The Chicago Bulls managed to win 40 games last season and grab the final spot for the NBA's first official Play-In Tournament. After an interesting offseason and a number of developments within the roster, oddsmakers are predicting that the Bulls will have trouble improving much from their season a year ago. Check out our NBA odds series for our Chicago Bulls Over/Under Win Total prediction.

The Chicago Bulls finished with a record of 40-42 in the 2022-23 NBA season as they managed to grab the tenth and final spot in the Eastern Conference Playoff picture. They faced the Miami Heat, whom they led halfway through the fourth quarter of the elimination game. The Heat managed to outscore Chicago 15-1 in the final three minutes of the game as the Bulls saw their playoff hopes slip through their fingers. Bringing back key members of the roster, the Bulls will hope to rewrite the shortcomings of last season.

Here are the Bulls NBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Chicago Bulls Over/Under Win Total 

Over 37.5 wins: -122

Under 37.5 wins: +100

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Bulls Will Win 38 Games

The Bulls were expected to win 41.5 games last year on the betting lines, which was a downswing from their 46-win total from the year before. They failed to make that mark and as a result, expectations have been set rather low for this team. The bright side is that this Bulls team has a tendency to outweigh their expectations and perform very well at points of the season. For this year, it'll be about maintaining those winning streaks and staying healthy throughout the long season. They'll be returning their leading scorers in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but the hope is that they can mesh their play better and find a more consistent scoring output. While their core is still relatively young, they have many experienced veterans on the team who can steer the ship in the right direction.

The Eastern Conference doesn't seem to be as strong as the West this year and one could make an argument that the Bulls have two of the more talented pure-scorers in the East paired on their roster. This will be a big year for the evolution of Patrick Williams as he'll see time as a starter. He's shown that he can be a force on the defensive end, but an increase in his scoring production could go a long way for this Bulls team. They added WVU's Jevon Carter to the roster to serve behind Alex Caruso at PG and give Coby White an opportunity to run more at shooting guard. As was the case with the past two seasons, the Bulls have a ton of potential on their roster and can hang with playoff-caliber teams if they're playing well. Expect them to hit some lulls this season, but they should be able to at least match last year's total having a full season with practically the same squad.

Why The Bulls Will Not Win 38 Games

At times, the Bulls looked lost last year and had trouble finding sustainable offense. While they can always count on Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan to get their buckets, the offense struggles when they don't have a consistent flow of points and they'll need other players to step up when it comes time to shoot out of a slump. Nikola Vucevic has been a very important player on their team. When he plays well, the offense flows better and they see a huge increase in their assist numbers when Vucevic gets involved. However, the Bulls often struggle when their center can't get anything going, and it often flows over into his defensive efforts. He hasn't been able to be the same focal piece he was in Orlando, but Nikola Vucevic still plays a crucial role in the success of this team.

A huge issue for the Bulls last season was closing out games with the lead. At times, their defense had trouble catching up to teams in the fast break and while they're solid in the half-court, they have trouble getting back on defense after turnovers. The Bulls have the potential to be a gritty team on defense with Alex Caruso on the perimeter and Patrick Williams guarding the wings, but they'll have to make that decision early on and play with that sort of identity. The loss of Lonzo Ball hurts them tremendously as they were expecting him to be healthy in the near future. If this Bulls team can't pride themselves on defense and hustle, they'll struggle to reach their win total.

Final Chicago Bulls Over/Under Win Total Prediction

The Chicago Bulls continue to get dealt a bad hand with the constantly-developing news of Lonzo Ball's health. However, it seems as though Ball and the Bulls are optimistic about the future, and playing for their point guard could be a rallying point for them this season. Again, the Bulls have the talent to win 38 games on the season. However, could it be that they've capped their potential as their win total continues to drop?

I expect the Chicago Bulls to have their rough patches this season, but they're returning virtually the same roster and this team should have built a ton of chemistry in the offseason. We'll see early on what kind of defense this team will pride itself on, but I expect Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams to emerge as key players on this roster with their hustle and determined play. While they're both relatively quiet competitors, Caruso and Williams, among others, have the ability to let their play do the talking and lift their team with their efforts.

For our prediction, let's take the Chicago Bulls to win more than 37.5 games on the season. It seems as though it was a productive offseason in Chicago and the team could gel well ahead of the season. While they may have trouble contending for a playoff spot once again, they should at least be as good as last year's run.

Final Chicago Bulls Over/Under Win Total Prediction: Over 37.5 Wins (-122)