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Community Shootaround: 2020/21 NBA Predictions

December 22nd, 2020 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

It may feel as if the 2019/20 NBA season just ended, but we’re just suddenly hours away from the ’20/21 regular season tipping off.

With the coronavirus pandemic ongoing, this season won’t quite look like a typical NBA campaign. Teams are only scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, and that’s assuming that they can get through the season without cancellations.

On Monday, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters – including Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press – that he expects some “bumps in the road” for the NBA as the 2020/21 season progresses, acknowledging that there will likely be some positive COVID-19 tests among players and other on-court personnel. However, Silver also said the league is “prepared for all contingencies” and is confident that it will be able to get through the full season.

Time will tell if Silver is right. But for now, let’s assume – or at least hope – that he is. We want to get your predictions on which teams and players will rule the 2020/21 NBA season — assuming the league can get through it.

Playoffs and NBA Finals

Betting site BetOnline.ag currently lists the following 12 teams as the best bets to claim the top six spots in each conference:

Eastern Conference:

  1. Milwaukee Bucks
  2. Brooklyn Nets
  3. Boston Celtics
  4. Miami Heat
  5. Toronto Raptors
  6. Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference:

  1. Los Angeles Lakers
  2. Los Angeles Clippers
  3. Denver Nuggets
  4. Dallas Mavericks
  5. Utah Jazz
  6. Portland Trail Blazers

Only the top six finishers in each conference are assured of playoff berths this season, as the Nos. 7-10 teams will participate in a play-in tournament at the end of the year for the final two spots. The seventh and eighth seeds will only have to win once in two games to claim their spots, while the ninth and 10th seeds would require two wins.

Based on BetOnline’s odds, the Pacers, Hawks, Wizards, and Magic are the best bets for the 7-10 spots in the East, with the Bulls, Hornets, and Cavaliers among the teams lurking as threats.

In the West, the Suns, Warriors, Rockets, and Pelicans are considered the best bets for that 7-10 range, with the Grizzlies, Spurs, Kings, and Timberwolves looking to push them out.

Meanwhile, the Bucks and the Nets are the frontrunners to make the NBA Finals in the East, per BetOnline, while the Lakers and Clippers are the overwhelming betting favorites to represent the West.

What do you think? Do those projected standings look about right to you, or do you think certain teams are noticeably overvalued or undervalued? Do you expect some combination of the Bucks, Nets, Lakers, and Clippers to play in the Finals, or will another team (or two) crash the party?

NBA End-of-Season Awards

Some end-of-season awards are a little easier to forecast than others. We have a general idea of which players should be in the mix for the Most Valuable Player award or Defensive Player of the Year honors. But there could be dozens of candidates for Most Improved Player, while an award like Sixth Man of the Year often hinges on whether injuries force certain top bench players to become starters.

Still, BetOnline has provided betting favorites for all of major awards. Here are bettors’ top five picks for each one:

Most Valuable Player:

  1. Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
  2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
  3. Kevin Durant (Nets)
  4. Stephen Curry (Warriors)
  5. Anthony Davis (Lakers) / LeBron James (Lakers) (tie)

Defensive Player of the Year:

  1. Anthony Davis (Lakers)
  2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
  3. Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
  4. Bam Adebayo (Heat)
  5. Joel Embiid (Sixers)

Rookie of the Year:

  1. LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
  2. Obi Toppin (Knicks)
  3. James Wiseman (Warriors)
  4. Killian Hayes (Pistons)
  5. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)

Sixth Man of the Year:

  1. Lou Williams (Clippers)
  2. Jordan Clarkson (Jazz)
  3. Danilo Gallinari (Hawks)
  4. Goran Dragic (Heat)
  5. Serge Ibaka (Clippers)

Most Improved Player:

  1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
  2. Deandre Ayton (Suns)
  3. Christian Wood (Rockets) / Michael Porter (Nuggets) (tie)
  4. Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
  5. Coby White (Bulls)

Coach of the Year:

  1. Steve Nash (Nets)
  2. Tyronn Lue (Clippers)
  3. Monty Williams (Suns)
  4. Brad Stevens (Celtics) / Erik Spoelstra (Heat) / Frank Vogel (Lakers) / Rick Carlisle (Mavericks) (tie)
  5. Doc Rivers (Sixers)

While the favorites for each of those awards make sense, there are some guys I like who don’t make the cut. I think Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton is an intriguing Rookie of the Year candidate, and I’d be tempted to make Davis Bertans my choice for Sixth Man as long as the Wizards intend to continue bringing him off the bench.

