With the days slowly ticking until the tip-off of the NBA season, it’s time to take a look at the Atlantic Division win totals. This division has had a busy offseason, with some stars leaving, some stars coming, and even a star moving within the division. The win totals come courtesy of Bovada.
Win Totals for the Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics
The over/under for the Boston Celtics is 49.5. This is right around where they finished last season. The dynamics, however, are much different. Kyrie Irving is gone and Kemba Walker is in.
That was the major change made during the offseason. Most of the team is still intact though. If Boston is going to hit the over, they will need Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to continue an upward trajectory.
Those two will continue on an upward trajectory and the chemistry will be better in year one with Walker, leading to Boston hitting the over.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets had a very busy offseason. Kyrie Irving came over from the Celtics, and then the team added Kevin Durant. However, Durant is unlikely to play this season after his Achilles tear in game five of this past seasons’ NBA Finals. The over/under for the Nets is set at 44.5.
It’s a little surprising that the number isn’t higher. The Nets are coming off of a surprise season that saw them win 42 games. That, combined with the buzz around the franchise after this offseason, would normally lead to the over/under being higher.
Of course, no Durant has a huge impact on that number. If the over/under were close to 50 it would be fairly easy to bet the under. However, the Nets are going to hit the over this season.
The reason that will happen is the steps some of the Nets players took last season. Adding Irving could cause similar issues as it did in Boston, but in his first season, he’ll be on his best behavior.
New York Knicks
The over/under for the New York Knicks is set at 28. After missing out on Irving and Durant this offseason, apathy seems to have set in. The teams’ big offseason move was signing Julius Randle.
They also added Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, and Marcus Morris. While all of those players can be productive on their own, they are going to do nothing to move the needle for New York.
Mitchell Robinson was effective at the end of last season, and the team drafted RJ Barrett with its first pick. Those are the two players Knicks fans should watch closely this season.
Even with some nice veteran additions, the move here is the under. There’s no reason to believe the Knicks won’t continue to be a mess.
Philadelphia 76ers
The over/under for the Philadelphia 76ers is set at 54.5 wins. If they were to hit the over, it would beat last seasons win total by four wins. With Jimmy Butler now being in Miami, that seems like a tall task.
Regardless, this team will win a lot of games. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are back, and the team added Josh Richardson in the sign-and-trade that sent Butler to the Miami Heat, and they added Al Horford.
Also in free agency, they were able to re-sign Tobias Harris, but J.J. Redick did leave for the New Orleans Pelicans.
While this roster is filled with talent, the under is the correct bet here. Philadelphia has the talent to make a run at an NBA title, but Embiid will miss a chunk of games this season, and the team just won’t take the regular season seriously enough to win 55 games.
Toronto Raptors
The win total for the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors is set at 46.5. This is the toughest win total to gauge in this division.
While the Raptors do have a good amount of last season’s title roster back, Kawhi Leonard is now a Los Angeles Clipper. Losing Leonard is a massive blow. However, is losing him going to lead to a 12-win reduction?
Most would answer “yes” however, as mentioned above, this team still has talent. Kyle Lowry is still around, as is last season’s Most Improved Player, Pascal Siakam.
Those two, leading a roster that also contains Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, and OG Anunoby, will make for a scrappy team that will come to play every night.
This team is going to surprise people and hit the over. They won’t repeat as NBA champions, but they will come to play every night and will beat a lot of teams on effort alone, but there is also talent, even without Kawhi Leonard.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
