With the NBA season rapidly approaching, some may be playing catch up trying to get their preseason future bets down.
The association has been historically dominated by the top of the league. Typically, teams priced inside the Top 5 are the ones contending for a title when the calendar flips to the summer months. This season may be a little different with the shortened schedule, abridged offseason, and the variable that is Covid-19.
While the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to repeat as NBA champions at +270, then there are several teams jockeying for position with three others listed at odds shorter than +1000 (Bucks, Nets, Clippers).
Here are a few title bets that stick out at the current numbers with odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Brooklyn Nets (+600)
Full disclosure: I am on this bet and am a big Brooklyn Net fan. Even so, if you want some analysis as to why Brooklyn is the best number at the top of the oddsboard, keep reading.
The Nets boast the deepest roster in the league with Caris LeVert likely coming off the bench to man what is being referred to as a Manu Ginobili-esque role from new head coach Steve Nash. LeVert was one of the breakout stars of the NBA bubble this past summer, but this handicap comes down to the Nets two star players.
Kevin Durant sat out over 500 days to rehab his torn achilles, but the early returns have been overwhelmingly positive. While his explosiveness may be diminished following a traumatic injury, the forward still has the ability to rise and fire over anyone on the floor and we saw that Friday night against the Celtics in the team’s final preseason game.
Kyrie Irving has gone through his fair share of health issues as well as mood swings, but alongside his best friend Durant, the two can hopefully find zen and keep their performance on the court at its peak.
The Eastern Conference has formidable opponents, namely the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, with the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Toronto Raptors all vying for position as well. However, when right, this Nets team is the most complete roster in the league that may put up some of the best offensive numbers in the history of the sport. At 6/1, these odds seem low. In a likely Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Bucks, the Nets have the depth to outlast Milwaukee and match up nicely with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the starting five.
The Nets are being priced behind Milwaukee because we have not seen the team in action just yet, but Brooklyn has the more talented roster, and this number won’t last very long.
Denver Nuggets (+1600)
The Nuggets made a surprising Western Conference Finals appearance, but if you look deeper into this roster, it shouldn’t be all that surprising.
This roster is loaded with talent top to bottom and centered around its two stars in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The 25-year-old Jokic and 23-year-old Murray announced themselves in the bubble as future stars. In the offseason, the Nuggets added some wing depth in R.J. Hampton, and replaced valuable stretch four Jerami Grant with JaMychal Green.
Denver was without Will Barton for the length of the bubble and had a hobbled Gary Harris for much of the postseason. Those two at full strength will give Denver some necessary wings as the team continues to work on the emerging third star of the team, Michael Porter Jr. His defense is still a work in progress, but the upside for MPJ is through the roof. With a silky stroke and great length, Porter Jr. can be a devastating scorer alongside Jokic and Murray.
If Porter takes the next step, the Nuggets will be a steal at this price.
Philadelphia 76ers (+2200)
There are a lot of ways this Sixer team can go. There is no denying the talent of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons individually. The two have not fit like a glove together just yet with Simmons’ inability to shoot from the perimeter, but also because the two have always been juggling injuries, one of which cost Simmons his postseason in 2020.
Both stars are healthy now, and the organization has re-loaded around them. The team brought in championship winning coach Doc Rivers after his own murky postseason run with the Los Angeles Clippers and signed on former Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey to run the club. Morey instantly upgraded the shooting around Embiid and Simmons by bringing in Seth Curry and Danny Green, as well as drafting guard Tyrese Maxey and deadeye shooter Isaiah Joe.
There is the potential that the Sixers swing a deal centered around Simmons for Morey’s former star guard, James Harden, which would subsequently bring the Sixers’ odds to win the title down towards 12/1, in my opinion.
While the Sixers may get an upgrade in Harden, let’s stick to the current roster. There is no denying the talent. In an Eastern Conference that could give way to another new NBA Finals entrant, the Sixers fit the bill. If Embiid is right, he is the best big man in the league. A two-way force who will be flanked by a potential Defensive Player of the Year in Ben Simmons.
At over 20/1, I’d take a stab on the Sixers if you’re looking further down the odds sheet.