What do you think? Are you picking mostly from the above candidates for your award selections, or are you going off the board with some of your choices?

With the regular season to tip off, we want to hear your predictions for the coming year.

Head to the comment section below to share your picks for the 2020/21 regular season standings, the playoff results, the award winners, and any other subjects you want to weigh in on (James Harden‘s trade destination? Or maybe the first head coach to be fired?).

Happy opening night!

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NBA Teams With Most, Least Roster Continuity

December 22nd, 2020 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s offseason felt awfully busy, with free agency opening just two days after the draft and training camps starting about 10 days later. As hectic as those couple weeks were though, they actually didn’t feature a ton of player movement relative to a typical offseason.

A year ago, for instance, when we looked at the teams with the most and least roster continuity from year to year, we found that only one team was bringing back 13 players (counting two-ways) from its previous squad, while a total of four had 11 or more returning players.

This time around, seven clubs are bringing back 13 or more players from their end-of-season 2019/20 rosters, and a total of 18 teams will have 11 or more returning players. The Bulls and Pacers lead the way, having carried over 14 players apiece.

While the condensed offseason made for an exciting November, the quick turnaround also likely played a major part in teams’ decisions to stand relatively pat. Without a Summer League or the opportunity to conduct offseason mini-camps, teams haven’t had a lot of time to integrate new players, and have generally opted for as much continuity as possible.

Of course, while that may have been the general rule for the 2020 offseason, it certainly doesn’t apply to every team. A year ago, seven teams – including the eventual-champion Lakers – brought back just six players from their 2018/19 rosters. This time around, two clubs had that much turnover.

Of those two clubs, one – the Pistons – exhibited an impressive disregard for roster continuity, retaining just four players (Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Sekou Doumbouya, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk) from last season’s roster. That’s the lowest number of returning players a team has had to start a season since the 2017 Celtics.

Here are the number of returning players for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, from most to fewest:

  1. Chicago Bulls: 14
    Indiana Pacers: 14
  2. Boston Celtics: 13
    Brooklyn Nets: 13
    Memphis Grizzlies: 13
    Miami Heat: 13
    San Antonio Spurs: 13
  3. Golden State Warriors: 12
    Orlando Magic: 12
  4. Cleveland Cavaliers: 11
    Los Angeles Clippers: 11
    Los Angeles Lakers: 11
    Minnesota Timberwolves: 11
    New York Knicks: 11
    Sacramento Kings: 11
    Toronto Raptors: 11
    Utah Jazz: 11
    Washington Wizards: 11
  5. Charlotte Hornets: 10
    Dallas Mavericks: 10
    Denver Nuggets: 10
  6. Portland Trail Blazers: 9
  7. Atlanta Hawks: 8
    Houston Rockets: 8
    New Orleans Pelicans: 8
    Phoenix Suns: 8
  8. Milwaukee Bucks: 7
    Philadelphia 76ers: 7
  9. Oklahoma City Thunder: 6
  10. Detroit Pistons: 4
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2020 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap

December 22nd, 2020 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s annual deadline for rookie scale contract extensions passed on Monday, with a flurry of deals completed just before time ran out. In total, 10 players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed new contracts this year.

We’ve seen an uptick in rookie scale extensions over the last couple years, but 2020 still represents an impressive high water-mark after 2019 featured nine such extensions. The last time as many as 10 rookie scale extensions were completed in a single league year was back in 2006, when players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were signing their second NBA contracts.

Here’s a breakdown of the 10 rookie scale extensions signed before this year’s deadline, sorted by total value. In cases where we haven’t yet seen the official contract terms for the extension, we’re basing our figures on the latest reports. These deals will go into effect beginning in 2021/22:

  • Donovan Mitchell (Jazz): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $163,000,590. Projected value can increase to $195,600,710 if Mitchell earns All-NBA honors in 2021. Includes fifth-year player option and 15% trade kicker.
  • Jayson Tatum (Celtics): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $163,000,590. Projected value can increase to $195,600,710 if Tatum earns All-NBA honors in 2021. Includes fifth-year player option and 15% trade kicker.
  • Bam Adebayo (Heat): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $163,000,590. Projected value can increase to $195,600,710 if Adebayo earns MVP honors in 2021 ($185,820,675 for All-NBA First Team; $179,300,645 for Defensive Player of the Year).
  • De’Aaron Fox (Kings): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $163,000,590. Projected value can increase to $195,600,710 if Fox earns First Team All-NBA honors in 2021 ($182,560,660 for Second Team; $169,522,180 for Third Team).
  • OG Anunoby (Raptors): Four years, $72,000,000 (story). Includes fourth-year player option.
  • Derrick White (Spurs): Four years, $70,000,000 (story). Includes $5MM in incentives.
  • Jonathan Isaac (Magic): Four years, $69,600,000 (story). Includes $10.4MM in incentives and Exhibit 3 injury protection.
  • Luke Kennard (Clippers): Four years, $56,000,000 (story). Includes $8MM in incentives and a fourth-year team option.
  • Markelle Fultz (Magic): Three years, $50,000,000 (story). Includes $3MM in incentives and partial guarantee in third year.
  • Kyle Kuzma (Lakers): Three years, $39,000,000 (story). Includes third-year player option.

