The Chicago Bulls may be one of the most widely discussed teams of the offseason, but on Wednesday, one major sportsbook reminded us that they still have a lot to prove. At least in the eyers of the money.
PointsBet released its projected win totals for all 30 NBA teams, and the Chicago Bulls come in at a rather underwhelming 39.5. The over checks in at +100 odds, while the under sits at -120.
The Chicago Bulls finished this past season 31-41, which means the team was on a 35-win pace. PointsBet’s forecast, then, suggests that this revamped roster will win only four more games than the squad we saw last season. In other words, the additions of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Tony Bradley (with likely a couple of more names to come), plus a full season of Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine playing together, barely moved this team’s needle in 2021-22.
For reference, here is how the Bulls stack up against their fellow Eastern Conference teams:
Brooklyn Nets: 55.5
Milwaukee Bucks: 54.5
Miami Heat: 48.5
Philadelphia 76ers: 51.5
Boston Celtics: 47.5
Atlanta Hawks: 47.5
Indiana Pacers: 43.5
New York Knicks: 40.5
Chicago Bulls: 39.5
Toronto Raptors: 37.5
Charlotte Hornets: 36.5
Washington Wizards: 34.5
Cleveland Cavaliers: 28.5
Detroit Pistons: 25.5
Orlando Magic: 24.0
Ninth, which means not even home-court advantage in the play-in tournament. Look, I know other Eastern Conference teams got better, but that still feels cold. Or maybe like an opportunity to make some money. I’ll leave that part up to you.
Of course, these odds have plenty of time to change in the coming months, and I suspect they will with the number of people who are about the absolutely decimate the over. But, still, this feels like a tiny splash of cold water during a hype-filled offseason. I’ll be curious to see where the other major sportsbook projections start.