A new Beast in the East?

This summer, LeBron James left the eastern conference for the first time in his career and went to the Los Angeles Lakers. Following his departure, it was assumed that the eastern conference throne, which he had held the previous 8 years, would be passed down to the up and coming Boston Celtics. Boston was coming off an eastern conference championship appearance in which the lost to LeBron's Cavaliers in seven games, without their two best players (Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward). With these two offensive centerpieces returning, the Celtics had a stacked lineup that was the first in the past few years that could legitimately contend with the Warriors juggernaut.

The Celtics, however, have not been playing up to par, with a disappointing record of 7-6 right now. The Philadelphia 76ers, the widely assumed 2nd seed, proceeded to trade for one of the best two-way players in the league right now, in Jimmy Butler. They did not even give up that much for him, as Robert Covington and Dario Saric are merely role players, and a 2020 second round pick is almost meaningless. With the addition of Jimmy Butler, are the 76ers at the same standard as the Celtics?

While the trade most certainly improves the Sixers, I still do not think they are quite at the level of talent that the Celtics. The main reason for the Celtics struggles is chemistry, as this is the first time all of their stars are playing together, and shot selection. The first problem will improve given time, and the second can be improved under the coaching of Brad Stevens. The Celtics can match up with the Sixers and still have dominance, as Kyrie, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford outmatch Ben Simmons, Butler, JJ Redick, Amir Johnson, and Joel Embiid. Boston has perennial all-stars and a sharpshooter, while Philly has two all-stars, and a point guard playing in the wrong era (Ben Simmons). Boston also has an edge on the bench, with Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, and Marcus Smart. In conclusion, while the Jimmy Butler trade makes the 76ers a bit better than other contending East teams (Raptors, Pacers, Bucks), they still are not at the Celtics level.