With so many betting options for the NBA season, we asked PressBox’s Stan “The Fan” Charles, Glenn Clark and Luke Jackson and 105.7 The Fan’s Jeremy Conn to share some of their favorite bets for this season.
All numbers are from FanDuel in mid-October.
Stan Charles
Orlando Magic F Paolo Banchero, Rookie Of The Year (+200)
At the risk of being obvious, Duke’s one-year star Paolo Banchero is the favorite at +200 to win the Rookie of the Year award. I still could make a $200 profit for a $100 bet now. I think Banchero has all the tools to be an immediate stud in the NBA. He is an amazing athlete with a killer instinct.
Cleveland Cavaliers Over 47.5 Wins (-110)
Hey, last year the Cavaliers were a pretty entertaining team and finished at 44-38. It’s a long slog of a season to wait on a $110 bet to win $100, but if the addition of Donovan Mitchell isn’t worth four more wins, I don’t know a thing about a thing.
Golden State Warriors C James Wiseman, Most Improved Player (+6500)
Drafted out of Memphis with the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, James Wiseman has had a couple frustrating seasons waiting out significant injuries. He had knee surgery in April 2021, then a corrective surgery in December 2021. As he was preparing to come back for a late-season push last spring, he had a setback in his rehab and was shut down. He played a good bit in the Las Vegas Summer League and hit the ground running during training camp and the preseason. I’ll take a $50 bet that would pay $3,250 on Wiseman to start to fulfill the career the Warriors imagined when they took him No. 2 in 2020.
Glenn Clark
Kings F Keegan Murray, Rookie Of The Year (+460)
The man is a bucket. After leading all power conference players in scoring last season with 23.5 points per game at Iowa, Murray followed it up by leading all rookies in scoring in the Summer League, for which he earned MVP honors. The Kings appear to have the chance to turn the corner this season, and I expect Murray to be a huge reason why.
San Antonio Spurs Under 22.5 Wins (-104)
I know just how hard it is for an NBA team to win fewer than 22.5 games. Only two teams in the league finished below that threshold a season ago. But San Antonio currently has Keldon Johnson and … not much of anything else. They’re in complete and total rebuild mode. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said before the season that “nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win that championship.” Nobody should go to the FanDuel Sportsbook at Live! Casino & Hotel to bet on the Spurs to win … anything.
Jeremy Conn
Brooklyn Nets To Win NBA Championship (+900)
There is too much talent on this team not to take a flier on the Nets at 9-1. I know they have three of the most fragile egos on their team, but I just can’t pass up 9-1 odds.
Atlanta Hawks Over 45.5 Wins (-110)
I love the Hawks’ addition of Dejounte Murray. They now have one of the better backcourts in the NBA. I believe with the talent they have, this is a 50-win team.
Denver Nuggets Over 51.5 Wins (-128)
People forget this was the best team out West when fully healthy last year. The Nuggets made the playoffs on the back of their two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic. Now they get Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back.
New Orleans Pelicans To Make The Playoffs (-205)
Zion Williamson is back and in great shape. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram are also there. This is a very good team that I think gets in again this year.
Luke Jackson
Philadelphia 76ers To Win The Atlantic Divison (+260)
Led by Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, this 76ers team has a chance to not only win the Atlantic Division but earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and if that happens …
Philadelphia 76ers C Joel Embiid, Most Valuable Player (+600)
… Embiid will undoubtedly be the biggest reason why. He finished second in MVP voting in 2021-22, when he averaged 30.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest. Embiid gets over the hump this year.
Indiana Pacers F/C Jalen Smith, Most Improved Player (+8000)
Let’s have a little fun and sprinkle a few dollars on the former Maryland and Mount Saint Joseph star. He averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game with the Pacers last year after being mostly buried on a Suns team in win-now mode. Smith is going to get an extended opportunity in Indiana. Look for him to take advantage.
Photo Credits: NBA Photos, NBA Entertainment, Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE/Getty Images