The 2024-25 NBA season is upon us!

It’s time for our annual tradition of previewing the season, division by division, by asking two very important questions for each team:

What’s the case for the Over?
What’s the case for the Under?

LET’S GET IT.

5. Detroit Pistons — 25.5 wins

Losing has been all too prominent in Mo Town since Blake Griffin’s All-NBA season in 2018-19, but a new coach and new vets look to flip the script.

What’s the Case for the Over?

Monty Williams and his “just here to collect my fat paycheck and go home” vibes are gone and J.B. Bickerstaff and his player development and rebuilding experience are in.

Cade Cunningham is the 23-year-old $224 million leader of the Pistons entering Year 4. He’s increased his scoring and assists every year in the league. The time is now for Cade to prove he’s a franchise player.
Cade will have capable veteran scorers to dish the rock to in Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. Say what you will about Tobias (we sure have on this here blog), but he’s the type of no-nonsense vet necessary for progress in Detroit.
Jalen Duren was a double-double machine last season, averaging 13 and 11 — racking up 44 double-doubles. Cade and Duren are the young inside-outside duo the future here is built on.
Malik Beasley’s 3-point shooting is also here joining the sharp-shooting Simone Fontecchio. The Pistons were bottom 5 in 3-point shooting last season and need the spacing and shot-making.
If and when he’s able to return, Ausar Thompson was a rebounding and PRA menace at the beginning of last season. In the first 14 games of the season, Ausar had at least 7 rebounds in every game (!!) and eight double-digit rebounding games. There is also a lot of buzz surrounding rookie Ron Holland.

At this point, doesn’t it seem like the Pistons are due for an Over? They’ve gone Under in five straight, averaging 19 wins per season over that span.

What’s the Case for the Pistons Under?

The Pistons have gone Under in five straight, averaging 19 wins per season over that span.

They haven’t won more than 23 games since 2018-19. Shoutout Pistons Blake Griffin once more.

And THIS is the season with the prized top draft pick of which Detroit has been shafted for the last few years.
The Pistons have had a bottom-5 offense five years in a row. FIVE. Will this season be any different? Lotta good teams out there.
With Ausar and Duren not having a perimeter shot, spacing in those lineups is severely limited from the jump. Speaking of Ausar, he hasn’t played yet since his blood-clot issue. Not good. At all.
Could there be too many veteran players which will hinder the development of the youngin’s and cause a fire sale and extreme tanking situation at the deadline? Doesn’t seem like a crazy notion.

If they got Cooper Flagg would all those catastrophic losing seasons be worth it?

Final Pistons Prediction: It’s a bit unsettling how many people are on this, but so are we. Over 25.5 wins.

4. Chicago Bulls — 28.5 wins

DeRozan has left the building, but LaVine is still here (for now) and Lonzo is playing basketball again!?

What’s the Case for the Over?

LaVine is going to be out to prove his worth in the trade market. He was lighting preseason up.
Coby White leveled up last season in a big way. White and LaVine can seriously get buckets.
We’ll never forget how good the Bulls looked at the beginning of the 2021-22 season with Lonzo running the show. Just having a ball mover like him will be great for this offense which has been prone to stagnation. It’s great to see him on the court!
Speaking of moving the ball and facilitating, that’s Josh Giddey’s game.
Vooch is still a player that’s going to give you his all until the final whistle.
It’s easy to forget that Patrick Williams is just 23 years old. Progression and development in this league is not always linear.

Some other castaways here that we have always liked. THT and Jalen Smith got some dawg in them.

There’s been some positive hype about rookie Matas Buzelis! A hometown kid born in Chicago. That one could be written in the stars.

What’s the Case for the Bulls Under?

The Bulls upcoming 1st-round pick is top-10 protected, so they are heavily incentivized to not win many games this season.

That actually hasn’t stopped them before, but perhaps they have learned from previous mistakes.
The ceiling defensively for this team is low. Outside of Pat Willy, is there a plus-defender on this roster?
This team is super guard heavy and doesn’t have any true 7-footers.
Being stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity is the worst place to be in today’s NBA. This team seems more lost than ever for it’s true identity and direction.

Really all the evidence you need to see is that one preseason TikTok that the Bulls made.

Final Bulls prediction: The incentive to tank is too drastic to resist. Under 28.5 wins.

3. Indiana Pacers — 46.5 wins

A surprising run all the way to Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers are out to show that last season was no fluke.

What’s the Case for the Over?

The Pacers return all of the key players that led them to an excellent 47-win season.

With Haliburton running the show, this offense is going to be lights out. Again. It’s the crisp ball movement and spacing, vivacious energy and stout 3-point shooting. Unselfish with a bevy of assists.
A full season of Pascal Siakam. That’s going to help them defensively and lighten Haliburton’s load on offense.
People forget that the Pacers didn’t even have Mathurin for the playoff run. Mathurin adds another element of fire to the electricity within.
Myles Turner has carved out a decade in Indiana despite all of those times he was forever on the trading block. Speaking of blocks, he’s a block artist and can space the floor.
Andrew Nembhard blossomed in the playoffs as the Pacers dealt with injuries. Other players who have recently shown up that way? Fred VanVleet and Jalen Brunson.

