A new October means a brand new NBA season is almost upon us. As always, the off-season has been filled with excitement, drama, and even heartbreak for teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, who after the jubilation of adding second overall pick Chet Holmgren, have seen that excitement curbed just a few months later as injury has him sidelined for the entire upcoming season.
NBA betting tips: 2022-23 season
3pts e.w. Boston Celtics to win the 22-23 NBA Championship at 7/1 (bet365)
2pts Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) to win 22-23 regular season MVP at 13/2 (Betfred)
Like anything else, a new season presents new opportunities. Chances to take advantage of both the good and the bad now make themselves available to bettors and here we will look at some of the season-long bets that present great value.
This season presents itself as having the potential to be one of the most exciting and completive that we have seen in a while.
Our reigning champion and runner-up have both had a turbulent couple of weeks. In Boston, the Celtics have suspended their head coach Ime Udoka for the entirety of the season, while out west, Draymond Green has got himself into hot water with a serious altercation between himself and teammate Jordan Poole, who is becoming a rising star in his own right in the shadow of Steph Curry.
Punishment, if any, is still yet to be handed out to Green but I would be surprised to see any severe suspension.
Celtics get the nod to win it all
We’ll start things off by looking at the Eastern Conference. Keeping their recent issues in mind, I still think the BOSTON CELTICS are the team to beat. It is by no means a one-horse race, but the Celtics keep their core team together, which saw them make it to the Finals last season.
One major addition they made during the summer was bringing in Malcom Brogdon from Indiana, who will fit this team beautifully. He will be a tremendous asset off the bench and the Celtics' front office deserves a lot of praise for making this happen while giving up very little in return.
He will of course join a team that is spearheaded by a dynamic pair of superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Whatever short-term issues the head coaching change may present, it isn't enough to sway me from making the Celtics my pick TO WIN THE TITLE.
The NBA season is a gruelling 82 games, so come the end of the campaign I believe this team will be running like a well-oiled machine and long since adjusted to their change at the helm.
As mentioned though, this is certainly not a one-horse race and there are plenty of teams that can challenge the Celtics for the Eastern Conference place in the NBA Finals. Certainly, the Milwaukee Bucks will be a perennial threat as long as they field a team that consists of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Just 27 years old as we enter the season, Giannis is still getting better and better, which if you are an opposing team around the league, is downright terrifying. He also gets a fully healthy Khris Middleton back, and I expect him and his running mate to pick up right where they left off.
The Philadelphia 76ers also cannot be discounted. They have their own MVP candidate in JOEL EMBIID who I feel is out to make a statement this season after not only losing out on the award last year, but having an early and embarrassing exit from the play-offs once again.
He looks the bet this season to finally win THE MVP AWARD at 13/2.
To complement Embiid, the Sixers have a phenomenal backcourt duo in James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is a budding star, and I would not be surprised if we see him representing Philadelphia in February as an NBA All-Star for the very first time. This team has loads of talent, depth, and a veteran coach in Doc Rivers who should see himself into the Hall Of Fame at some point in the future.
They have all the makings of a serious title contender, and are playing in a city where the fans expect a certain level of play and aren’t shy about letting the team know how they feel. Their early exits in postseasons past should give them the extra incentive of wanting to prove their doubters wrong.
NBA 2023 Championship title odds (via Sky Bet)
- 11/2 - Boston Celtics
- 6/1 - Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers
- 7/1 - Brooklyn Nets
- 15/2 - Milwaukee Bucks
- 10/1 - Phoenix Suns
- 12/1 - Philadelphia 76ers
- 16/1 - Denver Nuggets, LA Lakers, Miami Heat
Odds correct at 1400 (12/10/22)
The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are also equally intriguing and dangerous teams in the east. Miami is an extremely well coached unit that knows how to play together and win games on the back of great defence, toughness, and grit. They aren’t loaded with star power but behind Jimmy Butler, the Heat are always in the postseason mix and have to be considered a threat.
