Kemba Walker, Darius Garland and the most interesting NBA players in the East

With the season just days away we’re looking at Kemba Walker, Darius Garland and the most interesting NBA player for every team in the Eastern Conference.

We’re less than a week away from the start of the 2020-21 NBA season. That makes this as good a time as any to walk through which players we’re most interested in watching for the coming year. We’ll go division-by-division, starting here with the Eastern Conference. Come back tomorrow for the West.

Atlantic Division

Kemba Walker (Celtics), Jarrett Allen (Nets), Mitchell Robinson (Knicks), Danny Green and Seth Curry (76ers), OG Anunoby (Raptors)

We don’t yet know if or when Walker will return to the floor. He’s been dealing with a knee injury for a while now, and the Celtics have said his under-performance in the bubble was related to an attempt to return from the injury too quickly. In his absence, Boston’s options at the point are Jeff Teague, Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards, and an out-of-position Marcus Smart. Let’s just say they need Kemba when they get to the playoffs. But how much of the regular season can he realistically miss before it begins affecting the Celtics’ postseason chances?

DeAndre Jordan got the start at center in the Nets’ first preseason game. It is apparent to everyone not named Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant that Allen is the more positively-impactful player, but he seems likely to be coming off the bench. Headed into the final year of his rookie deal, how does that arrangement affect Allen? And do the Nets even consider him part of their future? If not, will he be on his way elsewhere at or before the deadline?

A similar situation is developing in New York, though obviously on a lower scale of importance. Nerlens Noel has started ahead of Mitchell Robinson so far during the preseason. On one level, it makes sense because if Julius Randle is starting and Obi Toppin is coming off the bench, you’d rather Robinson be the one who benefits from the extra spacing. On the other hand, if Robinson is going to be the center of the future, at some point he has to prove that he can start and play big minutes. He will be either a restricted free agent this coming offseason (2021) or an unrestricted one next year (2022), so the Knicks are coming up to the point where they have to decide whether or not Robinson is their guy.

The Sixers decided to prioritize shooting in the players they utilize around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The two biggest bets were on Green and Curry. If Green shoots like he did in Toronto and most of his time in San Antonio and Curry shoots like he has his whole career, that’ll likely work out pretty well for them. If Green shoots like he did his final year with the Spurs and last season in LA and Curry shoots well but not at an elite level and so isn’t worth keeping out there to occasionally get picked on defensively (he competes but is still super small), then it won’t. That’s a tight rope to walk.

Toronto got a big leap and then another mini-leap from Pascal Siakam over the past two seasons, which helped turn the team into a true contender and then maintain that status after the exits of Kawhi Leonard and Green. With Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka also gone now, the Raptors are going to need another player to go up another level, and Anunoby is the likeliest candidate. He’s been terrific as a 3-and-D guy so far in his career, showing only occasional flashes of being able to do anything with the ball in his hands. Is there anything to be unlocked on that end of the floor? It’s not the end of the world if there isn’t; he’s a valuable player either way. But if there is, that could alter the trajectory of the team’s future yet again.

Central Division

Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter (Bulls), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Delon Wright (Pistons), Victor Oladipo (Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Bucks)

Markkanen took a bit of a step backward last year amid some injury issues. His skill set remains extremely useful for an offense, though, and it’ll be interesting to see how he can be weaponized by new coach Billy Donovan. Carter is the more versatile player and certainly has greater potential as a defender. He’s also younger, more mobile, a year further away from free agency, and probably more of a fit alongside No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams.

With Collin Sexton looking like he has at least one NBA-level skill (scoring), it’s time for Garland to step up to the plate. He showed occasional flashes during his rookie season, but mostly flashes of abilities that overlap with those of Sexton. Neither player looks like a plus passer, and with Sexton’s bulk/strength advantages, he’s always going to make more sense than Garland next to other backcourt partners. Garland’s future likely depends on his ability to become a viable pull-up shooter, which looked like his best skill during his short stint in college.

Wright fell out of favor with Rick Carlisle in Dallas, in large part to his relative unwillingness to shoot the ball. He’s been starting for the Pistons in their early preseason contests, working as a secondary ball-handler alongside rookie Killian Hayes. That’s probably the best fit for his skill set, but he needs to be more aggressive in pursuing both his own shooting opportunities and drives to the rim to create for others. If he’s willing to ramp things up, he and Hayes make for a nice backcourt pairing.

Oladipo either requested a trade out of Indiana or didn’t and is either willing to sign an extension or is not. Either way, he’ll be a free agent next offseason, able to sign with the team of his choosing. He’s now almost two years removed from his major knee injury and if he’s going to cash in again, we need to see him start getting back to the player he was before he went down. He didn’t look all that much like that player at any point after his return last season; but if he can get back there, he might be the best free-agent available now that so many of the other big-name players have signed extensions.

Speaking of big-name players who signed extensions… the Bucks! Giannis inking his long-term commitment to Milwaukee makes Holiday the most intriguing player on the team for the coming season. The team gave up a whole lot to get him (and lock in Giannis’ commitment), and with only a year left on his deal. The assumption seems to be that he’ll sign up to play with Giannis and Khris Middleton, but stranger things have happened. The Bucks need to make sure that commitment is ironclad, and that Holiday accentuates the strengths of their other two stars while also mitigating their weaknesses.

Southeast Division

Cam Reddish and DeAndre Hunter (Hawks), Terry Rozier (Hornets), Avery Bradley and Moe Harkless (Heat), Aaron Gordon (Magic), Russell Westbrook (Wizards)

With the Hawks signing Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, their 2-3-4 rotation got a lot more crowded. Their two top-10 picks from last year are likely duking it out for one starting spot, but both will probably move down a bit in the pecking order from where they were last year. In the end, that might be a good thing for them, allowing them each to focus on what they do best and expanding their skills incrementally, rather than all at once. Which of them starts and which comes off the bench alongside Gallinari isn’t quite as much of the point as which of them can establish himself as a plus shooter first, and thus make himself a staple of closing lineups.

Devonte’ Graham was in the running for Most Improved Player. LaMelo Ball was the No. 3 pick in the draft. Gordon Hayward is a $120 million man. Where does that leave Rozier, who quietly had a nice debut season in Charlotte? He’s likely never going to be the preferred ball-handler ahead of any of that trio and it’s not as though he’s an ace shooter or all-defense level defender. His best skill is having a variety of skills that allow him to play next to any combination of those other three guys; but will that be enough for him? Will it be enough for the Hornets, who have far bigger needs at other positions?

Bradley and Harkless are essentially being asked to combine to fill the role Jae Crowder played during the bubble as a versatile defender who can knock down some threes. Harkless can do it at the three and four spots, while Bradley can do it at the one and two, and occasionally against some smaller threes. Miami obviously has other options when it comes to shooting, but the Heat definitely need these guys to bring their A-game defensively, because the other shooters on the roster probably won’t. Unless Precious Achiuwa is ready to contribute right away, how Harkless shoots and defends might be the thing that swings Miami’s season one way or the other.

Please, Aaron Gordon, just watch Draymond Green tape and be that guy.

The Wizards made a decent-sized bet on Westbrook being the version of himself he was over the second half of the pre-hiatus season in Houston. Surrounding him with shooters like Bradley Beal, Davis Bertans, Moe Wagner, and more is the right idea if they want to unlock that guy, but Russ also needs to commit to driving as hard as he can toward the rim on every possession instead of chucking up threes himself like he did during the restart. If Beal is happier alongside Westbrook than he was playing with John Wall, it’s probably a win either way, but it can be an even bigger one if the Wizards get Good Russ.