The first four extensions on this list were completed relatively early in the offseason and didn’t come as a surprise. Mitchell, Tatum, Adebayo, and Fox are considered crucial franchise building blocks for their respective teams, and there was no point in getting cute by waiting until the 2021 offseason to lock them up, since all four teams were prepared to offer the max.

The other six deals were arguably more interesting, since non-maximum-salary rookie scale extensions are generally trickier to negotiate.

The Spurs and Raptors, for instance, had to weigh how much they wanted to prioritize maximizing their cap room in 2021. Both teams cut into their projected room slightly by finalizing extensions with their respective fourth-year players, but that trade-off will be worth it if White and Anunoby have breakout seasons in 2020/21. Several other teams around the NBA will have significant cap room as well, and would’ve been in position to give those players more lucrative offer sheets.

The Lakers and Clippers each projected to be over the cap in 2021, so they were in position to negotiate new deals for their fourth-year players without really worrying about reducing their flexibility for next offseason.

While I don’t particularly love either Kennard’s or Kuzma’s new contract from a team perspective, I understand why each team felt compelled to act now. Kennard is an elite shooter who could’ve received offers in the range of Joe Harris (four years, $72MM) or Davis Bertans (five years, $80MM) if he stays healthy and has a nice year in Los Angeles. As for Kuzma, he’s only receiving a little more than the mid-level and it’s not a long commitment — that’s a relatively safe investment, and a deal he would’ve topped with a strong bounce-back 2020/21 season.

The Magic, meanwhile, completed perhaps the two most curious deals of the extension period, committing $80MM to Isaac, who will be out for the season with a torn ACL, and $50MM to Fultz, who has had one healthy season in the NBA and is a career 26.7% three-point shooter.

While Orlando may end up regretting one or both deals, I definitely don’t hate them. Isaac looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before he got hurt last season, and would’ve been in line for a contract much closer to the max if he had stayed healthy. If the Magic feel good about his ability to make a full recovery, that deal will pay off in its later years.

As for Fultz, Orlando protected itself to some extent with a final-year team option, and frankly didn’t even give the former No. 1 pick that significant a raise — he’ll earn $12.3MM in the final year of his rookie contract in 2020/21. The contract isn’t long enough or expensive enough to ever become a real albatross if Fultz regresses or deals with more health issues. If he develops like the Magic believe he can – they reportedly feel as if he’s capable of become an “upper-echelon point guard” – it’ll be a bargain, though that’s a big if.

While 10 players signed rookie scale extensions, that leaves 13 players who were eligible for a new deal and didn’t get one (a 14th, T.J. Leaf, was waived by the Thunder on Saturday). Here’s the list of those players, who are now eligible to become restricted free agents during the 2021 offseason, assuming they finish their current contracts:

The most interesting names here are Allen, Ball, Collins (both of them), and Markkanen.

The lack of a new deal made some sense for Markkanen and the Collinses — the Bulls forward had a down year in 2019/20, while the Hawks‘ Collins missed 25 games due to a suspension and the Trail Blazers‘ Collins missed most of the season due to an ankle injury. All three players likely feel they can increase their value by staying on the court and playing to their full potential this season.

Ball also has an injury history, having missed some time in each of his three NBA seasons, so the Pelicans may have wanted another year to assess him — Ball’s agent Rich Paul also generally prefers to take his clients to free agency.

As for Allen, the Nets‘ financial situation may have played a part in the club’s decision to hold off on an extension. The team already has over $140MM in salaries on its books for 2021/22. Not extending Allen will also make it simpler to include him in a trade this season if the right deal arises. The poison pill provision would’ve applied if he’d inked a new contract, meaning he would’ve had significantly different outgoing and incoming cap figures, making salary-matching more challenging.

All of these players will be well positioned to land a big payday if they have big years in 2020/21, since there the 2021 free agent market lost plenty of talent due to all this year’s extensions and several teams still project to have big chunks of cap space.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Southwest Division

December 21st, 2020 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on Tuesday, so it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.

