Vegas doesn’t seem to have a ton of confidence in this team.
The Atlanta Hawks are coming off a disappointing 36-46 finish in 2023-24 that saw them knocked out as the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. In the days since, they won the NBA Draft Lottery with 3% odds going into it, selected French international Zaccharie Risacher with the top pick, shipped out Dejounte Murray and brought in Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. among others.
Clearly, there’s been a decent bit of roster movement within the team. But also, the state of the Eastern Conference is stronger than it was at the end of last season with the Knicks and Sixers reloading to contend with the Boston Celtics at the top.
Looking forward to next season, the Hawks are hoping to build upon an identity of a bigger, stouter defensive perimeter in addition to reorienting the offense around Trae Young. Young missed 28 games last season, and partially as a result, the offense fell outside the top 10 in offensive rating for the first time since 2019-20.
So, just how many wins can the Hawks rack up next season in what looks like to be a bounce back season? Well, the major oddsmakers aren’t too sure there will be a bounce back, frankly.
The win totals for many of the major betting books have been released for the upcoming season, and well, bearish on the Hawks’ hope is an understatement.
FanDuel Sportsbook projects the over/under for the teams’ wins at 35.5 for the upcoming season. A screenshot for posterity:
Fanduel Sportsbook
BetMGM also posted an identical over/under of 35.5 wins.
DraftKings Sportsbook gives the team a smidge more respect with a line of 36.5 wins.
DraftKings Sportsbook
In all of the major books, the Hawks are projected to be ninth in the East based upon the win projections. Using the BetMGM totals as an example, the Hawks finish in this order in the East:
- Boston Celtics – 58.5
- New York Knicks – 53.5
- Philadelphia 76ers – 52.5
- Milwaukee Bucks – 51.5
- Cleveland Cavaliers – 47.5
- Orlando Magic – 47.5
- Indiana Pacers – 46.5
- Miami Heat – 44.5
- Atlanta Hawks – 35.5
- Toronto Raptors – 30.5
- Charlotte Hornets – 29.5
- Chicago Bulls – 27.5
- Detroit Pistons – 24.5
- Washington Wizards – 22.5
- Brooklyn Nets – 19.5
What say you about these totals? Disrespectful of the talent on this team? Or an accurate representation of where the Hawks will be by April 2025?