As the 2025-26 NBA season quickly approaches, the Sportscasting crew has teamed up to posit one important question for every team this year. Up next is the Southeast Division.
Let’s get to it.
Read our other Division previews: Atlantic / Central
Atlanta Hawks: Which Version Of Kristaps Porzingis Will They Get?
The Atlanta Hawks had a splendid offseason. Not only did they rip off the New Orleans Pelicans on Draft night, securing themselves a potentially juicy 2026 first-round pick, but they also took advantage of the Boston Celtics offloading salary to obtain big man Kristaps Porzingis, all while adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard in free agency to bolster their depth. Jalen Johnson is primed to break out this season after playing just 36 games last year. If things go well, the Hawks can be darkhorse contenders in the Eastern Conference.
But in order to reach that ceiling, they need the optimal version of Porzingis. The Latvian big man labored through 2024-2025, playing in just 42 games while dealing with a mysterious ailment. Porzingis has played in more than 65 regular-season games only three times across his nine-year career, so there is some assumed risk baked into the Hawks’ chances this season. Yet that doesn’t make him any less important.
At his best, Porzingis can become a deadly pick-and-roll partner for Trae Young. His ability to space the floor and protect the paint makes him one of the NBA’s true unicorns. His growth as a post scorer, particularly in dominating against switches, renders him a matchup nightmare for most defenses. Of course, the Hawks have Onyeka Okongwu and rookie Asa Newell behind him as insurance but Porzingis’s presence would provide them with a unique level of lineup flexibility. It’s critical he has a bounce-back campaign if Atlanta wants to assert itself as a contender out East. -Es Baraheni
Charlotte Hornets: What In The World Do They Plan To Do At Center?
Unpopular opinion: I think there is a world where the Charlotte Hornets are a respectable basketball team in 2025-26. LaMelo Ball is one of the best offensive players in the league (98th percentile Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus). They have fun guards around him (Collin Sexton, Tre Mann and Spencer Dinwiddie), veteran wings (Grant Williams, Josh Green and Pat Connaughton) and other youngsters waiting to break out (Brandon Miller, Kon Keuppel, Liam McNeeley and Tijdaune Salaun).
I could see a world where they are this season’s version of the 2024-25 Detroit Pistons. The only problem is… they don’t really have a center. Mason Plumlee is 35 and hasn’t been a positive player (per EPM) since the last time he played for Charlotte in 2022. Moussa Diabette was a revelation last year, but even then, his physical limitations (he’s just 6 feet 9 inches) make him better suited for a backup role. Then, there’s Ryan Kalkbrenner – a second-round rookie whom the Hornets seem excited about but probably isn’t ready to be an NBA starting center from Day One.
Charlotte seems like it wants to make a Play-In Tournament push this season. It added a bunch of veterans and I’m sure Ball isn’t thrilled about never playing in a playoff game through the first five seasons of his career. But that doesn’t feel possible with this current center room. Do the Hornets know something about one of these guys we don’t? Are they planning on having Salaun play some five? Is a trade in the works? Are they still in full-on tank mode?
It’s kind of comforting to know another NBA season is upon us and the Hornets are still as confusing as ever. -Mat Issa
Miami Heat: Can They Find The Right Offense-Defense Balance With Their Lineups?
This summer’s acquisition of Norman Powell was a no-brainer for the Miami Heat, given the cost required for a bona fide 20-point scorer. His presence should immediately inject life into last season’s 21st-ranked offense. At the same time, Powell’s presence does bring about a bit of roster imbalance. Among Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware, the Heat have their tentpoles to win defensively. Throw in Powell and All-Star Tyler Herro (once he’s healthy) as the offensive one-two punch on the wings, alongside some combination of Nikola Jovic, Jamie Jacquez and Pelle Larrson, and there’s a very deep, talented rotation.
But what combinations provide Miami with the best two-way ability? Do the Heat start Ware and Adebayo together? Their double-big lineups were successful last season, boasting a plus-4.6 net rating in 541 minutes. If they do, how does the rest of their starting group shake out? Mitchell’s point-of-attack defense helped paper over some of Herro’s flaws. Wiggins on the wing makes sense as a do-it-all forward next to that group, providing ample size next to their front-court tandem. But that leaves Powell to come off the bench.
Will the 32-year-old impending free agent, coming off the best season of his career, be willing to sacrifice? Should he? There might not be a better person to solve this puzzle than head coach Erik Spoelstra, who’s made a habit of maximizing mismatched rosters throughout his career. He’ll have to do the same this season. -Es Baraheni
Orlando Magic: How Much Can An Offense Improve In One Season?
After a busy offseason that saw them add the likes of Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones and Jase Richardson, everyone is loving the Orlando Magic. They were a top top-two defense each of the last two seasons. The only thing keeping them from true contention was their offense.
Naturally, by adding great shooters/creators, the offense should see a boost – thus everyone’s excitement. But how much can this offense realistically improve in just one season?
According to the research we did in our over/under article, since 2001-02, the average offensive rating of the teams that had a top-five defense and won at least 51 games was ninth.
The Magic were 22nd in offensive rating in 2023-24 and 27th last season. Can they really go from a bottom-five unit to a top-10 one?
The question becomes: how much does adding a spacer/scorer like Bane open up their offense? My gut tells me he’s more of a ceiling raiser than a floor raiser (because of his lack of elite ball-handling/playmaking), meaning he’s the kind of player better suited for making good offenses great than turning bad ones good. But then again, if my gut never failed me, I’d be the one making these kinds of team-building decisions instead of writing about them. -Mat Issa
Washington Wizards: Will A Crown Jewel Of Their Rebuild Emerge?
Despite missing the playoffs every season since 2020-21, the Washington Wizards are only entering their third year of a true rebuild. The last two campaigns have been dismal, bearing witness to a combined 33 wins and a pair of top-six picks. While Washington’s front office has surely executed a handful of savvy moves, collecting future assets and stockpiling young talent, year three of this rebuild will demand the emergence of a genuine flagbearer to shepherd the return of winning basketball to D.C.
The Wizards’ young core, led by Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, is intriguing. Other youngsters like Cam Whitmore and AJ Johnson provide further excitement. Yet do any of them have the makings of a future star, someone who drives winning rather than sits shotgun to it as an imperative complement? That’s what the Wizards must clarify in 2025-26, which will serve as year two for Sarr, Carrington, George and AJ Johnson, and Whitmore and Coulibaly’s third seasons, as well as Tre Johnson’s rookie debut.
Ancillary players are crucial to winning. The Oklahoma City Thunder do not lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June without the services of Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace and Luguentz Dort (among others). But their contributions would’ve been trivial without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren spearheading things. All three of them, in varying capacities, were acquired during Oklahoma City’s rebuild. This season, the Wizards must determine, at least broadly, which of those two categories their core is trending toward. -Jackson Frank
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