Ranking the NBA's divisions: Northwest in a tier of its own
By Austin McGee
Nowadays, NBA Divisions mean next to nothing. Since the NBA changed the playoff's seeding format in 2016, today's divisions are solely a geographical grouping and a way to decide tiebreakers. However, divisions were once very important for the Minnesota Timberwolves and every team in the league. From 2005 to 2016, each division winner was guaranteed home-court advantage in the postseason.
Despite the lack of weight each division holds in the NBA landscape, every squad still plays four games against their in-division opponents, year in and year out. To make matters more interesting, the intra-division squads have surely gotten to know each other well—as the NBA's biggest rivalries are within each division.
Regardless of the division's postseason implications, they still exist and are an applicable way to dissect each team's record on a narrow basis. In this article, we've made the groupings mean something again by ranking all six of the NBA's Divisions by quality.
6. Southeast
Teams: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
2023-23 Combined Win Percentage: .402
First up is the Southeast Division. Each of these squads made a top 20 selection in June's draft. Furthermore, half the division made up the first six picks. While the Atlanta Hawks are closer to the NBA's average, they selected Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher to jumpstart a mini-rebuild after trading away Dejounte Murray. Even though the Hawks roster is still similar to the Eastern Conference Finals team of 2020-21, they've regressed since then but may now be on the right track.
Aside from Atlanta, both the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards are amid rebuilds. The Hornets have been struggling for quite some time now, while the Wizards have fully committed to blowing it up. Charlotte may crack the 30-win plateau, but the same cannot be said for Washington.
The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat are in the upper echelon of the Southeast. However, both squads are trending in opposite directions. After years of rebuilding, the Magic have finally found several foundational pieces including Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Heat, still led by Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, are always good but lack a deep talent pool.
5. Central
Teams: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
2023-23 Combined Win Percentage: .480
The Central Division is dragged down by two bottom-feeders—the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Even though Chicago was a play-in team a year ago, their best player, DeMar DeRozan, left in free agency and the team opted to trade a veteran (Alex Caruso) for a 21-year-old Josh Giddey. The Pistons, on the other hand, haven't won more than 40 games this decade.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks are potential Eastern Conference Finals teams. Indiana is coming off a surprising conference finals appearance. Led by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, the Pacers are a deep team now with postseason experience.
Perhaps the Central Division should be ranked higher, considering Indiana's ascension, Cleveland's recent success, and Milwuake's superstar-flush lineup. But the Cavaliers are seemingly one first-round exit away from a potential breakup and Milwaukee is an aging squad that struggled under Doc Rivers' supervision.