Vegas has put out win totals for every NBA team, and the Hawks over/under wins has been set at 46.5, which is 5.5 wins higher than their final record from last season — 41-31. Be mindful that last year was a shortened 72-game season, ten less than the usually 82-game regular season. The win total is the 11th highest in the Association and fifth in the Eastern Conference — behind the Nets (55.5), Bucks (54.5), 76ers (51.5), Heat (48.5), and tied with the Celtics.
I have no arguments with Brooklyn and Miluwakee’s win totals, but the Sixers and Heat’s win totals are unsettling. First and foremost, I believe Philadelphia’s roster is going to look extremely different at the start of the season than it does right now. Reports suggest the worst regarding Ben Simmons, who refuses to communicate with coaches and teammates. If Simmons does play, it’ll be a team on the edge of catastrophe all year long as Doc Rivers attempts to keep Simmons and Joel Embiid happy. If Simmons is traded, the roster will surely look different as Daryl Morey attempts to maximize the return for an All-Star caliber player in Simmons.
The Heat are also unimpressive to me. Kyle Lowry for $30 million a year doesn’t move the needle. They’ll be a tough defensive team, as they were last season, but the shooting is still lacking. Victor Oladipo was a budding star and a three-level scorer before injuries derailed his once-promising career. If he’s healthy, I believe Miami will improve in this area, but that’s a massive if.
Atlanta is a much more cohesive team than Miami and Philly, an important factor for an 82-game season. It is a grind, and no team is deeper than the Hawks. I believe the Hawks will win 50 games this year, which would shatter the 46.5 win total set by Vegas.
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