NBA Central Division Preview: Bucks looking to take back the crown

The Central Division has the potential to be a very competitive one this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks lead the pack as, probably, the best Eastern Conference team heading into the new campaign but they will have inter-divisional challengers.

With a new star in the fold, the young, exciting Cleveland Cavaliers will be gunning for that crown, while the Chicago Bulls will be hoping that continuity and steadiness can help guide them to the top of the standings this go around.

Those three teams will likely have plenty of opportunities to pick up wins with the likes of the lowly-looking Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons also in the division.

Here’s what to expect from the Central this season.

Milwaukee Bucks

Last season’s results: 51-31 record, first in the Central Division, third in Eastern Conference, lost in second round.

2022-23 season betting odds: Over/under 53.5 total wins this season and +454 odds to win it all, according to Sports Interaction.

Projected starting five: Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez.

Noteworthy arrivals: Joe Ingles.

Noteworthy departures: N/A.

Team outlook: Just one season removed from winning it all, the Bucks are back with pretty much that same 2021 championship team with title aspirations still on their minds.

If not for an unfortunate MCL sprain that sidelined Khris Middleton after just two playoff games, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Milwaukee repeat as champions last season.

This is a team armed with an elite two-way point guard, depth at every position, shooting, arguably the league’s best defence and, of course, Giannis Antetokounnmpo, the world’s best player, according to this writer’s humble opinion.

Milwaukee didn’t lose anyone of any real consequence and actually only got deeper in the off-season with the addition of sixth man sharpshooter Joe Ingles. Granted, Ingles likely won’t be ready until closer to January since he's coming off ACL surgery. But as long as he’s ready to roll for the playoffs that’s just another weapon at a very good Bucks team’s disposal.

Best-case scenario: It’s really simple: The Bucks, when they have all their pieces available, can beat any team in the league in a seven-game series. As long as they manage to keep their key cogs fresh enough for the war to come in May, then this team can be counted as a club that can hoist up the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.

Worst-case scenario: Like what happened last season, the Bucks can be derailed if any of their Big Three – Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Holiday – were to go down. Ensuring those three remain healthy for a deep playoff run is paramount to Milwaukee’s success.

Chicago Bulls

Last season’s results: 46-36 record, second in Central Division, sixth in Eastern Conference, lost in first round.

2022-23 season betting odds: Over/under 41.5 total wins this season and +4102 odds to win it all, according to Sports Interaction.

Projected starting five: Ayo Dosunmu, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic.

Noteworthy arrivals: Goran Dragic, Andre Drummond, Dalen Terry.

Noteworthy departures: Matt Thomas, Tristan Thompson.

Team outlook: The Bulls find themselves in an interesting position. They’re a pretty good team, but they aren’t in the same class as the rest of the Eastern Conference’s elite.

Still, general manager Marc Eversley still appears to have belief in his star trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, and added reinforcements to his club in the form of veterans Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond – both of whom have certainly left their best days behind them.

In all likelihood, Chicago will need second-year man Ayo Dosunmu to take a substantial leap and for rookie Dalen Terry to immediately show some of that dynamic scoring ability he illustrated in college to raise its ceiling.

DeRozan and LaVine are two of the best wings in the game, capable of filling it up in a hurry, but it’s tough to know just how much more growth they have left in them.

Best-case scenario: The best thing that could happen to the Bulls would be for LaVine to return from off-season knee surgery with no ill effects. After that, as previously mentioned, Dosunmu taking a big leap would ease a lot of the playmaking responsibilities that, right now, fall on DeRozan’s shoulders. If these things happen, then Chicago might be able to challenge for homecourt advantage in the playoffs.

Worst-case scenario: An unfortunate reality of the kind of team the Bulls have built is that stagnation could set in. There aren’t many paths to improvement as things stand with this team and a worst-case-but-realistic scenario for Chicago is that it just repeats what it did last season and, essentially, just stands still.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Last season’s results: 44-38 record, third in Central Division, eighth in Eastern Conference, eliminated in play-in games.

2022-23 season betting odds: Over/under 47.5 total wins this season and +2108 odds to win it all, according to Sports Interaction.

Projected starting five: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Noteworthy arrivals: Robin Lopez, Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio.

Noteworthy departures: Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton.

Team outlook: After a fabulous season from all-star Darius Garland that saw him establish himself as one of the best young point guards in the game today, and a revelatory borderline rookie-of-the-year campaign from Evan Mobley, the Cavs are entering Year 2 of that pair with some extra firepower.

Of all the big trades executed in the off-season, the move Cleveland made for Donovan Mitchell was among the most surprising and exciting.