It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.

We’ll wrap things up by heading to the Southwest…

Dallas Mavericks

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Mavericks poll.

New Orleans Pelicans

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Pelicans poll.

Houston Rockets

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Rockets poll.

Memphis Grizzlies

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Grizzlies poll.

San Antonio Spurs

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Spurs poll.

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
  • Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
  • New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)

Northwest:

  • Denver Nuggets (44.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • Utah Jazz (42.5 wins): Over (59.9%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (41.5 wins): Over (70.1%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (29.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (22.5 wins): Under (64.4%)

Central:

  • Milwaukee Bucks (51.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
  • Indiana Pacers (39.5 wins): Over (57.9%)
  • Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Under (61.6%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (23.5 wins): Under (68.5%)
  • Detroit Pistons (22.5 wins): Over (53.9%)

Pacific:

  • Los Angeles Lakers (48.5 wins): Over (79.1%)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (47.5 wins): Under (50.4%)
  • Phoenix Suns (40.5 wins): Over (51.0%)
  • Golden State Warriors (38.5 wins): Over (60.3%)
  • Sacramento Kings (29.5 wins): Under (60.7%)

Southeast:

  • Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Over (67.6%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (36.5 wins): Over (58.0%)
  • Washington Wizards (34.5 wins): Under (50.7%)
  • Orlando Magic (31.5 wins): Under (73.5%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (26.5 wins): Over (56.3%)
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Contract, Roster Deadlines Loom For NBA Teams

December 21st, 2020 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

We’re one day away from the start of the NBA’s 2020/21 regular season, making Monday the last day of the 2020 offseason. Today serves as the deadline for a number of contract- and roster-related decisions around the league. Here are the most important ones:

Rookie Scale Extensions

A total of 24 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions. Five of those players – Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, and Kyle Kuzma – have already signed new deals. That leaves the following 19 players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions on Monday:

Most of these players won’t sign new deals until the 2021 offseason, when they’re eligible for restricted free agency. But it would be a surprise if at least one or two more players from this list don’t finalize rookie scale extensions today, With Allen, Anunoby, Ball, John Collins, Fultz, and White among the most viable candidates.

The deadline for rookie scale extensions is at 5:00pm central time, ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (via Twitter).

Certain Veteran Contract Extensions

A veteran player who signed his current contract at least two years ago (or three years ago if it was a five-year deal) is eligible to sign an extension. That means that many veterans around the NBA are eligible to sign contract extensions today, but that number will significantly drop as of tomorrow.

Once the regular season begins, only veterans in the final year of their contracts can sign extensions — a player that has multiple years remaining is no longer extension-eligible until the following offseason.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]

In other words, players like Stephen Curry or T.J. Warren, who are under contract through 2021/22, could sign an extension today that covers up to three additional seasons. However, starting on Tuesday, they’ll be ineligible to sign an extension until the 2021 offseason.

An extension candidate like Jrue Holiday, who has a player option for 2021/22, could still sign a new deal during the season, but he’d have to eliminate that option to do so. Picking it up would make him ineligible to complete an extension until the 2021 offseason after today.

The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59pm CT tonight.

Regular Season Rosters

Most teams around the NBA finalized their roster cuts on Saturday for financial reasons, as we explained over the weekend. However, the deadline to reduce offseason rosters to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts (plus two on two-way contracts) arrives tonight.

Typically, the regular season roster deadline would fall at 4:00pm CT. This year, as Marks tweets, it’s at 10:00pm CT. The NBA adjusted the waiver deadline for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in order to accommodate the preseason games that took place on Saturday night — teams that participated in those games were still able to cut players afterward and have those players clear waivers tonight.

While it’s certainly possible that there will be some additional roster shuffling today as teams tweak their back-end roster spots or fill two-way openings, only two teams – the Thunder and Kings – absolutely have to make cuts, as we detailed on Sunday.

The final day of the offseason is also the last day for teams to convert Exhibit 10 contracts into two-way deals. However, after Yuta Watanabe, Brodric Thomas, Reggie Perry, Marques Bolden, and Max Strus had their Exhibit 10 deals converted into two-ways over the weekend, I don’t think there are any candidates left for this maneuver.

Finally, Monday is the last day for a free agent to be signed-and-traded. There has been no indication that any potential sign-and-trades are in the works though.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Why Many Teams Are Finalizing Roster Cuts On Saturday

December 19th, 2020 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until Monday night to officially set their rosters for the 2020/21 regular season. However, a majority of NBA teams will likely have their rosters ready to go on Saturday, with more roster cuts expected today than on Sunday or Monday.

