With NBA training camps set to open soon, Props.com offers a breakdown of the league’s 30 teams from a season win totals perspective, starting with the five-team Atlantic Division.
Unlike last season, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to reduce the regular season to 72 games, the NBA returns to an 82-game schedule in 2021-22.
Following the Atlantic Division, we’ll focus on the Central and Southeast divisions from the Eastern Conference, before tackling the Western Conference’s Pacific, Northwest and Southwest divisions.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings, updated as of Noon p.m. ET on Sept. 16.
Brooklyn Nets
Projected Win Total: 56.5 (Over -105/Under -115)
2020-21 Record: 48-24 (2nd in Atlantic)
Projected Starters: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, LaMarcus Aldridge
— The Nets enter the 2021-22 season with the highest expectations of any NBA team, as their win total is 2.5 wins higher than any other squad (Milwaukee is second at 54.5). The franchise hasn’t won as many as 55 games in a season since going 55-29 (84-game season) during the final year of the ABA.
— The Nets finished second overall in scoring last season (118.6 points per game), a feat that’s particularly impressive when realizing the trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving combined for 91 missed games. They also led the NBA in field-goal shooting (49.4 percent), while ranking seventh overall in field goals made (14.2 per game).
— The Nets ended the regular season with five consecutive victories, during which time Durant (seasonal averages: 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists per game), Harden (24.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 10.9 apg), and Irving (26.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.0 apg) were rounding into shape for the playoffs.
— Brooklyn’s offseason acquisitions include guard Patty Mills, forward Paul Millsap and center LaMarcus Aldridge.
— The Nets notched a 6-2 record against division rivals Boston, Philadelphia and New York last season.
— Fourteen of Brooklyn’s first 18 opponents posted losing records last season. This bodes well for the Nets getting off to a torrid start, with a nod toward pursuing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
— Brooklyn’s schedule features only two road trips of five or more games: a seven-game trip from Nov. 15-24 and a five-gamer from Jan. 29-Feb. 6.
— The Nets face a brutal 10-game stretch from Dec. 19-Jan. 7. They host the Nuggets, Wizards, Sixers, Clippers, Grizzlies and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, while traveling to Portland, Los Angeles (Lakers on Christmas Day, Clippers two days later) and Indiana.
Philadelphia 76ers
Projected Win Total: 50.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
2020-21 Record: 49-23 (1st in Atlantic)
Projected Starters: Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Danny Green
— Let’s first address the elephant in the room: All-Star guard Ben Simmons’ trade request. The Sixers are reportedly not budging from their demands regarding a Simmons-focused deal. As such, the stalemate could easily spill into training camp—or not, considering Philadelphia reportedly owes Simmons roughly $25 million in early October.
Either way, it’s risky wagering on 76ers’ win total without knowing if one of its best players is going to be in Philly.
— The Sixers led all Eastern Conference squads last season in wins (49), conference record (31-11), and home mark (29-7). For good measure, Philadelphia had the East’s second-best road record (20-16).
— The highly versatile Sixers posted top-10 defensive rankings in a slew of categories last season, including field-goal percentage (45.3 percent, 4th), 3-point field-goal percentage (36.0 percent, 9th), and points allowed (108.1 per game, 6th).
— Last season, the Sixers produced five separate winning streaks of four-plus games. Conversely, Philly had just one losing skid of more than three games.
— The 76ers dominated the Nets, Knicks and Celtics last season, going 8-1 overall.
— The Sixers’ longest road trip for 2021-22 comes early (November). The six-game journey includes stops in Indiana, Utah, Denver, Portland, Sacramento and Golden State.
— Philly doesn’t have many prolonged stretches against quality teams in 2021-22. In fact, the toughest uphill climb might entail a five-game stretch against the Miami Heat (home), Los Angeles Lakers (road), L.A. Clippers (road), Phoenix Suns (road), and defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks (home) from March 21-29.
— The 76ers have won as many as 52 games just once (52-30 in 2017-18) since 2000-01.