Yes, they gave up a lot in the way of draft capital, in addition to a good young guard in Collin Sexton, intriguing smooth-shooting big Lauri Markkanen and promising draft pick Ochai Agbaji, but that doesn’t matter because Mitchell trumps all of this when looking purely from a talent perspective.

There’s going to be an adjustment period for Garland, who dominated the ball last season, with Mitchell in the fold, but those things should work themselves out. On paper, this Cavaliers team looks downright lethal.

Best-case scenario: The sooner Mitchell’s new Cavalier teammates adjust to his ball-dominant, sometimes selfish brand of shot-take basketball the better things will be for Cleveland. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff needs to establish a clear pecking order early for all of this talent to mesh together. If he can do that, expect these Cavs to be something like the upstart Memphis Grizzlies of the East.

Worst-case scenario: Mitchell will need his, so will Garland and even LeVert, not to mention Mobley and Jarrett Allen have to get touches and their numbers as well.

That’s a lot of potential egos to feed and not enough ball to go around. Bickerstaff and his coaching staff have a potentially perilous situation on their hands keeping guys satisfied with their role. Bringing back a veteran like Ricky Rubio will help, but the adjustment period with Mitchell in the fold now could be a rough one for this young Cleveland squad.

Indiana Pacers

Last season’s results: 25-57 record, fourth in Central Division, 13th in Eastern Conference, didn’t qualify for the post-season.

2022-23 season betting odds: Over/under 24.5 total wins this season and +36800 odds to win it all, according to Sports Interaction.

Projected starting five: Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Buddy Hield, Jalen Smith, Myles Turner.

Noteworthy arrivals: Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard.

Noteworthy departures: Malcolm Brogdon.

Team outlook: The Pacers have assembled some interesting pieces, but whether they actually come together to create a winning basketball team is another story altogether.

Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield are two good, young guards that would look great on an already-established team. As building blocks for a franchise, however? That’s a tough sell. The same goes for the two talented Canadian rookies, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. They both could have long, productive NBA careers, but it’s hard to see them becoming bona fide stars down the road.

And this is the problem with the Pacers in a nutshell. They have nice players – sophomore Chris Duarte, centre Myles Turner and Canadian forward Oshae Brissett included in this – but they don’t seem good enough to realistically compete yet.

Best-case scenario: Turner expressed displeasure with his role when Domantas Sabonis was on the team, and even with the talented big man now plying his trade in Sacramento, the two-time NBA blocks leader still might not be fully on the same page as Indiana.

As such, it would probably be in the Pacers’ best interest to explore a deadline deal for Turner and set their eyes on the future – particularly with the likes of Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson available to be had in the draft.

Worst-case scenario: It may be painful to hear this if you’re a Pacers fan, but the worst thing they could do this season is seriously try to win. Indiana finished 13th in the conference last season and with the East getting deeper this season why would the Pacers believe they have a better shot this go around? There’s nothing wrong with rebuilding for another year.

Detroit Pistons

Last season’s results: 23-59 record, fifth in Central Division, 14th in Eastern Conference, didn’t qualify for the post-season.

2022-23 season betting odds: +32200 odds to win it all, according to Sports Interaction.

Projected starting five: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart.

Noteworthy arrivals: Bojan Bogdanovic, Alex Burks, Jaden Ivey, Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel, Kemba Walker.

Noteworthy departures: Jerami Grant, Kelly Olynyk.

Team outlook: The Pistons may well be the worst team in basketball, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a bright disposition ahead of them.

After a somewhat slow start to his rookie campaign, 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, had a strong finish and looked every bit the part of a top pick.

Add to him explosive two-guard Jaden Ivey, who dropped into Detroit’s lap at No. 5 in the 2022 draft, talented young swingman Saddiq Bey and the host of role players – and Kemba Walker – that Detroit got in trades with the Knicks, and this is the makings of a good team down the line.

Detroit isn’t there yet and should probably look to be bad again this season, but the foundation that’s being built right now in the motor city is looking rock solid.

Best-case scenario: If I’m general manager Troy Weaver, I’m doing everything in my power to try to pair up Cunningham with Wembanyama. This will mean a lot of pain for the players on the court this season and likely the removal of a veteran voice in the locker room with Walker on an expiring contract, but it would all be for the greater good. Cunningham has star potential and being able to draft another potential star to play with him is too good a chance to pass up.

Worst-case scenario: The Pistons can’t afford to get impatient. Yes, Cunningham looks like the real deal but it’s not a guaranteed thing yet and the top of the 2023 draft looks too good an opportunity to begin thinking of short-term gains. Detroit must stick with the plan lest set itself back even further than it already is.