With both the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers down their best players heading into the 2025-26 NBA regular season, it is safe to say that the league's Eastern Conference is going to be having a down year. But just how bad is a down year going to be in a conference that has rightfully had the reputation of being the worse of the two by a notable margin for over a decade now?
There are some familiar faces among the tank commanders in the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets, but there are also cases to be made that the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers will trade in their tanks for a competent approach to the season.