With the start of the 2022-23 NBA season just a week away, it’s time to start looking at win totals for all 30 teams.
The offseason wasn’t without drama, and big names on the move like Dejounte Murray, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are sure to tilt a few games in their new teams’ directions. But just how much of an impact will these players have on records, and how do their former teams fare without them. How much do fresh starts matter for teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers?
The NBA brain trust at Bet For The Win sorted through all of that to make over/under predictions for each team’s win total.
Atlanta Hawks: Over/under 46.5 wins
Prince J. Grimes: Under
I actually have the Hawks right at 46. They’ll be improved on the court, but the record maybe won’t reflect it as much.
Blake Schuster: Under
Agree with Prince here. This pick is a reflection of how much better the Eastern Conference is now than anything else.
Cole Huff: Under
The Hawks got better but I don’t think it gets them up near 50 wins. The mid-40s feel appropriate.
Boston Celtics: Over/under 54.5 wins
Prince: Under
I don’t see how losing their coach (and Robert Williams for a little while) doesn’t impact them some.
Blake Schuster: Under
It would be absolutely stunning if this team didn’t regress just a tiny bit given a hectic offseason.
Cole Huff: Before Boston got really good over the second half of the last season, they were pretty mediocre over the first half. They’ll regress to somewhere in the middle, and that’s before taking into account the mess of an offseason they had.
Brooklyn Nets: Over/under 50.5 wins
Prince: Over
Even without Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn was the best team in the East for much of the first half of last season.
Blake Schuster: Under
Mostly because I want to see what Brooklyn does at the trade deadline if things are still teetering on the brink of disaster.
Cole Huff: Under
I don’t know, man. I go back and forth, but ultimately, I can’t see this team being on track right away. The ramp-up and figuring-stuff-out period will eat away at wins and leave them a bit short of 51.
Charlotte Hornets: Over/under 36.5 wins
Prince: Under
I don’t think we can underestimate the impact of not having Miles Bridges on this team.
Blake Schuster: Under
A dark-horse contender for the Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes
Cole Huff: Under
Back-to-back Play-in Tournament exits followed by a bad offseason. The Hornets aren’t buzzing.
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Chicago Bulls: Over/under 42.5 wins
Prince: Under
So much of this rides on Lonzo Ball’s health, and nothing about that situation seems promising.
Blake Schuster: Over
Losing Lonzo for any stretch hurts, but let’s not forget how smooth Patrick Williams is on interior defense. Another step forward from Ayo Dosunmu makes this team a threat in the Central if Milwaukee stumbles.
Cole Huff: Over
Asking this Bulls team to end the season slightly above .500 is something they should be able to do, even without Lonzo Ball for most (all?) of it.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Over/under 46.5 wins
Prince: Over
I’ll ride with the over, but not by much. I think Cleveland gets to 47 wins.
Blake Schuster: Under
I think it will take time for the new roster to find its groove, which ultimately keeps Cleveland from hitting the over, even if they are a lock for the postseason.
Cole Huff: Over
It’s important to remember how good the Cavs were last year when healthy. Like, they were a homecourt advantage team for a lot of the season until the injury bug was too much to overcome. Adding Donovan Mitchell to that group raises the ceiling. I’m in.
Dallas Mavericks: Over/under 48.5 wins
Prince: Under
If Spencer Dinwiddie can continue scoring the way he did in the playoffs, it’ll help offset the loss of Jalen Brunson. But Luka Doncic needs someone to step up.
Blake Schuster: Under
So much of this team’s success is riding on Luka and he’s been prone to lengthy downturns in even good years. I just don’t see it.
Cole Huff: Under
West got better. Mavs did not.
Denver Nuggets: Over/under 50.5 wins
Prince: Over
We might finally get to see a fully healthy Nuggets squad, and they might end up as the best team in the NBA.
Blake Schuster: Over
Yeah, this might be the team that ends up leading the NBA in wins. Now if only that translated to a title.