Why is that? Well, releasing a player today will allow him to clear waivers on Monday, before the regular season gets underway.

Players who are cut during the season are also paid for each day they spend on waivers, so a player who hits waivers on Sunday and doesn’t clear until the first day of the season on Tuesday would technically earn one day’s worth of pay, even if his salary isn’t guaranteed. A player waived on Monday would spend two regular season days on waivers.

For players with partial or full guarantees, spending the first day or two of the regular season on waivers doesn’t really matter — they’re getting their full 2020/21 salary no matter when they’re released. But if a team waits until Monday to cut a player with a non-guaranteed salary, that team will be on the hook for two days’ worth of dead money for the player.

Two days’ worth of dead money won’t exactly break the bank — it shouldn’t be more than about $22K for a minimum-salary player. But most teams already know which players are in and which are out, so there’s no need to take the decision down to the wire on Monday. They’ll make those cuts today and will avoid adding extra cap charges to their books for ’20/21. Even that small amount of savings could make a difference for teams who are right around the tax line or up against a hard cap.

While many teams will make their cuts today, clubs like the Pistons and Thunder can afford to wait an extra day or two, since they’ll each be waiving a player who has a full or partial guarantee. Waiting until Sunday or Monday to make that move won’t affect their cap outlook at all.

[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Roster Counts]

Meanwhile, it’s worth keeping an eye on a team like the Knicks, who have 15 players on guaranteed contracts but might want to retain veteran forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, whose deal is non-guaranteed. If New York hangs onto Kidd-Gilchrist and doesn’t trim its roster to 15 players on standard deals today, that’ll signal that the team likely plans to waive a player with a guaranteed salary by Monday.

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2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Southeast Division

December 18th, 2020 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on December 22, so it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.

It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.

We’ll turn today to the Southeast…

Miami Heat

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Heat poll.

Atlanta Hawks

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Hawks poll.

Washington Wizards

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Wizards poll.

Orlando Magic

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Magic poll.

Charlotte Hornets

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Hornets poll.

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
  • Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
  • New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)

Northwest:

  • Denver Nuggets (44.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • Utah Jazz (42.5 wins): Over (59.9%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (41.5 wins): Over (70.1%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (29.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (22.5 wins): Under (64.4%)

Central:

  • Milwaukee Bucks (51.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
  • Indiana Pacers (39.5 wins): Over (57.9%)
  • Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Under (61.6%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (23.5 wins): Under (68.5%)
  • Detroit Pistons (22.5 wins): Over (53.9%)

Pacific:

  • Los Angeles Lakers (48.5 wins): Over (79.1%)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (47.5 wins): Under (50.4%)
  • Phoenix Suns (40.5 wins): Over (51.0%)
  • Golden State Warriors (38.5 wins): Over (60.3%)
  • Sacramento Kings (29.5 wins): Under (60.7%)
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2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Pacific Division

December 17th, 2020 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on December 22, so we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.

It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.

We’ll turn today to the Pacific…

Los Angeles Lakers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Lakers poll.

Los Angeles Clippers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Clippers poll.

Phoenix Suns

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Suns poll.

Golden State Warriors

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Warriors poll.

Sacramento Kings

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Kings poll.

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
  • Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
  • New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)

Northwest:

  • Denver Nuggets (44.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • Utah Jazz (42.5 wins): Over (59.9%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (41.5 wins): Over (70.1%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (29.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (22.5 wins): Under (64.4%)

Central:

  • Milwaukee Bucks (51.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
  • Indiana Pacers (39.5 wins): Over (57.9%)
  • Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Under (61.6%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (23.5 wins): Under (68.5%)
  • Detroit Pistons (22.5 wins): Over (53.9%)
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2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Central Division

December 16th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on December 22, so it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.

It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.

We’ll turn today to the Central…

Milwaukee Bucks

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Bucks poll.

Indiana Pacers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Pacers poll.

Chicago Bulls

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Bulls poll.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Cavaliers poll.

Detroit Pistons

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Pistons poll.

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
  • Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
  • New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)

Northwest:

  • Denver Nuggets (44.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • Utah Jazz (42.5 wins): Over (59.9%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (41.5 wins): Over (70.1%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (29.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (22.5 wins): Under (64.4%)
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2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Northwest Division

December 15th, 2020 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on December 22, so it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.

It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.

We’ll turn today to the Northwest…

Denver Nuggets

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Nuggets poll.

Utah Jazz

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Jazz poll.

Portland Trail Blazers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Trail Blazers poll.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Timberwolves poll.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Thunder poll.

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
  • Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
  • New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)
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