2. Young players on other teams exceed expectations
This year, the Eastern Conference is primarily made up of playoff-ready teams, teams that are close to the playoffs, such as the Cavs, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets, or young rebuilding teams like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. While these teams are certainly not ready to compete for the conference crown, some of them may be ready to compete for the playoffs.
While the rebuilding teams are unlikely to contend for a playoff bid, the Pistons and Hornets could knock the Heat out of the playoff picture if their young pieces show significant improvement.
The Pistons are likely to snag a playoff bid because of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, but could make some noise in the playoffs if Stanley Johnson and Luke Kennard make progress on their games. They’ll certainly benefit from new coach Dwayne Casey, who tapped into several players’ potentials as the Toronto Raptors’ head coach.
Kemba Walker and the Hornets could be a threat to the Heat as well. If rookie Miles Bridges can contribute right away, Malik Monk improves from his disappointing rookie year, and Willy Hernangomez steps his game up, the Hornets could be a threat for the Heat. It’s a long shot, but it’s possible.
Two other teams that may bump the Heat out of the playoffs are the Bulls and Knicks. Don’t get too discouraged by the Bulls’ 27-55 record in 2017-18. Their best player, Zach LaVine, only played 24 games. Every Bulls starter may be under 24 years old, but they had a good offseason. LaVine enters this season healthy along with Jabari Parker, Wendell Carter Jr., and a young team that’s now a year older, headlined by Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn. The young Bulls could sneak into the playoffs if they can play passable defense (which, admittedly, is a tall order).
The Knicks are also a dark horse playoff candidate. Although Kristaps Porzingis will miss time recovering from his ACL tear, the team can make a playoff run after the All-Star break if the rest of the squad can hold down the fort until he comes back. This will require Kevin Knox to be prepared to be a main scoring option, Frank Ntilikina to improve his overall game, and veterans such as Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway Jr. to step up. If the Knicks hover around .500 without the Unicorn, they could contend for a playoff spot.
While it is yet to be seen if these teams are legitimate playoff teams, young players making notable improvements could push some teams into the mix.