East Notes: Raptors, Brandon Ingram, Pistons, Heat, Norman Powell

The Raptors are one of the teams that could outperform expectations, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Toronto went 30-52 last season while prioritizing draft position, and Brandon Ingram never suited up after being acquired midseason from New Orleans.

Bontemps noted it would be tough to picture Toronto landing in the same neighborhood again, at least in the East, barring a wave of injuries. This was supposed to be a quick reset under Masai Ujiri.

Trading for Ingram and then extending him shows the plan is to win now. Teams do not enter the season paying luxury tax and expect to sit home in April.

Pistons due for a step back? On the flip side, Bontemps wrote that Detroit may struggle to repeat last year’s breakthrough. The Pistons went from 14 wins to 44, made the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and even won a playoff game for the first time since 2008. Cade Cunningham emerged as an All-NBA performer.

Those types of leaps are often followed by a leveling-off year. The Pistons approached the summer as if they knew it. Duncan Robinson replaced Tim Hardaway Jr., Caris LeVert stepped in for Malik Beasley, and Jaden Ivey — finally healthy — is expected to fill the role Dennis Schroder vacated when he left for Sacramento.

The Pistons are still young, leaning heavily on Ivey, Ron Holland, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson to grow around Cunningham. Bontemps suggested they should still challenge for a top-six spot in the East, even if they do not quite match last season’s magic.

Heat also on the rise: Miami is another team Bontemps believes could exceed its forecast. The Heat finished 37-45 a year ago, sneaking into the play-in as the No. 10 seed before the Cavaliers quickly ended their season. The Jimmy Butler trade drama hung over it all.

Now comes some reinforcements. Norman Powell arrives after averaging 21.8 points for the Clippers, giving a lift to an offense that ranked just 21st. Miami also went 14-28 in clutch games, which was the third-worst mark in the league.

Add all that to a weakened East and Bontemps sees Miami as a strong bet to outperform the projections.

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