I have no strong read on this season. With fantasy drafting, I always try and win the 8-12th rd picks, and so I guess with teams, I always try and pay attention to the 4th thru 8th man. I like what Philly could bring with their last two first round picks, Smith and the kid from Wash U whom I love. If Simmons really can bring his jumper into actual games, I really like Philly. I expect Milwaukee to struggle a bit. I think they'll miss Brogdan. I could see Atlanta surprising and emerging as the 4th or 5th best team in the East. Nate McMillan has been quietly fantastic in Indy. I like their depth. Washington should be historically bad. Boston could be better. I expect New Jersey to take a step back thru the first 30 games as they figure out how to navigate a flat earth theory (Kyrie)
In the West, I really like the Jazz over just about everyone else. I think may hesitation to embrace what the Clippers have is pure bitterness. But the forced trade of Paul George could - could mind you - be their undoing. I know he's been amazing for 100 of his last 120 games, a top 5 player of the year, but his last 20 games were not great and he's a catalog of various injuries. If he misses a bunch of time and perennial millennial The Claw takes his usual 15-20 games to rest his ego/soul/mind, I think they could feel the pressure of underproducing. I expect Mitchell and Conley to essentially be the best or near best backcourt. Portland can easily argue they have the best backcourt (and probably do). I think the Lakers will be fine, and Golden State will play better than expected. But so far as depth, I like Utah, the Spurs, and Dallas actually. Dallas has a lot of underappreciated good players that have been forced to play more do more things with only one guy. Now that they have two guys, I think they will be more efficient players. Hard to not like the Kings as well. I think they will be a season long top 8 team in the West.
I think the while mandatory measurements thing is going to be interesting too. I know guys were mandatory measured in NBA pre-draft camps, but I think John Collins measured at 6'8 1/2" and that surprised a lot of people - not sure why as I assume those measurements existed online before, but ... anywho - because of all the player movement this off season and teams missing players for all or most of the season, I have almost no feel for the season. If you put a gun to my head, I'd guess you'd see Milwaukee vs Philly in the Eastern finals and Utah vs the Clippers or Lakers in the Western Finals. Clippers/Lakers Western Finals would be pretty insane though.