Boston Celtics
Projected Win Total: 45.5 (Over -125/Under +105)
2020-21 Record: 36-36 (4th in Atlantic), plus 1-0 in Eastern Conference play-in game
Projected Starters: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Dennis Schroder
— The Celtics underwent a major overhaul during the offseason, replacing retired general manager Danny Ainge with coach Brad Stevens, replacing Stevens with Ime Udoka, jettisoning their No. 3 and 4 scorers from last year (Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier), and bringing guard Dennis Schroder along with center Al Horford into the starting mix.
— Nearly half of Boston’s 35 wins last season (excluding the play-in victory) were by double digits, while seven of their 36 defeats came at four or fewer points. Yet the Celtics merely had the sixth-best scoring differential (plus-1.7 points) among the East’s playoff clubs.
— Boston posted a solid home record last season (21-15) but finished below .500 on the road (15-21), against the Eastern Conference (20-22) and versus Atlantic Division foes (4-8). The Celtics also were marginal in several offensive categories, ranking 13th in scoring (112.6 ppg), 15th in 3-point field-goal percentage, 19th in field-goal percentage, and 22nd in assists.
— Boston had it rough against Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and New York Knicks – winning just one of eight head-to-head meetings.
— The Celtics are looking at a treacherous stretch of 13 games from Nov. 24-Dec. 20. Among the opponents: The Nets, Sixers (twice), Knicks, Warriors, and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, along with trips to Utah (No. 1 seed in the West last year), Portland, Los Angeles (Lakers and Clippers), and Phoenix.
— Throw in a Christmas Day roadie with Milwaukee, and Boston might have the toughest stretch of any Atlantic club.
— The Celtics eclipsed this win total in five consecutive seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20, finishing with at least 48 victories each year.
New York Knicks
Projected Win Total: 41.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
2020-21 Record: 41-31 (3rd in Atlantic)
Projected Starters: Julius Randle, Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson
— Give full credit to the Knicks for being aggressive during the offseason, adding former Celtics starters Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to a roster that last season ended an eight-year playoff drought.
— The Knicks were one of the NBA’s best defensive team last season, surrendering a league-low 104.7 ppg while also ranking first in field-goal percentage (44.0%) and 3-point field-goal percentage (33.7%). Also, New York held 24 opponents to less than 100 points.
— The Knicks return their top four scorers from last season (Randle, Barrett, Derrick Rose and Alec Burks), and now have experienced go-to options late in games (Walker) and beyond the arc (Fournier).
— New York shined last season at Madison Square Garden (25-11) and versus Eastern Conference opponents (25-17). This speaks to head coach Tom Thibodeau’ reputation of preferring to go full throttle during the regular season (steady minutes for starters, few load-management games for star players).
— The Knicks went just 2-6 against the Sixers, Nets and Celtics last season.
— In the span of six weeks from Feb. 5-March 13, the Knicks will partake in separate road trips of five games (Los Angeles, Utah, Denver, Golden State, and Portland) and seven games (Philadelphia, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Dallas, Memphis, and Brooklyn). On the plus side, New York only has nine back-to-back outings for the season.
— The Knicks haven’t won as many as 42 games since going 54-28 in 2012-13.
Toronto Raptors
Projected Win Total: 35.5 (Over -120/Under +100)
2020-21 Record: 27-45 (5th in Atlantic)
Projected Starters: Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Khem Birch
— The Raptors deserve a partial free pass for their dreadful 2020-21 season, given how the club didn’t play a single game in its home arena because of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions. Instead, Toronto was forced to relocate to Tampa, Florida, where they went 16-20.
— Toronto endured 17 double-digit defeats last season. The squad also posted seven losing streaks of at least three games, including two lengthy skids of seven and nine consecutive losses. As a result, the Raptors were underwater in conference play (17-25) and divisional action (4-8).
— Toronto’s toughest stretch of 2021-22 coincides with the club’s longest road trip of the season. From March 6-21, the Raptors play six straight on the highway (at Cleveland, San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver and Los Angeles twice), return home to face the Lakers (March 18), then travel to Philadelphia and Chicago (the latter of which now features the guard tandem of Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan).
— From 2015-19, Toronto averaged 56 wins during the regular season, highlighted by capturing the NBA title in the summer of 2019. In fact, prior to last year, the Raptors had won at least 48 games in seven straight seasons.
