Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

Key Player: Gordon Hayward—Irving is important, but Hayward knows coach Brad Stevens, and his game matches his former college coach’s offensive philosophy. The best thing about Stevens is his adaptability, and he’ll squeeze the best out of his new point guard. But, it’ll be Gordon’s eclectic offensive capabilities that’ll aid that transition the most.

Key Addition: Kyrie Irving—This is a completely different squad even after claiming the No. 1 seed and a Conference Finals berth. Jayson Tatum seems like a steal at No. 3, and Danny Ainge said he’d have taken him if the Celtics kept the No. 1 pick (of course he did). If you spot Tatum rise up over a defender in the mid-post this season, you’ll swear it’s an eight-year vet schooling a rookie instead of the other way around.

Key Portion of the Schedule: Jan. 23-29 (at Lakers, at Clippers, at Warriors, at Nuggets)—Opening night against LeBron and Co. will be special and Twitter will make season-long prognostications based off the results of half a quarter, but it’s their West Coast road trip in late January that’ll give us a real idea of how good the new-look Celts might be. The Lakers whet the appetite, but the Clippers, Warriors, Nuggets jaunt from Wednesday to Monday will reveal a lot about their chemistry.

Major Key: Irving adapting to Boston rather than vise versa. Can Cleveland’s former point guard stifle his tendency to over-dribble, and mesh with an offensive style emphasizing ball movement and spacing? Conversely, can Brad Stevens provide a framework within his offense to take advantage of the best one-on-one scorer in the game today? Will Irving take his defensive responsibility as seriously as he does his off-court brand? How will the culture change after Isaiah Thomas’ departure influence the locker room and the sometimes prickly personality of Irving? That’s a whole lot of questions for the ostensible favorites for the top seed in the Conference.

Brooklyn Nets

Key Player: D’Angelo Russell—DAR’s fresh start is the cliched media day story, but it could be true in Kenny Atkinson’s fast-paced offense predicated on Mike Budenholzer’s Spurs East in Atlanta. It’s read and react, and if Russell shares the ball like the offense calls for, he might not continue to be known as the guy who blew up Nick Young’s engagement to Iggy Azalea, or as the PG Magic Johnson jettisoned out of LA for Lonzo Ball.

Key Addition: Allen Crabbe—He finally joins the team that put forth the 4-year, $75 million offer sheet in 2016 which Portland then matched (the summer of 2016 was lit if you like deals that look suspect in retrospect). He’s a 3-and-D guy who can defend opposing wings and will fit nicely in Atkinson’s offensive system.

Key Portion of the Schedule: April 3-11 (at Boston, at Philadelphia)—The Nets finish out the season playing four of their last six on the road, including at Boston and Philadelphia, who could be jockeying for playoff seeds. But how they fare in the final week could determine the Cav’s draft lottery odds, which might be a big factor in whether LeBron re-signs in Cleveland.

Major Key: No tank stank. The Cavs now hold the Nets' first-round pick after the Kyrie Irving trade to Boston, so Brooklyn’s going to play hard every night. Plus, new GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson are a good foundation, and their amphetamine pace is a lot more exciting than the slow-it-down version enacted by the remnants of the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams era.

Also, Jeremy Lin is healthy again, and he was on pace to have a career year under Atkinson before going down. Keep an eye out on his opening week and stick around after the game for his eloquence.

New York Knicks

Key Player: Kristaps Porzingis—KP is the guy now, and we’ll see how he handles life after Carmelo Anthony. Expect a big drop-off in efficiency, as his isolation and post-up numbers last year don’t inspire much confidence in the Knicks this season. There were also rumors after he skipped his exit interview this spring that he didn’t get along with coach Jeff Hornacek, so keep an eye on that, too.

Key Addition: Tim Hardaway Jr.—He’s back and he expects to make the playoffs. That’s almost as bonkers as Michael Beasley.

Key Portion of the Schedule: Dec. 16—Melo returns. Do they boo him, or Phil, or does someone just finally pour some popcorn on James Dolan? Maybe Oak Tree will show.

