Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
NBA Over/Under Regular Season Wins
Chicago Bulls - 37.5 wins
October 22, 2023
The Case for the Over
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They won 40 games last season and had the point differential of a 44-win team. Should we really expect them to be that much worse, especially considering they are bringing back essentially the exact same roster?
They have some young players in Patrick Williams (22), Coby White (23), and Ayo Dosunmu (23) who could all improve. They also added Jevon Carter, who should give them some additional backcourt depth. Carter and Alex Caruso are probably the best defensive backup guard tandem in the league, and would be near the top of the league even if you eliminated the word “backup” from that statement.
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The Case for the Under
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The Bulls were very healthy last year, with none of their top eight rotation players missing more than 15 games. Their projected starting five this season all played 74 games or more last season. It’s extremely unlike they are that healthy again, so even falling back to just average health could make them significantly worse than last season.
Nikola Vucevic (33) and DeMar DeRozan (34) are getting into their mid-30s and could see some age-related regression. Particularly on defense, those two taking a step back could cause the Bulls to crumble on that end.
This team has seemed to stall out in mediocrity, so there’s a chance they decide to pivot and blow it up. DeMar DeRozan is on an expiring contract, so they could trade him mid-season instead of letting him walk away in free agency next summer.
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Conclusion
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This line feels really close to me. I certainly think they could win 38 games or more, but the fact that they only won 40 games last season with really good health makes me doubt them. Add in the fact that they could pivot into a rebuild, or just selectively rest players near the end of the year if they are out of the play-in mix, and I’m going with the under.