The 77th NBA season is quickly approaching! The season opens with a doubleheader between the Philadelphia 76ers and defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. Followed up by the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Golden State Warriors where they receive their championship rings. While we await the start of the new season, let’s take a look at some season-long player props to ride out all season!
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Trae Young Points Per Game Over 28.3 (-115)
24-year-old Trae Young is one of the budding young superstars in today’s game. The Hawks had a magical playoff run last year and made some big moves in the off-season hoping to build on that. Adding Dejounte Murray in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs should boost Young’s game. Having another All-star by his side should open up more options for Trae, specifically allowing him to shoot for 3-pointers. Young has also spent the off-season training with Brandon Payne, Stephen Curry’s Personal Performance and Skill Coach. Young averaged 28.4-points in 2021, and in 2019 29.6-points per game. Mixing all of these factors along with the fact Young has one of the best work ethics in the entire world of sports and not relying on Young to provide all of the offense for the Hawks, may allow for more quality shots, and more points per game for young. Grab some MVP (+3500) and smash the over 28.3 PPG.
Lebron James Points Per Game Under 27.9 (-130)
Lebron James is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In 2021 he went over this number for an average of 30.3 points, the second highest scoring average of his career. Impressive for the 37-year-old “King James”, in his 19th NBA season. However, this total is an outlier, looking back before last season Lebron hasn’t averaged more than this total of 27.9 since 2009 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Only five times in those nineteen seasons has Lebron gone over this total. The numbers don’t lie, and the under is a clear choice here.
Nikola Vucevic Rebounds Per Game Over 10.4 (-115)
The former 16th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft has been the subject of some off-season trade rumors. The Chicago Bulls acquired him during the 2020-21 season from the Orlando Magic. The uncertainty and rumors have led to this number being set low. However, the last time the 6’ 10” Center averaged under this number was back in 2017 when he averaged 9.2. His rebound averages from the last few seasons were 11.0 in 2021, 11.6 in 2020, 10.9 in 2019, and 12.0 in 2018. Nikola Vucevic has also averaged over 28.8 minutes per game since his sophomore season in 2012. It doesn’t seem to matter where he is or how his team is performing, Vucevic is reliable and gets it done.
Chris Paul Assists Per Game Under 10.0 (-115)
Chris Paul is one of the greatest ever when it comes to assists. Sitting third on the all-time list with 1,155 in his career, only John Stockton (1,504) and Jason Kidd (1,391) have more regular season assists than Paul does. So this is an auto bet the over right? Well, not so fast. In five of the last six seasons, Paul has only averaged over this number one time. That one time was last year with 10.8 for the 2021 season. In eleven of his eighteen seasons, Paul has gone under this number with a push at exactly 10.0 in 2015. I’m going to side with history and the numbers and say he goes under this for 2022-23.
NBA League Leader in Points Per Game: Ja Morant (+1300)
In 2021 Joel Embiid became the first Center to win the award since Shaquille O’Neal in the 1999-00 season. And the first Center to average 30-points per game (30.6) since Moses Malone in 1981-82. Giannis Antetokounmpo came in second (29.9), and Luka Doncic and Trae Young(28.4) tied to finish out the podium. Ja Morant checked in at 27.4-Points Per Game, only playing in 57 games in the 2021-22 season. Morant, the #2 overall pick for the Memphis Grizzlies has improved his scoring each of his first three years. From 17.8 in 2019, and 19.1 in 2020 to his 27.4 average last year. Ja Morant is on the rise as a future star of this league. In recent weeks, he’s commented that the Grizzlies could have beaten the eventual champion Warriors in the playoffs, had it not been for an injury he sustained early in that series. He’s going to be out to prove that true, and at 13/1 the value here is great.
