Here is a complete ranking of the Eastern Conference into tiers as it's time to see where the Philadelphia 76ers stand among the contenders.
The 2025-26 season promises to be one filled with a lot of intrigue in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers figure to be out of the picture with the injuries to their respective stars for the majority of the upcoming season.
The Philadelphia 76ers, coming off their own injury-riddled season, will be looking for a little bit of luck in that department in the upcoming season. Suppose the Sixers can get Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey healthy. In that case, they will have an excellent chance in the Eastern Conference, and battle the likes of the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and others.
With that being said, it's time to rank the Eastern Conference placing them into tiers:
Tier 1: Contenders
New York Knicks
The Knicks have to be considered the favorites in the East. While it was strange to see them fire Tom Thibodeau after such a successful run, the Knicks still have a strong starting 5 and now have big man depth with the signing of Guerschon Yabusele. Whether new coach Mike Brown will use his bench a bit more than Thibodeau remains to be seen, but there is no questioning what Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns can do on the floor together.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs got Haliburton'd in the playoffs. That and the fact that they had injury problems of their own with Darius Garland hobbled in that series. With that being said, the Cavaliers have some of the best talent in the East with Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley leading the way. It will be interesting to see if they can repeat their regular season success in 2025-26, but on paper, this Cavs roster is just as talented as New York's heading into the season.
Orlando Magic
Yes. The Magic are contenders. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are players who can easily for 25 points each in a game while Jalen Suggs is one of the top defensive players in the league. Throw in the addition of Desmond Bane, who fills a lot of holes for Orlando, and this team is ready to make that jump in the East. The Magic had a fantastic offseason as they filled every hole they had to around their star duo of Banchero and Wagner.
Tier 2: Contenders...if healthy
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers are the toughest team to peg. Everything hinges on the knee of Joel Embiid. Everything. If he is able to return and be even 80% of what he used to be, then the Sixers will be extremely tough to beat. While there is some type of transition to Tyrese Maxey in terms of play style in Philadelphia, this still comes down to Embiid. He has got to be healthy for Philadelphia to have any serious chance in the upcoming season. The same goes for Paul George who is coming off an offseason procedure on his left knee.
Tier 3: Ready for the next step
The Pistons are a team that will have a lot of eyes on them. After making a humongous jump from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 44 in 2024-25, the Pistons will no longer sneak up on teams. Cade Cunningham will now have teams making adjustments for him and what he brings to the table so it will be interesting to see if he can lead Detroit to another step up the ladder. Losing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley--at least temporarily--will hurt, but the additions of Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson can help. The return of Jaden Ivey from injury will be a big boost as well.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are primed for a big run in the East. Led by star guard Trae Young, this is a strong roster. However, key pieces such as Jalen Johnson and new addition Kristaps Porzingis are coming off their own health issues. If the Hawks have a healthy Johnson and Porzingis, then that makes a big difference. Atlanta will be tough to score on the defensive end with Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Johnson, Porzingis, and Onyeka Okongwu leading the way.
Toronto Raptors
This could be a hot take! However, the Raptors should at least contend for a playoff spot and be in the play-in for sure. The quartet of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Brandon Ingram brings a lot of intrigue. Throw in reliable big man Jakob Poeltl and the Raptors have a strong starting 5 on paper. There are some nice bench pieces coach Darko Rajakovic can turn to as well. Toronto could be a tough team in the coming season.
Tier 4: Set to take a step back
Boston Celtics
The Cs are going to look much different when they take the floor on opening night. Due to salary cap restrictions, they had to move on from key pieces such as Jrue Holiday and Porzingis and won't have Jayson Tatum for the season. Therefore, this is a gap year. While Boston will remain competitive led by 2024 finals MVP Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Anfernee Simons, they aren't contenders anymore.
Indiana Pacers
Pacers fans have to be going through it. One win away from completing one of the more magical runs in NBA playoff history, the Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles and then lost Myles Turner to the Bucks in free agency. Like the Celtics, this Pacers team will be competitive. There are still reliable pieces here such as Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Bennedict Mathurin, but the Pacers are going to take a step back with Haliburton sidelined.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are in an interesting spot. After bringing in Myles Turner, the Bucks were able to add a shot-blocking presence who can also step out and hit a 3-pointer at this stage of the game while providing production next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Damian Lillard experiment didn't work for Milwaukee so the focus now is on Antetokounmpo to once again carry this roster on his shoulders.
Tier 5: Stuck in the middle
Much respect to coach Erik Spoelstra and president Pat Riley for the HEAT Culture and all that, but what exactly is the direction? The Heat have been in the play-in now for three straight seasons--having been the 8 seed all three times. The 2023 finals run was incredible, but the Heat haven't been able to build off it. Once again, they will look to Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo to cover up this team's flaws and carry them to wins right back into the play-in.
Chicago Bulls
Much like the Heat, the Bulls have been a perpetual play-in team. The front office needs to make a move in terms of Nikola Vucevic and focus entirely on rebuilding. They have a good start with Matas Buzelis, and maybe they can bring back Josh Giddey alongside rookie Noa Essengue, but Chicago needs to hit the reset button. This roster needs it.
Tier 6: Still in rebuild mode
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are an interesting bunch. The talent is there. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges should be enough to get Charlotte into the play-in conversation in the East, but it just hasn't been enough. One has to wonder if rookie Kon Knueppel can make a difference and provide some production along with second-year man Tidjane Salaun.
Washington Wizards
One has to wonder if the Wizards are ready for the next step in their rebuild. They moved on from the Jordan Poole era and brought in the reliable CJ McCollum while still having Khris Middleton on the roster to mentor the youngsters. This is a Wizards team that has an interesting young group of players led by Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and rookie Tre Johnson. They're still a ways away, but the front office brought in the right veterans to help them grow.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are in full tank mode as they have their eyes on AJ Dybansta in the 2026 draft. The focus for Brooklyn should be on rookies Egor Demin, Danny Wolf, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and Ben Saraf. While veteran Michael Porter Jr. is around to score points--and let off some interesting thoughts--the Nets will not win many games in the upcoming season.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Ranking the Eastern Conference: Where do 76ers stand among contenders?
Category: Basketball
