Team to beat: Sixers won the Atlantic last year and they could . Atlantic division was the strongest division in NLL last year, winning  59% of their games. Brooklyn dragged them down, but the rest finished over .500. There were two 60 win teams, Sixers with a league leading 69 wins and Celtics with 61. Knicks and Raptors were fighting injuries all year long but still finished with 48 and 42 respectively.

Key story line: Can we say all the teams improved? Most of the cores return, some teams, unhappy with results made significant changes and one team stayed the same. The Atlantic will stay the strongest part of the league, the only real question is what will be the distance to Central and Pacific. Actually, Atlantic is on top since 2008/09 when they went 3^rd with the tiniest of margins. Their winning percentage last season actually took a turn down, they didn’t even manage to beat the 60%.  Can 4 teams make the top 8? Many Eastern teams are on the same boat, keeping off injuries, fighting the others, avoiding even small slumps. All won’t make it, but if you have to bet on one division, it’s obviously Atlantic. Sixers and Celtics are locks, barring catastrophic events. Raptors hopes depend o health of BM and the rest of the vets, like Dirk and Deron shouldn’t miss to many games to give them a chance. Knicks have issues on defense (Kyrie, harden, Monroe and Millsap aren’t exactly stoppers) and play a designated small forward (any of Johnson, Crowder, Dudley, Villanueva) .Nets are a long shot, to man things will need to go their way.

Five best players:

1) Raptors SG/SF Kobe Bryant. Surprised? This is not NBA and Kobe is still an NLL superstar. Kobe only managed 25 NLL games in last two seasons for Rockets, and that is obviously a big issue with him, but he was still really really good. The calculated ratings and ubr didn't catch up yet, even if Father Time got him in his bag. Toronto paid a big ransom for the former MVP, who might be in his last year and could spend time on injury list. He looks godish in preseason, 32 ppg.

2) Celtics SF/PF Kevin Durant. Another injury risk among the top players in the Atlantic. KD missed most of last year, and is already hurt and a risk to miss week one of the fresh season. He only managed 33 games last year and was a bit underwhelming, for KD, dropping his average to 29.9 points (all the way down from 38.4). It looked like he forgot how to shoot from behind the three point line last year. We expect a bounce back year from KD, challenging Kobe for the top dog spot. So far early returns in preseason look good, 26 points, 7/20 from three in 6 games.

3) Knicks SG James Harden. James had a wild summer, keeping it up with a Kardashian and all that drama. it shows in his level of play in the other league - 37% from the field, 25& from three, no defense. A coach was fired and the level of play will rise, but could he see a small decline in NLL ratings? He was rather solid last season - 28 points, 4 rebounds and assists, solid efficiency, didn't miss a game. East will be brutal this season and Harden will have to give it his all to lead the Knicks to the postseason, especially if Irving misses time. Harden in preseason, 33 ppg, 9/18 from three, 26 free throws in 3 games.

4) Sixers PG Damian Lillard. Sixers are the top dog in the Atlantic division, a stacked team, where individual is not as important as a collective. Aldridge and Leonard are both all stars, but it was the 4th year player that raised his game last year to new heights and lead the team with 21.7 points on solid percentages. Lillard will only get better. He played all games throughout his three NLL seasons and a sprained thumb won't change that anytime. Looks good in preseason, 26 ppg, 60%+ from the field with an off three point shooting.

5) Nets C DeMarcus Cousins. Big robust center, that can score like no other big in the game, rebound just shy of rebounding monsters like Drummond, defend, block shots, takes charges. And now he's one of the best three point shooters in modern NBA. The right guy to start NLL 3.0 in Brooklyn. His temper should be controlled, his energy will never be in question, injuries and illness is a thing of the past. He hates losing, so Wizkid should build a team that will keep him in the playoffs or he’ll have an unhappy camper at the top of the franchise. Looks like a new man in preseason, 24 ppg, 14 rpg

Sleeper: LeMarcus Aldridge. The league promised to make the game more big man friendly. LMA is the guy that could benefit from those moves. Strong and fast, great shooter from mid range, extending his range behind the line. A move to mid-rangers and post players is exactly what should benefit him, a move from Demar and his 20 shots per game should mean he'll get the ball in his hands more. LMA knows how to score, he was a 22 points per game kind of guy back when he came to Philadelphia, and he become a great rebounder in recent years and is ready for a bounce back year.

Breakout star: Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi is an obvious choice as a breakout player, as he's been quiet team player so far. GM Dave changed some things on the team, dropped DeMar, thinks about starting CJ, all to increase the role of his most precious jewel on the offensive side. Minutes will be there, shots and touches will be there and Kawhi is a guy that you have to play a lot of minutes cause he's a defensive stopper. Kawhi is yet to make an all-star game, but he'll earn his nomination this year (no more DeMar, remember). Health might be the only issue here as he missed big portions of all the seasons so far.

Best newcomer(s): DeMarcus Cousins. Milwaukee decided it's time to move on from their love affair with DMC. A superstar that might just not be the right kind of superstar for the fast paced guard dominated modern game. Kobe is a great NLL player, maybe the greatest, even though he never won the league (not sure if actually true.)

Prediction:

I'll go with Celtics as a division winner this time around. The team made some win now trades, turned Gasol, Jefferson and Mayo in Lawson and Horford, to go with the core of Durant, Vucevic and Ariza. they're a bit weak at SG and an injury to Durant away from just another 60 win team again. But they should overthrown the EC champs. Sixers took a tiny step back for this season, losing DeMar, getting a year older and weaker Noah, but got really set up nice for the future with the influx of youth and potentially high picks. Staying healthy will be their priority, but the East in general got a bit stronger. Both teams should win in the 60s, maybe, if everything goes right, one of them could break to 70.

Raptors and Knicks will fight for the postseason. Both GM assembled a really strong team. Tm goes with raised, not bought motto, he spent the offseason resigning his players and will bring back mostly the same team, with the addition of a promising rookie Portis. raptors went the mercenary way, old guys joining forces, with a sprinkle of youth here and there. One last hoorah for Kobe and Dirk.

Nets are the ugly duckling of the family. But GM Wizkid made some nice moves, brought in a superstar and expect improvement. Probably won't sniff the playoffs, but could make trouble for the upper ranked teams.