Originally a rather unpopular concept during the NBA’s bubble a few years ago, the Play-In tournament has become a staple of the NBA. Placing in the top six of the conference has become incredibly important, effectively locking up a playoff spot. The number seven seed no longer has a guarantee for the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference right now, the top five seeds seem to be pulling away from the rest of the pack, those being the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Philadelphia 76ers. Outside of those teams and the terrible Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets, it feels like any four of the seven other Eastern Conference teams could find themselves in the Play-In at the end of this regular season. Here’s how all of these teams look at what is about the halfway point of the season.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have been one of the more surprising teams of the season, currently sitting at the 6th seed. It’s really, really difficult to see this team falling out of the playoff picture given how they have played this season. The duo of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle both warrant an All-Star discussion, at the very minimum, with their play this season. These two, along with other contributors like RJ Barrett, Quinten Grimes, Mitchell Robinson, and Immanuel Quickley actually makes this a very fun team. They currently rank top 10 in both offense and defense, making them a tough round 1 matchup.

Indiana Pacers: Last week, I wrote about the Pacers being one of the most surprising teams in the league this season. They are currently the seven seed with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games and find themselves in prime position to be in the Play-In. Tyrese Haliburton spearheads their offensive attack, and with quality players like Buddy Hield, Myles Turner, and potential Sixth Man of the Year Benedict Mathurin around him, this team could make it a tough game for any Play-In opponent.

Miami Heat: The Heat were expected to be better than any team in this column after being the 1 seed last year and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. Halfway into this campaign, they are the 8 seed. However, it feels like they’re starting to turn their season around. Along with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, a lot is going well for Miami. Jimmy Butler is healthy, Bam Adebayo is playing like an all-star, Victor Oladipo is really finding form, and Tyler Herro is placing his name into elite scoring conversations. No one’s going to want to play this team in April.

Atlanta Hawks: After the top three teams, it feels like the Hawks mark the beginning of a decline in quality of teams. After acquiring Dejounte Murray in the offseason, people expected a lot more from the Hawks. Trae Young is having a down year shooting the ball and likely won’t be an all-star. John Collins and Clint Capela both have struggled with injuries, missing some time. Although they have the individual talent to beat many teams, it feels as if the inability to mesh will not make the Hawks a feared opponent in April.

Chicago Bulls: The Chicago Bulls season has been nothing short of a disaster. After a successful 2021-22 season, led by the duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the Bulls find themselves now at the 10 seed, fighting to stay in the Play-In. There are murmurs of the team blowing it up with their underwhelming performance, and it’s understandable. The Nikola Vucevic experience hasn’t gone well, either. Unfortunately, Lonzo Ball’s timeline for a return is completely unknown. The offensive talent on this team should make them elite on that side of the court, yet they’re only the 16th best offense.

Toronto Raptors: Just as I wrote about the Pacers surprising success last week, I also wrote about the Raptors disappointment. They’ve won three straight, which could be indicative of the season turning around, but two of those games were against the Hornets, respectfully. Pascal Siakam is playing like a top ten player, only adding to the frustration for the Raptors this season. Their defensive personnel and coaching should make them elite on that side of the floor, yet they’re only 15th in the league, a similar and disappointing story to the Bulls.

Washington Wizards: The Wizards started off the season much better than where they find themselves now. When they were around 10-8, I wrote about my expectations for them and why they could have the makings of a legit 6th to 8th seed, not the 12th seed with a 18-24 record. Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma have both been legitimately very good, as has Bradley Beal in his limited games due to injury. However, there’s just not much else going for the team.

Orlando Magic: Although they are only 16-26 and the 13th seed, the Magic are 3 games out of the 10th seed to make the play-in. This has been one of the league’s most fun and entertaining teams, as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both have All-Star cases. These two, along with the multitude of other young talent, makes the Magic a fan-favorite team. Come on, who wouldn’t want to see Paolo and Franz battle the Celtics? That’s just a fun matchup.

My predictions for the Eastern Conference at this point will be the Heat joining the top 5 teams mentioned earlier (am I biased as a Heat fan?) as the 6th seed to avoid the Play-In. I believe that the Knicks will find themselves sitting at the 7th seed and will face the 10th seed Atlanta Hawks, who I just don’t see finding much form. That, however, would be an awesome matchup for Trae Young to go to Madison Square Garden again. Then, I project a matchup between the 8th seed Indiana Pacers and 9th seed Toronto Raptors, who I am holding out faith for.

Charlie Spungin , NBA Analyst

- Digits Hoop Twitter