By Alvin Halimwidjaya
Kemba Walker looks to lead Charlotte to the playoffs. (Courtesy of Wikimedia)
With summer drawing to a close, various trades and signings have shaken up the NBA landscape. In anticipation of the 2016-2017 season, here are some of the highlights of the offseason in the Southeast Division.
The Miami Heat and Life Without Wade: The Heat are facing an interesting season: The team re-signed rising star Hassan Whiteside to a max contract, and with Whiteside and Goran Dragic at the helm along with young impact players like Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, Miami has a fairly solid core to build off of. On the other hand, forward Chris Bosh might not ever be able to play with the Heat again due to his blood clot condition, and veterans like Joe Johnson and Luol Deng have left via free agency. Oh, and don’t forget that Miami lost its most important sports figure in state history. After 13 seasons, Dwyane Wade has taken his talents away from South Beach, and though some might criticize his recent play due to age, he was still an important source of production and an invaluable leader for the Heat. Whether or not they can soldier on without him and start a new era remains to be seen.
The Orlando Magic Trying to Get Its Act Together: With the acquisition of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo to add to Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, the Magic frontcourt holds defensive prowess and a bright future. However, Orlando had to give up Victor Oladipo, a key scorer in their offense. Regardless, with Evan Fournier’s success with the Magic, as well as young guards Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja, Orlando can look to finally take that next step and maybe scramble for a playoff spot this year.
Can Howard Take the Hawks to New Heights?: The biggest changes for the Hawks were at the point and down low. They got rid of longtime floor general Jeff Teague, giving Dennis Schroeder the keys to the offense and a chance to prove his worth. In addition, they replaced center Al Horford, who left for Boston in free agency with the polarizing Dwight Howard. Though he is not the same dominant figure he was on the Magic in his glory days, Howard still has a dynamic skillset that can really help a team on the glass and around the rim, whether on offense or defense. The biggest challenge for Atlanta this year is trying to move forward with their new personnel.
Hornets Facing Uphill Climb After Breakthrough Season: After their second postseason appearance in three years with head coach Steve Clifford, the Hornets’ new challenge is to maintain their level of play and rise in contention in the East. They replace veteran Al Jefferson with the maligned but valuable Roy Hibbert, and with Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum heading up the team, they look poised to remain in playoff contention for a while. However, what they’re looking to do is to rise into the upper tier of the Eastern Conference, and if Walker can improve on defense and their young players can keep improving, they might be able to make a bigger splash next year.
The Southern Division will be highly contested this season.
