As the 2025-2026 NBA season approaches, the Eastern Conference remains a statistical uncertainty. There is no real top contender following last year, and the injury-riddled Pacers and Celtics are now unknown factors. Will the Knicks finally take what is theirs? Or will the Atlanta Hawks, who had a great offseason, emerge as a new contender?
Advertisement
Unfortunately, we will not get an answer until later in the year. The West will be just as competitive, but many people believe that the top contenders (Thunder, Rockets, Nuggets) will remain similar to last year, where the East is a crapshoot. Even a sound analyst like Charles Barkley can’t quite place his finger on what will happen in the East.
Chuck spoke on this topic during a recent interview on NBA on ESPN. “There’s not one single person who can come on the show this week and tell you who can win the Eastern Conference. Zero,” claimed Chuck. To further drive home his point, he started pulling out some classical names from the past.
“You can bring Einstein on here. You can bring Shakespeare. You can bring anybody you want on your show. I have zero idea whose gonna win the Eastern Conference.”
Barkley’s not wrong. As noted, the Pacers losing Haliburton and the Celtics losing Tatum, at least for half the year, has left a big opening. Sure, there’s still Giannis and the Bucks or the always sneaky Miami Heat. Perhaps the Orlando Magic take a step up following their 7th seed playoff appearance.
But Chuck has a different prediction. He stated that the first team he ever played for, the Sixers, could be a contender. However, he did mention on BIG IF.
“If , and it’s a big damn if…if my Philadelphia 76ers can get healthy, they can actually win the East. They haven’t been healthy in years YEARS. But if Embiid and Paul George get healthy, they could win the East. But obviously, Cleveland and the Knicks are going to be first but they are not overwhelming favorites.”
Again, Chuck is shooting nothing but truth bombs. Embiid has been one of the most injured NBA stars of the last five years. PG missed his fair share of games in 2024-2025 as well.
Regardless if Philly can pull the feat off, the Hall of Famer is still excited to watch some competitive ball. “I can’t wait to watch the East. But man…the East is going to be fun to watch,” added Barkley.
The East might be as unpredictable as it’s been in years, and that’s exactly what makes it exciting. That uncertainty gives every game more weight. Fans will be tuning in not just to see who wins, but who survives the chaos. Whether it’s the Sixers, Knicks, or a surprise dark horse, the East is shaping up to be pure entertainment from start to finish.