Cole Huff: Over
Jokic, alone, dragged this team to nearly 50 wins a season ago. With a healthy and improved roster, over 50.5 wins is laughable.
Detroit Pistons: Over/under 29.5 wins
Prince: Under
Just give the Pistons one more year. They’ll be fun to watch, but I don’t know that it translates to more than 29 wins yet.
Blake Schuster: Over
Don’t be surprised if Jaden Ivey wins Rookie of the Year.
Cole Huff: Under
As Prince said, the Pistons will be fun. They’re still young, though, and need some time.
Golden State Warriors: Over/under 52.5 wins
Prince: Over
They won 53 games last year with guys in and out the lineup.
Blake Schuster: Over
Probably the easiest bet to make, if we’re being honest.
Cole Huff: Over
Not as convinced as the two guys above me, but I ultimately agree.
Houston Rockets: Over/under 23.5 wins
Prince: Over
We should see a little growth that translates into a few more wins from this young squad.
Blake Schuster: Over
They tanked hard and still won 20 games last year. Winning four more isn’t asking for a lot.
Cole Huff: Over
That’s too few wins.
Indiana Pacers: Over/under 24.5 wins
Prince: Under
This is going to be a rough year for the Pacers.
Blake Schuster: Under
Milwaukee is still arguably the best team in the league. The Cavs and Bulls have legitimate playoff rosters and Detroit is probably a year or two away from similar status. What choice do the Pacers have to but to sell everything and start over by tanking for Wembanyama?
Cole Huff: Under
Scoot Henderson? Victor Wembanyama?
Los Angeles Clippers: Over/under 52.5 wins
Prince: Under
There will probably be a lot of maintenance with the Clippers. So I think they get to 50 wins, but not much more.
Blake Schuster: Over
Dear god I’m buying in on the Clips. This is just asking to get hurt, but I don’t care.
Cole Huff: Over
Injuries could be a concern, but what if they aren’t?
Los Angeles Lakers: Over/under 44.5 wins
Prince: Over
Call me a fool, but I simply have a hard time betting against LeBron James if he gets a healthy Anthony Davis. That’s a big if, I know.
Blake Schuster: Over
This…doesn’t seem like a big ask? Especially if they are able to pry Myles Turner away from Indiana at some point.
Cole Huff: Over
Y’all gonna be mad at me for my reasoning, but Pat Bev teams are always good.
Memphis Grizzlies: Over/under 49.5 wins
Prince: Over
They won 56 games last year. What reason do I have to expect this much of a decline?
Blake Schuster: Over
They’re going to run away with the Southwest Division once again.
Cole Huff: Over
They won’t win 56 games or runaway with the division, but they will clear 50 wins.
Miami Heat: Over/under 49.5 wins
Prince: Under
I’m pegging the Heat right at 49 wins. They might take it easier in the regular season after breaking down physically last postseason.
Blake Schuster: Over
This has the makings of a revenge tour for a Miami team that just missed out on reaching The Finals last year.
Cole Huff: Under
Nah. The Heat were really good last year and still just barely scratched and clawed their way to 53. The roster probably isn’t as good as it was a season ago.
Milwaukee Bucks: Over/under 53.5 wins
Prince: Under
They’ll definitely crack 50 wins. I’m just not sure it’ll be 54.
Blake Schuster: Over
I disagree with Prince. Hitting 54 wins seems just about right for this squad.
Cole Huff: Over
They get to 54 wins if healthy. I think they’ll have better injury luck than they did last regular season.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Over/under 48.5 wins
Prince: Under
I’m assuming there will be an adjustment period as they work Rudy Gobert into the lineup.
Blake Schuster: Under
A friend in Minnesota told me last year the “vibes and love for community are so real with the T-Wolves”. Then they moved Patrick Beverly and the team’s bench mob as part of a deal for Rudy Gobert, who Anthony Edwards previously trashed saying “he don’t put no fear in my heart”. Good luck, Pups fans!
Cole Huff: Under
If we’re being honest, this team should creep up on 48 wins — Anthony Edwards will take another step forward and the addition of Rudy Gobert is big. Still, I can’t bet on it, for whatever reason.
