Three of the most significant Eastern Conference threats to the champion Thunder ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

The Bulls have struggled to find any consistent success over the past few years. Despite some big swings for stars such as DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, climbing the standings in the East has been too tough of a task for a perennial play-in squad.

The Indiana Pacers were the story of the playoffs this past spring. After sneaking into the Eastern Conference Finals as a No. 6 seed in 2024, no one was sleep

The former Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard has signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons after becoming an unrestricted free agent

BOTTOM LINE: Toronto hosts the Columbus Crew in Eastern Conference action. Toronto is 2-11-5 in Eastern Conference games. Toronto has a 2-7 record in games decided by one goal. The Crew are 9-4-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. The Crew are sixth in the Eastern Conference with 41 goals led by Diego Rossi with 12.

In guards Cade Cunningham and Jayden Ivey, they boast one of the most electric backcourts in the Eastern Conference, Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart II could evolve into a scary frontcourt, and, led by Duncan Robinson and Ron Holland II, they boast a respectable bench—a semi-rarity out East—giving them a nine-man rotation that can compete.

The start of the 2025-26 NBA season is just over two months away, and it's not too early to start predicting which teams in each conference will surprise and disappoint this year. Last season, the Detroit Pistons were one of the biggest surprises,