Fansided

Picking every NBA over/under win total

By Brad Rowland

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) takes the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) takes the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown rubs his head in reaction to a turnover against the Miami Heat during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown rubs his head in reaction to a turnover against the Miami Heat during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Philadelphia 76ers – Over/Under 21.5 wins

Picking against the Sixers hasn’t gone well for me in the past, as I famously predicted that Philadelphia would set the all-time record for futility in 2014-2015. In my defense, the roster was that horrific, but Brett Brown is some sort of wizard, and Philadelphia defended at a level that was above-average when compared to the rest of the NBA.

I’m not going back to the well with an all-time prediction, but the under is the right side here. Philadelphia does have more talent, with Jahlil Okafor joining Nerlens Noel and Robert Covington in the “real, live NBA player!” category, but there remains a sharp divide when examining this roster compared to others. I’m all in on Nik Stauskas as an NBA role player, but we haven’t seen it yet, and the point guard battle features Kendall Marshall, Isaiah Canaan, Tony Wroten and Pierre Jackson. I don’t even know where to begin.

Brown and his staff might burn me again here, but Philly still boasts the worst roster in the league by a wide margin, and I can’t see them cracking 22 wins.

The Pick: Under (16-66)

Phoenix Suns – Over/Under 36.5 wins

This is a number that I just don’t understand. Everything went wrong for Phoenix last year in compiling a 39-43 record… and they’re projection drops? I do grasp the fact that Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas are no longer employed by the team, but the Suns still have an interesting and talented roster to pair with one of the game’s best coaches in Jeff Hornacek.

Markieff Morris is still around (at least for now), but the biggest transaction was the addition of Tyson Chandler. Chandler isn’t quite what he used to be, but defensively, the big man still stacks up as an above-average player, and Phoenix has the athletes to post a top-10 unit on that end of the floor. For me, the Suns are a solid bet to challenge for the eighth seed in the West, but even if they don’t crack the playoffs, I can’t imagine a 36-46 record or anything worse.

The Pick: Over (42-40)

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