Apr 11, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman speaks during a press conference for the new Orlando Magic G-League stadium at Osceola Heritage Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Is the NBA's Eastern Conference 'really strong'?

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Matt Hanifan | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 11:30 PM ET

One of the league's biggest storylines heading into the 2025-26 NBA season is who makes it out of the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunate achilles injuries to Boston's Jayson Tatum and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton -- the two-best players on the last two conference champions -- has made an already-weak East look even weaker.

However, Magic president Jeff Weltman doesn't see it that way.

During media day on Monday, Weltman categorized the conference in a way that many haven't over the last several months.

"I think the East was really strong," he said when asked about how he viewed the conference's landscape, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede. "I think there are a lot of teams that are about to pop and hopefully we're one of them. I look past this wave of injuries and I just hope that we don't contribue to that. That's all.

"That's going to shift every year -- one team is injured this year and healthy the next -- and that, honestly, is a big determinant of who's on that lottery podium at the end of the season each year. So, I think the East is very well positioned to be deep and strong for years to come. And hopefully we're part of that."

I asked a lot of questions at 2025-26 #Magic media day. Here’s a thread of highlights from Monday, starting with how Jeff Weltman views the East and where he thinks Orlando fits:

“There are a lot of teams that are about to pop and hopefully we’re one of them.”

Full remarks: pic.twitter.com/QbjRGIHpbd
— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) September 29, 2025

The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are prohibitive favorites to make it out of the East in 2025-26, but I don't think it would surprise if anyone if the Magic knock on the door. Other teams that fall into that next tier are the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and even the Milwaukee Bucks, though they're more polarizing than the other aforementioned teams.

What we do know is Orlando -- led by Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane -- is ready to make noise after an injury-riddled 2024-25 season. You still have to play the games, and things cna change in an instant, but I feel confident saying that Weltman's squad will be part of that if the cards break right.

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This article first appeared on Orlando Magic on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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