With the players set to report to training camp this week, the NBA season is right around the corner. With the excitement of the offseason and all of it’s moving parts behind us, the Vegas win totals for every NBA team were released. NBA junkies like myself, love to dive deep into stats like these to try and get a sneak peek of what the upcoming season has in store. The win totals reveal to the public just how good or bad Vegas believes a certain team can be. Study up before you place your bets on these over unders.
The highest win total, to no one’s surprise, is the Golden State Warriors at 66.5. With the addition of superstar Kevin Durant, the Warriors are the early season title favorites by a comfortable margin. However, I would put my money on the under for this total. If there is one thing the Warriors wish they had last year, its fresher legs going into the postseason. The long grind of an 82 game season combined with the successful attempt at beating the NBA’s regular season win record, wore them out. They will without a doubt put it in cruise control a little earlier this year. Also, even though they are the title favorites, they did lose six players and will have two new starters. Although one of those starters will be Kevin Durant, chemistry may be an early issue, that may cause them to drop winnable games. With so many stars and mouths to feed, there will be many times this season where Draymond, Klay, and even Steph will have to take a backseat. However, this team is still going to be fantastic. They have the potential to be one of the most exciting offensive teams of all time. Many have called them the greatest collection of talent on an NBA team of all time. I believe a realistic win total for this Warriors squad would be in the range of 60-63, but it would not be shocking if they surpassed the 66.5.
The Indiana Pacers come in with a total of 43.5. I may be alone on this island, but the Pacers have all the makings of a 50 win team. If this team can give Paul George the necessary support he needs, they are a 50 win team in the East. Paul George is an absolute animal, and deserves to be in the MVP conversation every year. He is one of the league’s best two way players, being a superstar on both ends of the court. The acquisition of Jeff Teague, and the anticipated emergence of young big man Myles Turner are going to compliment Paul George and Monta Ellis very well. This is a roster that will be able to put up a ton of points and run the floor at an outstanding rate. Thad Young and Al Jefferson will also be new to the Pacers this season. Thad Young can provide unique scoring from the power forward position, which is rare in today’s NBA. Al Jefferson will do his best to help mentor Myles Turner and mold him into a very good NBA player. The potential Indiana has this year is flying under the radar big time. Bet the over on this 43.5 total and jump on the Indiana bandwagon before it starts.
Another interesting total is the Memphis Grizzlies who, like the Pacers, come in at 43.5. This may be because of the injuries they took on last year, this may be because Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are only getting older. This total feels much to low. With a core of Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Chandler Parsons, and Zach Randolph, 44 wins is a great possibility. The Grizzlies had an NBA record 25 different players suit up in a Grizzly uniform last season, leaving a bad taste in the public’s mouth. The Grizzlies are normally a fairly boring, under the radar team, but when healthy, have proven their ability to make the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. I think, barring injury, this could be one of the easiest bets when it comes to the win totals. Bet the over on the Grizzlies.
Some other intriguing win totals are the Nuggets at 34.5. This is yet another team that was invaded by the injury bug. Barring any other major injuries, the over is a great possibility. The Sacramento Kings are also interesting at 32.5. Never doubt the Kings to shoot themselves in the foot. The organization is a dumpster fire and it would be very easy for them to again take another step backwards and win 32 or less. The Portland Trail Blazers come in at 46.5. It will be interesting to see if Dame can propel them forward to the 50 win mark. The Westbrook lead OKC Thunder have a total of 45.5. Taking the under here scares me just as much as taking the over. You can never count out Westbrook to try and do way to much by himself when trying to win games. With Russ being without KD this year, he is obviously going to be a triple-double machine and be well in the MVP conversation, but may also cost his team some wins.
Win totals are just something fun to play around with while we all wait patiently for the NBA season. Trying to solve the mystery of every NBA team and put together the puzzle pieces that are the NBA season, is just a waiting game. The NBA is almost here.
