NBA Futures Update: MVP, ROY and 2020 NBA Finals Betting Odds
Here at RotoGrinders, it was a successful All-Star Weekend as far as sports betting goes. We hit a +700 winner on Saturday’s three-point contest, and then Matt Shanahan followed up by crushing what turned into one of the best All-Star Games in recent memory. With NBA action resuming Thursday night, now is as good of a time as any to look at the NBA futures market.
NBA Futures — 2020 NBA Finals Odds
The Clippers (+300) and Lakers (+300) set up to eventually clash for not only the crown of Hollywood but also the Western Conference. So it goes, it is the Milwaukee Bucks (+240) who are favored to win the 2020 NBA Finals. Led by MVP-favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks will have a significantly easier path to the Finals with only two other Eastern Conference teams in the top eight teams on NBA betting boards.
While odds say we’re more likely to see a Los Angeles battle than any other possible Western Conference Finals matchup, it’s certainly not a given. The Western Conference is deep, with the 33-22 Dallas Mavericks in the next-to-last playoff spot. Comparatively, a 33-22 record would be only two games behind the fourth spot in the East. Hell, the Clippers don’t even have the No. 2 seed locked down yet, as the Lakers and Denver Nuggets are currently both ahead of them in the standings.
Though a five-game cushion sits between the Lakers and the Clippers (a four-game cushion between the Lakers and the Nuggets), it was the Clippers who earned a W outside of the standings during the All-Star break.
On Tuesday, two nights before NBA games are scheduled to tip-off the final stretch of the season, the Clippers managed to land Reggie Jackson, buying out the guard’s contract from the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers had hoped to sign Jackson, but his close ties to Paul George already had Jackson’s eyes set on being a Clipper.
It is truly an arms race in Los Angeles, and oddsmakers suggest the race is neck-and-neck when it comes to which of these two teams will represent the Western Conference in the 2020 NBA Finals. But again, don’t count out the Nuggets or the Houston Rockets from tripping one of the two Western Conference hegemons before the Battle of Los Angeles can ensue.
The new-look Rockets (+1700 to win the 2020 NBA Finals) are the most intriguing team in the Western Conference after trading away Clinton Capela. Essentially, Rockets GM Darryl Morey saw that their previous roster was drawing dead against the Lakers and Clippers. It was time for the Rockets to try something new. Now they’re all-in on small ball. Playing with P.J Tucker as the league’s smallest starting center, the Rockets will use the small-ball approach to space the court for former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook while increasing the team’s three-point attempts (Westbrook not included). I can’t say I’m surprised Morey would zig will everyone else zags.
How has the experiment worked out so far? Well, the Rockets are 5-2, with 48.5% of their field goal attempts coming from behind the arc. Rebounding is down but opponents’ turnovers are up.
The Rockets used the All-Star break to finalize their 12-man roster, signing veteran forwards Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll. Will Morey’s bet on small ball pay off and help the Houston capture an NBA title? Probably not. Does it give them their best shot this season? Probably so.
Time to bet on NBA MVP runner-up?
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the verge of wrapping up his second MVP in as many years. With just 28 games left on the Bucks’ schedule, the Greek Freak is the odds-on favorite to win the 2020 NBA MVP Award. He’s as large as a -455 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
If you think Giannis is a lock, your best bet is to sign up at FanDuel Sportsbook and lay -390.
If you think Giannis is a lock, and you want to bet who finishes in second place, well, you can sign up at Pointsbet to do that too. Here are what the current odds look like in this unique NBA futures market:
- LeBron James +120
- Luka Doncic +225
- James Harden +350
- Giannis Antetokounmpo +500
- Anthony Davis +800
- Damian Lillard +1000
- Kawhi Leonard +2000
- Nikola Jokic +4000
- Jimmy Butler +5000
Williamson closing in on Morant for ROY
When Zion Williamson first stepped on the court for his NBA debut, merely four weeks ago, Williamson was +1400 to win the Rookie of the Year. Fast forward a month, Williamson has leaped two of the players that were in front of him and is now +225 to win 2020 Rookie of the Year.
Rookie sensation Ja Morant is still a healthy -455 favorite as the former Murray State point guard leads the Memphis Grizzlies to a prospective playoff birth. He’ll likely stay the favorite, but it is impressive how much ground Williamson has made up in such a short time. Most recently, Williamson posted back-to-back 30-point games (31 & 32 points to be exact) while playing no more than 31 minutes in either contest.
Williamson is a freak. We already knew that. While an MVP awaits him someday, Morant has been too impressive and has had too big of a headstart to give Rookie of the Year to anyone else. The only way that could change is if the Pelicans somehow work their way to the eighth seed in the West, and the Grizzlies fall out. Right now, the Grizzlies have a four-game lead on the Blazers, who sit in ninth, and a 5.5 game lead over the Pelicans.
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Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images