2024 NBA Skills Challenge Predictions & Picks
NBA All-Star Saturday night will begin with the Kia Skills Challenge shortly after 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT. Similar to past seasons, there are 3 teams in the competition, and they will compete in 3 rounds of different challenges, with each round worth a different number of points.
2024 NBA Skills Challenge Preview
Up first will be a team relay, which will test players’ passing, dribbling, and shooting ability, in addition to their overall athleticism. In the next round, each team will try to complete passes into targets, with each target being worth a different number of points – and players can’t pass to the same target on consecutive attempts. Each of the first two events are worth 100 challenge points.
The most important event of the night is the Team Shooting round, which is worth 200 challenge points. In this round, there will be one basketball, with players taking turns shooting from different areas of the floor. Each area is worth a different number of points.
Below, we take a look at the odds for the Skills Challenge, including analysis for each team and our pick as to who comes away as the winner! If you are looking for a more detailed explanation of the format of the event, check out our Odds & Betting Tips preview for the competition.
Team Top Picks (+140)
- Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Team Top Picks is listed as the odds-on favorite to win this event at every major retail sportsbook, but it’s not exactly clear as to why. Paolo Banchero competed in this competition last year, but his team finished last in the Team Passing round and didn’t have enough shooting to give themselves a chance in the Team Shooting portion of the contest.
This year, Banchero is joined by Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama. Edwards is shooting 38.6% from deep so far this season. Wembanyama is at 32.0% and Banchero is at 36.5%. This group is athletic enough to potentially earn 100 challenge points in the Team Relay leg of this event, but passing and shooting are going to be a tall order against the other well-assembled groups they will be competing against on Saturday.
Team All-Stars (+170)
- Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
- Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
- Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Though there are multiple pathways to winning the Skills Challenge, there is one surefire way to guarantee that a team will have a fighting chance – quality perimeter shooting. Scottie Barnes is shooting only 35.3% from deep so far this season, but Tyrese Maxey at 37.8% and Trae Young at 37.1% provide this group with plenty of shot-making ability, especially considering that Maxey and Young take a high number of tough shots during regular season contests.
We also know that this group is athletic, giving them as good of a chance as any team in the Team Relay round. Young ranks 2nd in the NBA in assists per game this season, with both Maxey and Barnes also ranking in the top 29, giving Team All-Stars a well-rounded skill set heading into the weekend’s competition.
Team Pacers (+210)
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
- Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
- Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Each of the last two seasons, the hometown team has won the Skills Challenge – Team Cavs in 2022 and Team Jazz in 2023. Team Pacers will be led by the uber-talented Tyrese Haliburton, who finished the first half of the regular season as the league-leader in assists per game while shooting 40.0% from 3-point territory.
The larger question for Team Pacers on Saturday will be how well Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner are able to support Haliburton. In 2022, Darius Garland handled the majority of the perimeter shooting responsibilities, with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen working in tandem to move efficiently in the event. Considering that the hometown team has won in consecutive seasons, it is fair to wonder how much team chemistry plays a role in this All-Star event.
Mathurin and Turner are both capable shooters, each at 33.6% or better from long-range so far this season. Passing is definitely not going to be this group’s strong suit, but as long as Team Pacers can make shots in Team Shooting, they will give themselves a fighting chance.
NBA Skills Challenge Prediction & Pick
Each of the 3 teams in the Skills Challenge this year features an immense amount of basketball talent, which makes the question about whom to pick as a winner more about “event fit” than anything else. Considering that the Team Shooting round of this event is weighted more heavily than anything else, it is difficult to pass on Team All-Stars – the team with arguably 2 of the 3 best shooters in Saturday’s competition.
Scottie Barnes should be able to operate as an athletic rebounder and sharp facilitator in Team Shooting, allowing Trae Young and Tyrese Maxey to get off a high volume of shots from the perimeter. Team All-Stars realistically has a chance to sweep the night’s events if everyone performs at a high level. Team chemistry has benefited the “home” team each of the last 2 years, but Team Pacers looks more like a runner up than a champion in 2024.
- PICK: Team All-Stars (+170), FanDuel
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