Chicago Bulls futures predictions: any value in the in-season win total?

Even though we’re already a few games past the midway point of the season, we can still make a Chicago Bulls’ futures prediction.

At 20-24, the Bulls are clinging to the 10th and final playoff play-in spot. Chicago has just a half-game lead over Toronto, while Washington (19-26) trails by 1.5 games as the 12th seed.

However, this might not be much of a race down the stretch if Toronto and Washington shed some key players before the trade deadline on Feb. 9.

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As a result, oddsmakers have little incentive to put up live odds on which teams will make the playoff play-in tournament.

Instead, we can explore whether the Bulls will surpass their in-season win total of 38.5 games.

Before we dive into Chicago’s in-season win total, I went on record with the following Bulls futures:

• Chicago to finish ninth in the conference (+450) / Chicago to finish 10th in the conference (+500)
• Zach LaVine to average 24+ points (-180)

The apparent observation is that one of the tickets for where they finish in the conference will be a loss because the Bulls can’t be both the ninth and 10th seed.

However, we’re in pretty good shape, given the current standings.

I still think the Bulls are unlikely to advance past the play-in tournament because I’ve yet to upgrade them to one of the top eight teams in the conference.

Thus, based on those picks, it’s pretty clear that I was somewhat pessimistic about Chicago’s playoff prospects this season.

Not having Lonzo Ball available was a massive blow for this Bulls team.

The former lottery pick has yet to return to action following a second arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in less than a year.

There is no timetable for Ball’s return, and he may miss the entire season. With his status still unclear, Chicago needs other players to continue to step up.

Nonetheless, what’s been impressive about Chicago thus far is its ability to beat the top-tier teams in the conference. Against the top four teams (Celtics, Bucks, 76ers and Nets) in the Eastern Conference, Chicago has a 7-3 record in 10 games.

After an 11-18 start, Chicago is 9-6 in its past 15 games.

According to tankathon.com, the Bulls are tied for the softest remaining schedule, as their opponents have a combined winning percentage of .476.

And although TeamRankings lists the Bulls as the eighth-unluckiest team in the league, I think we could see their fortunes start to turn.

Given Chicago’s recent form, it’ll only need to play .500 basketball the rest of the way to go over this win total of 38.5 games.

And with FanDuel offering at -110, we don’t have to worry about having to lay a heavy price in terms of the juice.