NBA Eastern Conference power rankings: Detroit Pistons in position to move up standings
- The Cleveland Cavaliers are projected to be the top team in the Eastern Conference despite a second-round playoff exit last season.
- The Detroit Pistons are ranked 4th, with their success depending on the development of their young core, especially Cade Cunningham.
- Injuries are a major factor influencing the rankings, impacting teams like the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics significantly.
Injuries have shaken up the top of the Eastern Conference. Now that the offseason dust has largely settled, where do the Detroit Pistons rank?
Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II ranked the top 10 in the East in 2025-26 and gave his thoughts on why the Pistons are well-positioned to move up the standings.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2024-25 record: 64-18.
Key additions: G Lonzo Ball, C Larry Nance.
Key departures: G Ty Jerome, F Isaac Okoro.
A dominant season for the Cavaliers ended in disappointment, with injuries eventually catching up to them during their second-round playoff exit to the Indiana Pacers. They will return the vast majority of their core roster, swapping Jerome for Ball. Assuming Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley can stay healthy, the Cavaliers should be favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
2. New York Knicks
2024-25 record: 51-31.
Key additions: G Jordan Clarkson, F Guerschon Yabusele.
Key departures: F PJ Tucker.
Fresh off of an Eastern Conference finals exit, the Knicks have a clear shot at a top-four seed for the second consecutive season. Clarkson and Yabusele will add extra firepower to a team that had the fifth-best offensive rating, and new coach Mike Brown will try to coax even more more out of the Jalen Brunson/Karl-Anthony Towns pairing.
3. Orlando Magic
2024-25 record: 41-41.
Key additions: G Desmond Bane, G Tyus Jones, G Jase Richardson (No. 25 overall pick in 2025).
Key departures: G Cole Anthony, G/F Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G/F Gary Harris.
Despite posting the top defensive rating in the East last season (and second-best in the league, behind the championship-winning Oklahoma City Thunder), the Magic finished .500 while withstanding injuries to Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. Bane is a perfect fit to lift their anemic offense as an elite shooter and capable ballhandler. Orlando is built to win now and has the talent to push for homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
4. Detroit Pistons
2024-25 record: 44-38.
Key additions: G Caris LeVert, F Duncan Robinson.
Key departures: G Malik Beasley, G Dennis Schröder, G/F Tim Hardaway Jr., F Simone Fontecchio.
News of Malik Beasley’s open gambling probe upended the Pistons’ offseason plans on the eve of free agency. Rather than bring back their beloved veterans − a key part of the team’s surprise turnaround last season − they pivoted by signing LeVert and sign-and-trading for Robinson. The young core is the same, but the supporting role players have changed.
Opinions may differ as far as if the Pistons got better or worse around the margins this summer, but next season always hinged on the development of Cade Cunningham and the rest of their young core. If Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and others take a step forward, so will the team. Jaden Ivey’s return from fibula surgery should bolster the Pistons’ chances at improving on last year’s record and clinching a top-four seed.
5. Atlanta Hawks
2024-25 record: 40-42.
Key additions: F/C Kristaps Porzingis, G/F Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G Luke Kennard, F Asa Newell (No. 23 in 2025).
Key departures: C Clint Capela, G Caris LeVert, F Larry Nance, G Terrance Mann, F Georges Niang.
Few teams have had a more successful offseason than the Hawks, who should improve on both sides of the floor thanks to their trade for Porzingis and sign-and-trade for Alexander-Walker. They join a roster that showed promise last season, with Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher all developing alongside Trae Young. Health has always been Porzingis’ main issue and he will be a swing factor for the Hawks next season.
6. Milwaukee Bucks
2024-25 record: 48-34.
Key additions: C Myles Turner, G Cole Anthony, G Gary Harris.
Key departures: G Damian Lillard, C Brook Lopez.
Waiving Lillard was one of the most shocking moves of the summer, but a necessary one for a Bucks team that’s still trying to maximize its championship window with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Signing Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers might’ve been just as big a surprise, and his addition will help the Bucks stay in the postseason conversation. This isn’t a very deep team, but they still have a perennial MVP candidate in Antetokounmpo. In the East, that’s enough to stay competitive.
7. Philadelphia 76ers
2024-25 record: 24-58.
Key additions: G VJ Edgecombe (No. 3 in 2025).
Key departures: F Guerschon Yabusele.
Injuries decimated the Sixers’ season as it began. Joel Embiid played just 19 games − the fewest of his career − while dealing with left knee issues. Paul George appeared in 41 games and underwhelmed in Year 1 of a four-year deal worth $212 million. Even their talented rookie, Jared McCain, suffered a season-ending injury. A healthy version of the Sixers is a playoff team, but it’s tough to predict how Embiid will look in his age-31 season.
8. Toronto Raptors
2024-25 record: 30-52.
Key additions: F Collin Murray-Boyles (9th pick), C Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Key departures: None.
Last season’s poor record masks a Raptors roster that, on paper, is solid. They traded for Brandon Ingram at the deadline, adding a versatile scorer to their current core of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. There isn’t a clear superstar on the team, but they have depth and enough talent to add a few wins to last year’s 30-win finish, which should be enough for them to flirt with a postseason bid.
9. Indiana Pacers
2024-25 record: 50-32.
Key additions: C James Wiseman, C Jay Huff.
Key departures: C Myles Turner.
It feels odd dropping the Pacers this low fresh off of an NBA Finals appearance, but injuries and roster change have decimated their standing in the conference. Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles likely will cost him all of this season, and there’s no viable replacement on the roster for Turner’s outside shooting and rim protection. They still have Pascal Siakam, but they need young players such as Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker to take significant steps forward in order to stay afloat.
10. Boston Celtics
2024-25 record: 61-21.
Key additions: G Anfernee Simons, F Georges Niang, F Hugo Gonzalez (No. 28 in 2025).
Key departures: C Kristaps Porzingis, G Jrue Holiday, C Al Horford, C Luke Kornet.
Like the Pacers, this looks like a down season for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear significantly dampened their 2026 title hopes before the second apron forced them to blow up their roster, parting ways with core role players in Porzingis, Holiday and Horford. Jaylen Brown will help them stay competitive, and they still have Derrick White as well. Outside of that, they look like a fringe postseason team.
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