The NBA’s Central division represents, not only one of the toughest divisions in the Eastern Conference, but also some of the most dynamic teams in the scoring department.  The Milwaukee Bucks, clear leaders in that trend and division, look to repeat this season as champions in a year now featuring added growth and health in the Bucks and division at large. 

After breaking down the season, we were left wondering if Doc Rivers and his 1st full season with the team will consider changing what didn’t work last season, and Buck the trend of ‘glass cannon’ that plagued them the last few seasons? If not, the division could see a new champions- one primed to make a run at the Eastern Conference Finals as well. 

After combing through the Central Division, here are the results and questions for each team!

Central Division Winner – Milwaukee

  • Chicago (21 – 61)
    • The Bulls’ season was an overall disappointment, riddled with a ton of surprising and exciting moments. Their most notable gem – the emergence and improvement of guard Coby White. His growth in ball handling – noted by the increase in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio – allowed him and the Bulls to see a little light into the future without its current featured stars (a la Levine, Ball). This led to the idea that the Bulls were a target in this season’s Free Agency period, a time in which sent veteran Demar Derozan to the Kings, and swapped Alex Caruso with OKC’s Josh Giddey. Now, with a noted uptick in player health and availability, as well as getting younger, the Bulls are built to show they are ready to trend in a positive direction.
    • One thing that doesn’t have an immediate positive effect for teams – swapping veteran leadership and defense for young talent and offense. That’s what Chicago has accomplished so far. Without the expectation of return for Lonzo Ball or Zach Lavine, there is a big void in the Bulls backcourt defense and backcourt scoring.  The decline in Giddey’s usage in OKC was a direct result of the team having a better player in his position – not a good look for a team looking to improve upon future star power. Thanks to a big unknown and lack of defense, this team is trending down. 
    • The previous season gave the Bulls a new 3-point shooter in Ayo Dosunmu and a better Coby White. This off-season gave them Giddey. At minimum, these guys will be healthy towards the end of the season. 
  • Cleveland (46 – 36)
    • As a team that could lead and wreak havoc in almost any other division, the Cavs have a good bit of work ahead of them to show their improvements from last season. Their team defense was their forte (7th in opponents PPG in 23-24) with Donovan Mitchell at the scoring helm. Key injuries to players Evan Mobley, Garland and Allen left this team without much of that defense, but pressed on anyway to a 2nd round exit. The big question about this team is: Will they have a healthy enough team to compete and disrupt the status quo of the East?
    • Another year, another coach, as former Warriors Assistant Kenny Atkinson now attempts to lead a healing Cavs team where JB Bickerstaff couldn’t – past the 2nd round. There are 3 major hurdles for Atkinson and the Cavs:
      • First, they’ll need to figure out a way to be better offensively. The upper echelon of scoring is around the 118ppg range and the Cavs were 20th at 112. That would come from 3 point shooting… but their best shooter Max Strus gets hunted on the defensive end, and labored down the stretch. Which leads to the next issue: Health. 
      • The Cavs, by either bad luck or poor conditioning, quickly evaporated as the ice thawed in the US and the All Star Break concluded. Their series against the Orlando Magic was a reflection of this team’s ability to stay healthy and bang with the East, which turned in a game over .500 in that series. 
      • None of that will matter if the Cavs continue on with their issue: they believe that Mitchell is enough to spearhead this team. They need either for Garland to step up, or for the Cavs to package some players for a 2nd true star.
    • On the plus side, this team is young enough to compete with speed, something Atkinson-coached teams have done (Brooklyn) to a positive effect. It will come down to match-ups to fill the wins in for this team, and on paper, this team matches up quite well vs teams like Milwaukee and Chicago. 
  • Detroit (12 – 70)
    • The Detroit Pistons are set to regulate the wrongs made last season and correct a ship that most would say is sinking. This team features a ton of raw and young talent that will either make an excellent feeder team for the FA market or be a nice surprise for next season. This season is going to be a big revenge tour for may teams that got a taste of the playoffs, still wanting more, and the Pistons may be this division’s punching bag used to tune up teams against heftier opponents. There isn’t much positive to say about this team, but to day this: Any wins above those 12 will be a nice surprise for the fans, and may break bettors. 
  • Indiana (43-39)
    • The Central’s most dangerous team has gained the one thing every team needs to make a big dent in the standings: experience. This team gained a ton last year, especially handling a trade that saw this team acquire Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin – 2 big pieces of an ever-evolving puzzle that is the identity of the Pacers. Their fast-paced play worked well up to the end of the In-Season Tournament finale. Will the Pacers be able to utilize that weapon to take their winning further?
    • The most glaring problem for this team is going to be a lot like Boston had in 2023: Should Haliburton be a facilitator, or a primary scorer? The indecisions of Carlisle and staff on how to mainly use Hali’s talents are a major reason why this team will drop some winnable games. 
    • The other huge weapon Indy now carries in its pocket: experience. Experience gained on both the NBA and Olympic front will lead this team to improve both their ability to execute and stay disciplined. Did you know that the Pacers led the league in Fouls per game last season (21/gm)? You know what  fixes that? Experience. 
  • Milwaukee (52 – 30)
    • It is unfathomable how close this team seems to another championship, just to fall short due one key player being injured year after year. That’s not the result of being a “glass cannon” of a team. That’s just bad luck. However, this team finds a way to make decisions that really help or hurt them For example: hiring Doc Rivers was a great idea (on paper), but has so far proven to be disruptive in a system that worked, more or less. Even with the holes, the questions and the lame finish, this team is still one to be reckoned with! Rivers did decide to try and get this team to play better defense. We believe it’ll take effect this season. 
    • Reports of Damian Lillard being out of shape to start the season, interesting mid and offseason coaching changes, a looming FA all spell all-or-nothing for a team that’s looking to get back to their defensive prowess of 2021 and 2022. This team, by design or circumstance, became one of the easiest teams to score triple digits on (116oppg, 21st), which didn’t help themselves to easy wins. The need to simply score more than their opponents led this team to, well, being outscored by a team that had a higher point average and scoring rate than the Bucks. I sincerely doubt adding Darvin Ham will change that.
    • If there were 2 things that the Bucks got right, it’s that offense sells tickets and buys wins.  This team was 4th best in the league in scoring, 5th in 3-points made and top 10 in field goals made. As long as the team can learn to slow the bleeding on the defensive end, this team could see another top-5 season finish!