae Young had a monster season for the Hawks, averaging 26.2 points and 10.2 assists and there are some talented younger players, such as Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic to help out. There’s also a lack of defense, which is one reason Atlanta is well behind the Heat in terms of division odds. Atlanta was 12-32 straight-up and 10-34 against the spread last season when allowing 120 or more points. That includes an 11-30 straight-up record in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs.
If Atlanta can play defense a little bit more, the Hawks have the offensive talent to make some noise in the conference. But a well-rounded, balanced team like Miami will still be considered the team to beat. Atlanta wasn’t a team you wanted to have in your NBA picks today on a regular basis. Counting the playoffs, the Hawks finished 39-50 against the spread.
Orlando Magic (+800)
The NBA Southeast Division preview has the Magic battling with the Hawks for second place in the division. With NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero and a solid group of youngsters, the Magic look to have a bright future. Whether that begins to show this season or not, is the big question when trying to gauge Orlando. Markelle Fultz could be the oldest of the five starters and he’s still just 25.
Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs, along with Fultz, give Orlando decent guard play, with Franz Wagner and Moritz Wager decent upfront. The Magic brought in Joe Ingles to provide some veteran leadership, so his impact may be felt more off the court than on it.
Charlotte Hornets (+3300)
The first thing the Hornets have to do is stay healthy. LaMelo Ball played in just 36 games, while Gordon Hayward seems to have injuries almost every season. He played in 50 games last year. Charlotte does have a bit of talent in Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges, and PJ Washington. But there isn’t enough talent to challenge the top teams.
Brandon Miller will turn out to be a good one. He spent the summer in the weight room adding muscle to prepare for the rigors of the NBA schedule. But how much of an impact he has as a rookie remains to be seen.
Washington Wizards (+15000)
Bradley Beal is gone, so the Wizards are retooling and will likely suffer some growing pains along the way. That’s pretty much reflected in the odds. Washington will have a new backcourt with Jordan Poole and Tyus Jones, who were both brought in through trades. Kyle Kuzma had a solid season and the Wizards are hopeful Danilo Gallinari can bounce back after missing all of last season.
But even if Washington’s players perform in a best-case scenario, it’s unlikely the Wizards are going to challenge for one of the top two or three spots in the division. Anything better than a 35-47 record, which the Wizards have had the last two seasons, has to be viewed as a positive.
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