Major Key: The team isn’t going to be great, and they’ll be back counting ping pong balls in the spring. After the Phil fiasco and Melo trade, they also owe Joakim Noah and Enes Kanter—neither of whom are as talented as Willy Hernangomez—over $92 million guaranteed over the next three years.

Aside from KP’s development as the alpha and where they fall in the draft lottery, most of the media bubble will focus on perhaps the most quotable player in the NBA at this point. Beasley’s discussion with Sportsnet NY’s Taylor Rooks about humans only using 10 percent of their brain should be taught in journalism school.

Philadelphia 76ers

Key Player: Joel Embiid—Hyperbole doesn’t exist when you talk about Joel Embiid’s way-too-short introduction to NBA audiences. He got serious ROY consideration after appearing in just 31 games last season, but his presence was just that awe-inspiring. It’s not some Sixers dream to say he could be Hakeem Olajuwon, but with serious 3-point range. Starved Sixers Twitter has a tendency to hyperventilate about ho-hum developments, but their gushing about Embiid, both on the court and on social media, is totally warranted. This guy is fun and could be one of the most dominant players ever. He just has to stay on the court.

Key Addition: Markelle Fultz—Fultz is a franchise point guard and a future All-Star, according to scouts. Then he decided to add a hitch to an otherwise fine-looking shot. This is the No. 1 pick changing his shooting mechanics the summer before he debuts in the NBA?! Whether his talent translates to the NBA after such an odd decision—on a team with a lot of mouths to feed and a point-forward in Simmons—remains to be seen. The presence of J.J. Redick will only help, though, as defenses keyed on Ben, Markelle and Embiid loosen to stay with the energetic sharpshooter. The perception around the NBA is that Fultz is already a mistake because of the new giddyup in his shooting stroke, but he hasn't played one regular-season game yet, and there's a reason he was so highly touted after a lone season at Washington.

Key Portion of the Schedule: Oct. 18-30 or Nov. 11-18 or Feb. 25-March 4—The first two sets of dates will likely feature Embiid—including road games in Washington and Houston and a visit from the Celtics, and then two games against the Warriors in mid November. But, there’s no telling if he’s healthy right after the All-Star break when the Sixers face a bevy of likely Eastern playoff teams—Washington, Cleveland, Miami and Milwaukee—on the road.

Major Key: If Embiid’s healthy—and that could be appearing as few as 60 games—they’re a threat to have home-court in the first round. If he’s not, they might be in the lottery yet again. That’s how good he is, and how important he’ll be even with a vastly improved roster around him.

Toronto Raptors

Key Player: Serge Ibaka—If Dwane Casey were a tad more creative, starting Ibaka at center isn’t crazy (though rebounding will be sparse), especially if you have Jonas Valanciunas feast on second units while simultaneously inflating his trade value. The Raptors would need the Serge Protector version of Ibaka that led Sam Presti to deal James Harden, but he hasn’t been present for almost a half decade now. If Ibaka has a career resurgence and stops caring about how many pick-and-pop attempts to focus on blockading the rim, the Raptors could again make a Conference Finals.

Key Addition: C.J. Miles—Raptors fans are gonna love when Miles does his J.R. Smith routine and hits a lightening quick catch-and-shoot from 30 feet with his body facing the sideline.

Key Portion of the Schedule: March 31-April 4 (at Boston, Cleveland, Boston)—As the end of the regular season draws to a close, the Raptors face the Celtics in Boston, then the Cavs, and Celtics as they head north. If the Raptors are in the thick of a race for a top seed in the East, these three games could decide it. If they aren’t, we’ll know they’ve continued to drop back from the pack in the Conference most think is a top-heavy joke.

Major Key: Will DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry ever reach their regular season heights during the postseason? If they continue to take a nosedive every April, look for another Conference Semifinal loss, or maybe even sooner. Lowry quietly had a career year in 2016-17, at least from an offensive efficiency perspective. But he injured his shooting wrist in February last season and it plagued him in the playoffs. If he can stay healthy, maybe the #RTZ gets to laugh about a Celtics loss in the second round.