Aaron Nesmith is vastly underrated and call us crazy, but we like the big-man fit of James Wiseman here.

What’s the Case for the Pacers Under?

Can lightning strike once again in Indiana? The Pacers always seem to always be outperforming preseason expectations.

Defense is the fulcrum here. The Pacers were No. 24 in defensive rating last season and gave up 132+ points 11 times. Their record in those 11 games? 1-10.
Is there now a blueprint on how to beat the Pacers after the playoffs? Eliminate their transition buckets and life is very difficult for them.
Do they have the level of top-end talent that the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers and Cavs have? The answer is no.
Can Obi Toppin shoot 40 percent from 3 again? Thought of as just a power dunker, people probably don’t even realize that Toppin shot out of his mind, a career 32 percent shooter from 3 before last year.

Their style of play with all the running and gunning and running and gunning. It can be exhausting for a full 82-game season.

Pacers Final Prediction: We think they can win the same number of games as last year with a full season of Siakam. Over 46.5 wins.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers — 48.5 wins

Kenny Atkinson waited for the perfect head coaching opportunity to open up — this was the one.

What’s the Case for the Over?

The Cavs have a strong defensive backbone and a new head coach who we believe in.

Donovan Mitchell is capable of being the best player on the court any given night, a star that can score with the best of them. D. Mitch had 21 games last year with 30+ points and the Cavs went 16-5 in those games.
The defense is in very good hands with the Block Brothers, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley,
Darius Garland missed 25 games due to injury, but a lot of them were fluke injuries. Kenny can stagger Garland-Mitchell and Allen-Mobley to always have a scorer/facilitator paired with a rim protecting big man.
Caris LeVert made huge strides last season as a playmaker. Don’t forget that LeVert and Allen were with Kenny in Brooklyn on that fun Nets team all those years ago.
Max Strus had a very subpar shooting season for himself in his first year in Cleveland last year. If Strus can get back to his old shooting numbers when he returns, the Cavs can unlock additional offense and spacing. The same goes (and even more so) if Mobley starts taking and making more 3s.

Cleveland features a plethora of continuity in a league where roster turnover is so prevalent.

If you believe in chemistry and vibes, then you should believe in the 2024-25 Cavs.

What’s the Case for the Cavs Under?

The roster does still have the issue of redundancy that it’s faced since the Donovan Mitchell trade.

Two undersized guards and two bigs who don’t have a track record of an outside shot. (Yet.) Lineup flexibility has become paramount in today’s NBA and the Cavs don’t quite have the options available that some teams do, especially at the end of games.
Offensive spacing as a result is something to keep an eye on here again as well. And the depth on paper doesn’t look as robust as a lot of teams. Max Strus is now out 6 weeks after an ankle injury in a recent practice.
Garland has been trending down ever since the 2021-22 season when he transformed into an All-Star seemingly out of nowhere. The fluke injuries have hindered him, but after so many fluke injuries, you start to wonder.
Speaking of Garland, his shooting numbers at the rim, along with Strus and LeVert, have not been good. Easy baskets are a breath of fresh air and those three are gasping.

Iso-centric systems are much easier to defend in the playoffs and we can’t help but wonder if other teams saw the blueprint on how to beat the Cavs in close games down the stretch.

Final Cavs Prediction: The playoffs might be a different story (again), but we believe in the regular season Cavs. Over 48.5 wins.

1. Milwaukee Bucks — 50.5 wins

Since winning the Finals in 2020-21, the Bucks haven’t found their way.

What’s the Case for the Over?

His name is Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannis puts up insane MVP-level numbers year in and year out. So long as he steps onto the court, the Bucks have a solid chance to win.
The chance is even greater when paired with Dame DOLLA, one of the best offensive weapons in the modern era. Reports have reported that Dame wasn’t 100% last season due to conditioning and the move to Milwaukee took a toll. Perhaps he just needed to settle in.
The People’s Champ, Bobby Portis is the type of player to give everything he has every single night. To bring the fire and intensity and fire everyone up.
The Bucks added some nice pieces in the offseason by way of Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Delon Wright. Veteran role players. Professionals at their craft.

Doc, for all his faults and blown leads in the playoffs, has historically been a good regular season coach.

It will also be nice to not have to deal with any coaching bullshit early in the season.

What’s the Case for the Bucks Under?

Put it mildly: this team is old as shit.

If Giannis misses time, downgrade the Bucks chances to win significantly.
Speaking of healthy, Khris Middleton is coming off of not one but TWO ankle surgeries!? That… doesn’t sound great, Bob.
Defensively, they have Giannis, yes. But any point of attack defense with Dame is going to be at a disadvantage. Brook Lopez is 36!
Has the Eastern Conference passed the Bucks by? The Celtics are the reigning champs, the Knicks have added a ton of talent, the Sixers added Paul George and the Pacers, Cavs and Magic are all bright, young up and coming teams.

If it starts poorly… will Doc be on the hot seat and the coaching merry go round keeps on spinning?

Final Bucks Prediction: It’s a young man’s game. Under 50.5 wins.

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OPENING NIGHT is TUESDAY.

Season Preview Division by Division

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