NBA fans and hoop heads are trying to determine the best bets for wagering on the 2021-2022 NBA awards as top sportsbooks have begun to release their latest odds for some of the most exciting accolades for the season.
Draymond Green, forward for Golden State Warriors, is leading the way with odds of +120 to take the accolade of the Year’s Top Defensive Player, proving once more that he’s still a premier NBA defender.
Golden State’s defense has played a key role in the team’s overall success this year. Should it carry on in a similar vein, it’ll be challenging to overlook Green’s contribution. As the turn of the year approaches, he ranks top for the NBA’s defensive rating (with a ranking of 98.6) and second for his defensive win shares (with a scale of 2.2).
Always a top candidate to receive this accolade, Green’s impressive defensive IQ pairs with his outstanding ability to take on other bigs and win in 1:1 battles. This season, he is right back in the heart of the action.
Second on the radar is Utah Jazz’s center, Rudy Gobert, who has scooped this award in no less than 3 of the last 4 seasons. Unsurprisingly, he seems to be a favorite once more to add one more DPOY award to the collection he has already accrued.
Gobert continues to cause chaos on the ball’s defensive side, having spent most of the early matches this season leading the way in the DPOY odds before Green overtook him. However, Gobert isn’t too far behind, with odds of +200 on winning the award.
This competition looks like a one-person event, with Tyler Herro – guard for Miami Heat – having started the 2021-2022 season in impressive style. He leads the way with odds of -200, with Kelly Oubre Junior next up with odds of +1100. In third place is Montrezl Harrell, with odds of +2000.
Herro’s average of 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game has looked particularly impressive for Miami Heat. While it’s still early days, he seems as if he could well be taking this award home this season.
Meanwhile, Kelly Oubre Junior, playing for Charlotte, is next after Herro. He has turned up the heat during December with an average of 19.8 points, 1.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. Having always been an excellent 3-point shooter, he has also become exceptionally prolific this season, ranking 5th in the entire NBA with his 99 treys.
In all of the 35 games that Oubre has played for the Charlotte Hornets this season, he has been very reliable, performing at the highest level, but the red-hot start made by Herro has put him in front by quite a margin so far this season. Oubre faces an uphill struggle, but he may be able to close that distance fairly rapidly if he manages to continue playing at this high level.
The favorite in the MIP odds is still Miles Bridges, a small forward for the Charlotte Hornets, with odds of +160. He began this year close to the odds boards top, and he’s proven he belongs over his last few games.
In his 4th year, oddsmakers expected another major jump from Bridges, an alumnus of Michigan State, and he’s certainly delivered. This season, he’s played a larger role and has averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. He’s shown some considerable improvement, and certainly, it hasn’t hurt him to play with top passer LaMelo Ball.
Close behind Bridges is Ja Morant, with odds of +450. He has become quite the star during his 3rd NBA campaign. He scored an average of 19.1 points in his sophomore year and a game average of 24.1 points this season.
He’s also made impressive strides in other key statistical categories, averaging 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. Sadly, his chances to take the Most Improved Player award have been hit due to a recent injury.
Morant and Bridges are ahead of their rivals, but a few other players could be contenders for the award.
Don’t hesitate to check the latest NBA odds at BetZillion and bet responsibly, please!
