.png){kind=small}
Telegraf
Online sportsbooks have begun dropping their NBA team win predictions for the 2019-20 season, and this presents a lot to consider. We’re still fresh off of a chaotic offseason period, and basketball fans may be betting with their hearts, not with their minds. Right off the bat, there are a few numbers that seem to be a bit misguided.
Boston Celtics: 48.5 wins
The Celtics won 49 games last season, which makes this win total a deliciously evil proposition. It’s essentially begging the question, “Are the Celtics better without Kyrie Irving?”
This comes, of course, on the heels of a very messy breakup between Boston and Uncle Drew. Now with All-Star Kemba Walker at the point, will the Celtics re-establish their chemistry and their winning ways?
Head coach Brad Stevens has a lot of work cut out for him next year. He’ll need to integrate Kemba, continue to monitor the progress of Gordon Hayward, and also juggle a handful of exciting rookies. Happily for Celtics fans, Stevens is at his best when trying to maximize talent.
All told, I would heir on the side of caution with this Celtics club and thus take the under here. There’s a lot of moving pieces and unknowns. That isn’t to say there isn’t lots of upside in Boston, but rather that things may take time to get off the ground.
Los Angeles Clippers 55.5
The under looks promising here too, but for entirely different reasons. It’s not that LA won’t be contenders next year. (They actually own the best title odds at the moment.) No, the problem with the Clippers trying to win 56 games next season is that there simply is no need.
The Spurs may have invented the notion, but last season Kawhi Leonard truly brought about a new era in “load management.” And given how hobbled he looked during a long and exhausting Finals run, I don’t see Kawhi playing north of 60 games next season.
His new teammate Paul George, meanwhile, can’t be counted on to play a full slate of games next year either. He’s nursing two very serious shoulder injuries. He might not even be available to start the season.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has seen title contention brought to an end by injury before. He knows that health is the first, second, and third consideration for his team. The Clippers may very well raise the Larry O.B. next spring, but they certainly won’t barnstorm their way through the regular season to get there.
Charlotte Hornets: 23.5
The aforementioned departure of Kemba Walker is a disaster for the Charlotte Hornets. Even if bringing in Terry Rozier somehow stops the bleeding, Queen City is in rough shape.
Kemba played in all 82 games last season, turning in some iconic performances along the way. As his heroic campaign waned, so did the Hornets, who still managed a respectable 39 wins behind Walker’s great play.
There’s some talent in Charlotte, and head coach James Borrego looked promising in his rookie year on the sidelines. However many teams in the East took steps forward this summer, while the Hornets plainly did not.
Last season the tumultuous Bulls won 22 games. And yet it’s possible Charlotte won’t fare much better.
Denver Nuggets: 50.5
The 2018-19 regular season belonged to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. In the coming year, it will be Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets who rise to glory.
The club won 54 games last year, and it was clear there’s still another gear or two to hit for Mike Malone’s squad. Nikola Jokic is an exercise regiment away from being a frightening force in the NBA, and Jamal Murray just got paid like a superstar.
The rest of the West did get better, there’s no doubt about that. But the Lakers, the Clippers, the Rockets, and even the Trail Blazers have older star players. Health and freshness are of more pertinent concern than win totals and regular season standings.
The Nuggets, however, have the youth and the depth to sprint all season long. We saw glances of Denver’s domination during stretches of last year, but the team shied away during key games and moments.
There will be even fewer wins to go around in the West. Regardless, expect the Nuggets to fight damn near every one of them.
ATL - 32.5
BOS - 48.5
BKN - 45.5
CHA - 23.5
CHI - 30.5
CLE - 25.5
DAL - 41.5
DEN - 50.5
DET - 35.5
GSW - 47.5
HOU - 51.5
IND - 48.5
LAC - 55.5
LAL - 51.5
MEM - 27.5
MIA - 42.5
MIL - 54.5
MIN - 35.5
NOP - 36.5
NYK - 27.5
OKC - 32.5
ORL - 41.5
PHI - 53.5
PHX - 26.5
POR - 44.5
SAC - 35.5
SAS - 43.5
TOR - 45.5
UTA - 52.5
WAS - 28.5