Win In 6 Podcast #12: Atlantic Division Preview

It’s that time of week again (for the second time), as our team gets together to discuss the latest Milwaukee Bucks’ news and most important conversation points in our “Win In 6 Podcast”!

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As the season moves closer, it only feels right to branch out and look further around at the teams the Bucks are going to have to square off against, and so from this week on that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing on the podcast.

On top of our regular podcast spot (posting on Tuesdays) where we dive deep into every piece of Bucks news or discussion, we’ll take a division by division trip around the NBA on Thursdays to get to know the opposition a little better.

Starting off in the Eastern Conference, we began this week by looking at the Atlantic Division.

On paper, the Atlantic Division may be the ugliest in the whole association, as there isn’t a whole lot that jumps out at you in terms of talent. Yet somewhat surprisingly, the Atlantic had three representatives in the post-season last year in the form of Toronto, Brooklyn and Boston.

Are we likely to see a repeat of that this year? I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Although a couple of the Atlantic Division’s teams have made noticeable improvements, to the same token another two might have taken steps back, with one arguably standing pat in terms of talent.

The Philadelphia 76ers are still following their long-term plan of being bad for as long as possible in order to accumulate as much young talent via the draft to make them the NBA’s next ultimate powerhouse.

Although they still have a way to come on that road too, they’re definitely improving. Picking up Jahlil Okafor in this year’s draft offers them a lead offensive big to partner alongside Nerlens Noel in the absence of Joel Embiid. That’s a towering front court that is going to have their way in the NBA before too long.

Behind them, players like Tony Wroten, Robert Covington and Nik Stauskas may not be even close to becoming bona fide superstars that help you contend, but they’re solid young pieces who’ll get the chance to improve in Philadelphia.

The Knicks may have been the laughing stock of the league last season, and in the early part of free agency, but in the end they’ve had a good summer where their team got considerably better.

The addition of Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo provides two specialists who will offer up reliable impacts, while players like Kyle O’Quinn, Kevin Seraphin and Langston Galloway give good depth.

The big question marks still focus on Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and coach Derek Fisher, but there’s at least a chance that the Knicks could get things right this season.

On the other end of the scale, the Brooklyn Nets may have achieved their primary free agency goals by re-signing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, but it’s the lack of depth behind them that should cause real concern.

With Deron Williams now gone, is Jarrett Jack, Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan a point guard rotation that can make you a good team? I don’t think so.

The Celtics may not have made any of the big splashes that they had long intended to make this summer, but they added some valuable veterans and certainly didn’t get worse.

Their young talent has improved with the additions of Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, Jordan Mickey and Perry Jones, while guys like David Lee and Amir Johnson should help provide Brad Stevens’ team with a winning edge they didn’t have last year.

Last but not least is the Toronto Raptors. It’s possible that the Raptors might have gotten worse even before the end of last season, as their catastrophic playoff exit may ultimately prove to be an endictment of their current squad’s talent.

They made a big splash with the signing of DeMarre Carroll, but is he the right fit for their roster? Bismack Biyombo, Cory Joseph and Luis Scola are nice additions, but are they enough?

To get to the bottom of all of these questions and more (we can get distracted some times), joining me are staff writers Ti Windisch, Jordan Treske and John Heffernon.

Make sure to follow us on SoundCloud, and subscribe on iTunes to never miss an episode of Win In 6 in the future.

Check out our podcast breakdown of the Bucks shooting guards next Tuesday, as well as our preview of the Southeast Division coming Thursday.

As always, let us hear your thoughts and feedback.

Next: Win In 6 Podcast #11: Breaking Down The Bucks Point Guards

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