The Nets have had some serious drama in the postseason, with both of their star players, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant seemingly on the way out of Brooklyn on separate occasions this summer. For the moment though, they seem content to play out the season in Brooklyn and if they can mesh well with the now healthy Ben Simmons, they will have to be taken seriously based on their star power alone.
Western Conference is extremely deep
If we turn our attention out west, we see a similar scenario unfolding with what is shaping up to be a very contentious race.
We have the reigning champions in Golden State who are going to always be in the picture so long as Steph Curry is healthy. I expect though that we are still in store for drama as far as the Draymond Green and Jordan Poole situation goes, but if both of these players can mend the relationship with each other, this is once again going to be a very tough team to beat.
Curry and Klay Thompson, who should be much healthier this season, are probably the greatest and most prolific backcourt duo of all time in terms of shooting from long range. Jordan Poole and James Wiseman bring both youth and rapidly improving talent to this team and should continue their development and growth while being great complements to Curry and Thompson - the 'Splash Brothers'.
Steve Kerr is a maestro on the bench and knows how to get the best out of his team, so we have to expect that the Warriors will make another very strong push to win yet another NBA title.
The Los Angeles Lakers' experiment with Russell Westbrook did not pan out, and they were unable to find a buyer for Westbrook over the summer. With that being said, we would be foolish to count out LeBron James when it comes to challenging for a title as he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
At 37 years old, LeBron is seemingly defying the ageing process and continuing to be a dominant force when he steps onto the court. We are unlikely to see LeBron every night, and one of the key components in his longevity has been the management of his minutes and game time. Since joining the Lakers in 2018, LeBron has played in over 56 games just a single time.
They are certainly not going to be the team that wins 70 games, but if the Lakers can get into the postseason with a healthy LeBron and a healthy Anthony Davis, anything can happen. There is not an opposing coach in the league that would be happy to be going up against LeBron in a playoff series.
NBA 2023 regular season MVP odds (via Sky Bet)
- 9/2 - Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
- 11/2 - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
- 7/1 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
- 9/1 - Keven Durant (Brooklyn Nets), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
- 12/1 - Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)
- 14/1 - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
- 20/1 - Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
Odds correct at 1400 (12/10/22)
Denver has to be ecstatic to have their playmaking guard, Jamal Murray back after missing the entirety of last season whilst recovering from a knee injury. The Nuggets are an extremely dangerous team that just need to stay healthy to be a title contender.
Nikola Jokic is the reigning two-time MVP, and enters this season looking to complete the hat-trick and win the award for a third time in a row. Michael Porter Jr is a tremendous talent but has had considerable injury issues in the past. Playing in just nine games last season, Porter will look to join Murray in a much anticipated comeback. If the injuries that have plagued Porter are behind him and are not a chronic ongoing issue, this team is arguably the best in the west.
Perhaps we will see one of the young rising superstars ascend their team to the top of the standings. Luka Doncic of the Mavs and Ja Morant of the Grizzlies are already two of the most talented players in all of the NBA. With both being just 23 years old, the future is bright for these teams as they already have the makings of a title run. Each of their teams won over 50 games last season, and I’d expect they continue to build on that as management for both teams continues to build rosters that play to the strengths of these superstars.
Overall, the west is undoubtedly deeper from top to bottom than the east. The Suns and Clippers have to be considered challengers to the Warriors' throne as well. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard should both be healthy and lead an absolutely loaded Clippers team. From top to bottom, the Clippers might have the most talent in the entire league.
If head coach Tyronn Lue can figure out the best way to utilise the depth and wealth of talent at his disposal, we should expect to see great things out of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns look to pick up right where they left off after winning 64 games last season. Devin Booker is a superstar and his supporting cast remains strong. There are some questions on whether Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder will remain with the team, as both are looking for trades out of Phoenix, but the Suns should remain a strong challenger.
It's set to be an enthralling season full of quality, but in the outrights, the Celtics look the play to win it all, while Embiid has to be backed at a big price to finally clinch a regular-season MVP award.
Posted at 1025 BST on 13/10/22
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