New Orleans Pelicans: Over/under 45.5 wins
Prince: Under
46 wins is a huge jump from 36 last year. They grew up fast in the playoffs, but I’ll take them to fall just under this number.
Blake Schuster: Over
ZION SEASON.
Cole Huff: Over
The Pels will be this year what the Grizzlies were last year — a fun little first-round exit that comes back and takes the league by storm.
New York Knicks: Over/under 39.5 wins
Prince: Over
I’m not sure how enjoyable the Knicks will be to watch, but I’ll give them 40 wins.
Blake Schuster: Over
I think 40 wins is pretty much where this team ends up. Maybe 41.
Cole Huff: Over
C’mon, 40 wins is certainly doable.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Over/under 23.5 wins
Prince: Over
Really bummed about Chet Holmgren’s injury, but they didn’t need him to eclipse this number last year.
Blake Schuster: Under
Without Chet available, why shouldn’t they keep tanking?
Cole Huff: Under
Ugh. I don’t know. Are they going to start shutting players down in the middle of the season, again?
Orlando Magic: Over/under 26.5 wins
Prince: Under
I like a lot of their individual pieces, and yet I still don’t see it coming together for many wins yet.
Blake Schuster: Over
By the slimmest of margins. Like 27 wins. Max. Oy, I don’t feel good about this pick already.
Cole Huff: Under
These young teams are hard to figure out. I’ll just go with the under.
Philadelphia 76ers: Over/under 50.5 wins
Prince: Over
I’m buying into the Sixers hype, at least for the regular season. I think they can be the best team in the East.
Blake Schuster: Over
I feel like we’re not talking enough about how close Embiid was to an MVP season last year. We should talk about him more.
Cole Huff: Over
Easy call. The Sixers are always good and this year they’ll be great.
Phoenix Suns: Over/under 53.5 wins
Prince: Under
The energy around this team just feels off. I don’t think they re-capture the same magic from a season ago.
Blake Schuster: Under
Yeah, I just don’t know how this team doesn’t go through some early struggles after everything that’s happened over the last few months.
Cole Huff: Under
The window feels closed and the vibes are pretty bad. Count me out.
Portland Trail Blazers: Over/under 39.5 wins
Prince: Under
Damian Lillard is coming back to a team not quite ready to compete for anything beyond a play-in tournament spot.
Blake Schuster: Under
Poor Dame, man.
Cole Huff: Under
I’ll say under but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Portland hits the over.
San Antonio Spurs: Over/under 22.5 wins
Prince: Under
Can you name three players on this roster?
Blake Schuster: Under
I’m taking Gregg Popovich’s advice.
Cole Huff: Under
Fade the Spurs.
Sacramento Kings: Over/under 34.5 wins
Prince: Under
There’s some promise here, but it’s still a lot of new faces, including a new coach.
Blake Schuster: Under
Absolutely not. Come on now. No way.
Cole Huff: Over
Thirty-five wins? I’d put money on it.
Toronto Raptors: Over/under 46.5 wins
Prince: Under
The Raptors always end up better than I expect them to be, so this is probably wrong.
Blake Schuster: Under
I think 43-45 is a more reasonable range here.
Cole Huff: Over
Comeback SZN for The North. I love this roster and we know Nick Nurse can coach.
Utah Jazz: Over/under 25.5 wins
Prince: Under
Welcome back to the lottery, Utah.
Blake Schuster: Under
Victor or Bust, but at least we’ll see plenty of Ochai Agbaji setting up Udoka Azubuike for monster dunks again.
Cole Huff: Under
Danny Ainge is starting this whole thing over. That starts with some high lottery picks.
Washington Wizards: Over/under 35.5 wins
Prince: Over
Bradley Beal is back, so they should win more than the 35 games they won last year.
Blake Schuster: Under
Oh, Prince. Man. I worry about you some times.
Cole Huff: Over
I think what Prince says makes sense.
