Pound for pound, you can make a legitimate case that the Atlantic Division in 2026-27 is one of the most competitive NBA divisions we’ve seen on paper in recent memory. Jalen Brunson and the defending champion New York Knicks anchor the division, but it could only be a few years until it’s the Toronto Raptors’ for the taking.
The Boston Celtics traded star guard Jaylen Brown within the division to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. Fresh off a playoff series win before falling to the Knicks, Philadelphia also made the splash of the summer by acquiring LeBron James against all odds. The Brooklyn Nets are an obvious weak spot, but hey, a few more years of high draft picks and maybe they too will be interesting eventually.
How will the Atlantic Division shake out this year? Here’s our best guess.
Atlantic Division Predicted Order Of Finish
New York Knicks – 56-26
Philadelphia 76ers – 51-31
Toronto Raptors – 50-32
Boston Celtics – 46-36
Brooklyn Nets – 22-60
New York Knicks
Last season: 53-29
Predicted 2026-27 record: 56-26
Tier: Eastern Conference favorites
Even though the New York Knicks racked up 53 wins in the regular season in 2025-26, it was their run through the playoffs that truly solidified their place in the pantheon of all-time great NBA championship teams. I have a stern belief that last year’s run unlocked something within this team that will raise its ceiling not just in the postseason but from October to April as well, which should put New York in prime position to have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Mitchell Robinson is a tangible loss but hardly an insurmountable one, and it’s apparent now that Brunson can clear any obstacle put in front of him. I expect OG Anunoby to have his best season yet en route to earning his first All-Star nod, and I would be surprised if Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t make a statement this season as well given the current status of his long-term contract negotiation. The regular season win increase will be somewhat modest, but it will come in a stronger conference with far less turbulence than last winter.
Philadelphia 76ers
Last season: 45-37
Predicted 2026-27 record: 51-31
Tier: Eastern Conference contender
Adding James, even at the age of 41, significantly raises the ceiling of a franchise on both ends of the floor. But the way his skillset blends into this dynamic 76ers starting lineup could be a scary sight this season.
With that being said, the addition of Brown is what’s going to boost Philly from being a fringe playoff threat in the East to the Knicks’ most formidable challenger. Brown played at an MVP level for Boston much of last season, and it’s clear he’s aggrieved by his exit and what he perceived as a lack of respect from the Celtics organization on his way out.
If there’s one player in the league I trust to be fueled by the chip on their shoulder in a positive way, it’s Brown, not to mention Tyrese Maxey and former MVP Joel Embiid the stars who were already in the City of Brotherly Love to begin with. If second-year guard VJ Edgecombe continues to develop at his current pace, this could be among the best starting lineups of th e decade. The biggest question is their depth.
Toronto Raptors
KLAW BACK IN THE NORTH.
pic.twitter.com/a2SkcUWBdH
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) September 28, 2026
Last season: 46-36
Predicted 2026-27 record: 50-32
Tier: Emerging threat
The Toronto Raptors proved last season that the future is bright north of the border and the front office has made it clear that the franchise intends to go all in on this era.
They re-acquired franchise legend Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers seven years after he originally left Toronto for his home city of Los Angeles. He’s added to a roster that already won 46 games last season and looked like a team that was just a few pieces away from being a legit championship threat.
All signs out of Toronto point to the franchise making a move to acquire another high profile player, which would obviously only raise the ceiling of this group even higher. Even if Leonard isn’t the player he was when he left Toronto in 2019, he doesn’t have to be. Like James, he’ll be able to lock in on the dominant aspects of his game while the elite team around him makes his life much easier than it was at the Intuit Dome.
Boston Celtics
Last season: 56-26
Predicted 2026-27 record: 46-36
Tier: Still a threat, but a waning one
You might see a decrease of 10 wins and think that I’m discounting the Boston Celtics, and I won’t say you’re entirely wrong. I wholeheartedly disagree with the franchise’s decision to separate Brown and Jayson Tatum. While I still believe Tatum is the better player, I have a hard time believing he’ll lead the Celtics to the same regular season success in 2026-27 without Brown that Brown was able to lead the team to last season without Tatum. The addition of Paul George is intriguing, but I don’t see it as something that will necessarily move the needle for Boston in the regular season.
Combine that with a division and conference that only got more competitive this offseason, and I think the regular season could bring a bit of turbulence in Boston. On the flip side, I think the Celtics will be far more prepared going into the playoffs this spring than they were last, and I would be surprised if they don’t win a playoff series or at least come close despite the turbulence.
Brooklyn Nets
Mikel Brown Jr. on the work he's doing early in his first NBA training camp as he deals with a left ankle issue. pic.twitter.com/vIL1dJ6nRg
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 2, 2026
Last season: 20-62
Predicted 2026-27 record: 22-60
Tier: Still horrible
After the abomination that was the Nets’ 2025 NBA Draft, I actually have confidence that the franchise found its star of the future in Mikel Brown Jr. with the sixth overall pick in June. The addition of Julius Randle gives the team some potential to improve in the interim but it still seems like this is a franchise that has a few years of bottom-of-the-league finishes before it accrues the necessary assets to win a meaningful amount of games.
Michael Porter Jr. has shown he can still be one of the league’s most dynamic scorers, but he’s openly talked about being checked out because of how bad the team is and it honestly seems like he’s more focused on being a Kick streamer than he is a winning basketball player. As such, I don’t see much actual improvement happening in Brooklyn this season.
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