NBA betting: One bet to make on each of the awards races
Now that we’re two months into the NBA season, the awards races are heating up. Some are closer than others, but all have plenty of compelling elements for bettors and fans.
Which bets should you consider?
Here are NBA betting experts Andre Snellings and Eric Moody with a wager to make on each of the awards races.
Odds by ESPN BET
Most Valuable Player
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (+1800): Tatum is one of the best values out there, and it doesn’t hurt that he just became the first Celtics player since Larry Bird to record a 40-point triple-double. The Celtics are again looking like legit championship contenders, and Tatum’s firmly in the MVP conversation, even if coming in behind Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo as far as odds go. After finishing in the top six in MVP voting for three straight years, this might finally be the season it happens. — Moody
Rookie of the Year
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (+225): This year’s Rookie of the Year race is wide open, especially with Jared McCain out indefinitely. Castle is a front-runner, averaging the third-most PPG and the most APG among rookies in 26.7 MPG. He’s also a stellar defender. The trends favor Castle as well, with 16 of the last 20 ROY winners being top-five picks; Castle was fourth. In addition, big men have struggled to bring home the hardware in the past two decades, with only four winners in the past 20 seasons. — Moody
Most Improved Player
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (+1000): Cunningham is quietly turning in an All-NBA-caliber season. He is on a career-best pace in almost every statistical category, and he’s been getting better as the season goes along. In his past 18 games, Cunningham has averaged a double-double (24 PPG, 10.8 APG) while adding 7.6 RPG. More importantly, he’s helping the Pistons win. If the season ended today, the Pistons would be in the play-in tournament, a huge leap from their bottom-of-the-league finishes in recent seasons. I would have him as a front-runner for the award, making him a value as a relative long shot at 10-to-1. — Snellings
Defensive Player of the Year
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves (+2500): Victor Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite (-200) to win this award, and for good reason. He has buzz, leads the NBA in blocked shots and has excellent on/off court defensive splits even though his Spurs rank middle of the pack in team defensive rating (15th). With that said, -200 isn’t much juice. Gobert, meanwhile, is the four-time and reigning DPOY, and his odds are so long he fits in the long shot category. After a slow start, his Timberwolves have picked up their defense lately in a big way to move up to fifth in the NBA in team defensive rating. If the Timberwolves can finish this season with the top-ranked defense in the NBA, as they did last season, it would boost Gobert back into contention to potentially win this award for the fifth time. — Snellings
Sixth Man of the Year
Caris LeVert, Cleveland Cavaliers (+6000): LeVert has been one of the best bench players in the league, especially this season with the Cavaliers’ bench ranking in the top five for net rating and points per game. Averaging 12.0 PPG and 4.1 APG, his advanced stats are impressive. He leads all bench players in plus-minus for the 25-4 Cavs, and great bench players on great teams often win this award. LeVert’s a nice value right now, but will likely need the big favorite — Boston’s Payton Pritchard — to miss time in order to have a real chance at winning. — Moody
Coach of the Year
Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets (+550). As long as the Cavaliers hold onto the best record in the NBA, Kenny Atkinson (-130) is likely to remain the favorite to win. If the Celtics catch them, though, Atkinson’s Cavs will still be a great story, but the door will swing open for Udoka to potentially overtake him in this race. Because the Cavaliers, just like Taylor Jenkins’ (+500) Grizzlies, were expected to be good teams that could challenge for a top-four seed in the playoffs if healthy. No such expectations existed for Udoka’s Rockets, who finished last season strong but still fell into the lottery. If they would have improved to the play-in seeds, it would’ve been considered a success, but currently the Rockets are the third seed in the West, a half-game out of the second seed. — Snellings