NBA Win Totals For Teams With New Head Coaches

In episode 100 of NBA Gambling Podcast, hosts Ryan McKee and Zach Broner discuss the NBA win totals for the eight teams with new head coaches. While there is still a number of moves that can still happen in the next 20 days before NBA’s 2020/21 season begins, bookmakers have released win totals and that means we can start betting on them! It’s important to keep in mind that this will be a 72 game regular season, rather than the normal 82 games. That will skew how we traditionally analyze win projections.

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New Head Coaches’ NBA Win Totals

Ryan and Zach will preview every team and their projected NBA win totals before the season begins. Since they had to choose somewhere to begin, they figured these influx teams are a good place to start. The Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder all have new head coaches. With those coaches come new systems, strategies, locker room culture, and philosophies. That’s a lot for any team to incorporate in an off-season, especially one as drastically shortened as this current off-season.

Notes For The Podcast

Below is the outline that Ryan prepared for the podcast recording. It provides the projected NBA win totals for each team, along with other factors to consider. It’s not a complete breakdown of all the pertinent information, but it’s a start. Expect a full article previewing all 30 teams in the coming weeks.

Brooklyn Nets

Projected win total: 45.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 52
5th highest total in league: 1 more game than Nuggets, Heat, 76ers

2020 win total: 35
Total games played: 72

Coach
Out: Kenny Atkinson
In: Steve Nash (and Amare Stoudemire, haha)

Player movement
Resigned: Joe Harris and Tyler Johnson
Signed: Jeff Green
Lost: Garrett Temple
Kyrie and KD healthy again

Players they still might move?
Spencer Dinwiddie
Caris LeVert
Jarrett Allen

That number has been currently taken down from some sportsbooks.

New York Knicks

Projected win total: 22.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 25.5
Lowest in league along with Cleveland

2020 win total: 21
Total games played: 66

Coach
Out: David Fizdale
In: Tom Thibodeau

Player movement
Signed: MKG, Austin Rivers, Nerlens Noel, Elfrid Payton, Alec Burks
Drafted: Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley

Chicago Bulls

Projected win total: 29.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 33.5
Tied with Washington Wizards total

Coach
Out: Jim Boylen
In: Billy Donovan

2020 win total: 22
Total games played: 65

Player movement
Resigned: Otto Porter (probably)
Lost: Shaquille Harrison, Kris Dunn
Drafted: Patrick Williams

New Orleans Pelicans

Projected win total: 36.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 41.5
Tied with GS Warriors’ total

Coach
Out: Alvin Gentry
In: Stan Van Gundy

2020 win total: 30
Total games played: 72

Player movement
Traded for: Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams
Lost: Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors
Resigned: Brandon Ingram
Signed: Willy Hernangomez
Drafted: Kira Lewis

Indiana Pacers

Projected NBA win totals: 39.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 44
1 game below Portland, 1 game above Phx

Coach
Out: Nate McMillan
In: Nate Bjorkgren – BEE-ork-gren (comes from Nick Nurse coaching tree)

2020 win total: 45
Total games played: 73

Player movement
Resigned: Justin Holiday, Jakar Sampson
Signed: Kelan Martin
Drafted: Cassius Stanley

Lots of trade rumors around them, but nothing has happened yet.

LA Clippers

Projected NBA win totals: 46.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 53
3rd highest in league, tied with Celtics

Coach
Out: Doc Rivers
In: Tyronn Lue

2020 win total: 49
Total games played: 72

Player movement
Lost: JaMychal Green, Montrezl Harrell, Reggie Jackson, Landry Shamet
Resigned: Marcus Morris, Patrick Patterson
Signed: Serge Ibaka, Ky Bowman
Traded for: Luke Kennard, Justin Patton
Drafted: Daniel Oturu (2nd round)

Philadelphia 76ers

Projected NBA win totals: 44.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 50.5
Tied with Nuggets and Heat

Coach
Out: Brett Brown
In: Doc Rivers

2020 win total: 43
Total games played: 73

Player movement
Drafted: Tyrese Maxey
Traded for: Seth Curry, Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson
Signed: Dwight Howard
Lost: Josh Richardson, Al Horford

Houston Rockets

Projected NBA win totals: 35.5
1 game below Pels and Warriors

Coach
Out: Mike D’Antoni
In: Stephen Silas

2020 win total: 44
Total games played: 72

Player movement
Lost: Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, Robert Covington
Signed: Christian Wood, Boogie Cousins

Feels like a lot up in the air still.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Projected NBA win totals: 23.5
Equivalent in an 82 game season: 27
Second from bottom, tied with Pistons

Coach
Out: Billy Donovan
In: Mark Daigneault (DAYG-nalt)

2020 win total: 44
Total games played: 72

Player movement
Lost: Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Dennis Schroder
Traded for: Al Horford, TJ Leaf, George Hill, Kenrich Williams, Trevor Ariza, Justin Jackson, Ty Jerome, Frank Jackson

Essentially building for future around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort?