NBA Player Props 11/1
The first month of the NBA season is already in the books. We had a solid opening month of prop bets, including Wednesday’s dud. Donovan Mitchell was 1 point shy of 25 points, but the game was ultimately a blowout, with Mitchell on cruise control for most of the 2nd half. Then there was Tobias Harris who had a successful revenge game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Any game involving the Sixers will be banned until Joel Embiid and Paul George return. Luckily, Gradey Dick was electric and soared past his over, bringing our record to 1-2 on the night. Now let’s rebound and regroup to find the three best props to kick-start the weekend.
DeMar DeRozan 20+ Points (-195)
DeMar DeRozan is 35 years old, but he still has a lot left in the tank, which has been on display in the early part of the season. The Sacramento Kings brought in the veteran to help push them to the next level and he is already delivering. DeRozan is averaging 23 PPG on 53% shooting. The mid-range excellence is still prevalent, and he gets to face an Atlanta Hawks defense that simply does not click.
The Hawks right now are ranked in the bottom three in terms of allowed PPG and defensive rating. They also allowed the 5th-most PPG to small forwards this season. DeRozan might not be the focal point of the offense due to De’Aaron Fox holding that title. However, DeRozan has hit this point total in every game thus far.
He is still a big-time contributor and will be for the foreseeable future. The scoring prowess is still present and facing a team like the Hawks gives me every reason why to take this line.
Dennis Schroder 25+ Points + Assists (-175)
Before the season began, the Brooklyn Nets were one of the predicted worst teams in basketball. They traded away Mikal Bridges and, to most, had an odd group of players on the roster. No one knew exactly how this roster would gel. Most media members cast them to the side with no real intention of watching them play. Now, through five games, the Nets have some spark due to Dennis Schroder’s coming-out party.
When you look at Dennis Schroder’s stats for this season, you might be thinking this is him playing for Germany. He is on a tear at the moment, averaging 24.6 PPG and 8.2 APG, while shooting 54.7%. Schroder has been decisive and efficient for a team that is lacking talent.
The Nets face another squad that is playing better than what people expected and that is the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are 3-2 and playing a lot differently than in years past. They own the fastest pace in basketball, which is a far cry from last season when they had the 3rd-slowest pace. Schroder loves running up-and-down on the court dishing to open shooters and getting to the rim.
Schroder has hit this line in four straight games and has done it with his points alone in the last three. I want to ride the hot hand and see if Schroder really is on the verge of a big breakout season.
Nikola Jokic 8+ Assists (-180)
The Denver Nuggets are 2-2, but watching them play is a lot more concerning. Their bench is the worst in the league and they cannot shoot threes in a modern NBA where threes reign supreme. They are even more reliant on Nikola Jokic than ever. He is needed to score more than usual, but his passing is still a focal point of the offense.
Jokic faces the team that took his Nuggets out of the playoffs last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves use an intriguing strategy that other teams use as well. They put their power forward on Jokic and let their rim protector help. In the Playoffs, they used Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid to guard Jokic and let Rudy Gobert roam the paint. Reid will be used once again, but KAT is gone and replaced with Julius Randle. Even with Randle being smaller than KAT, I think the Wolves still use this strategy for most of the game.
That defensive strategy usually leads to Aaron Gordon being open in the dunker spot or an open three-point shooter. This should lead to Jokic racking up the assists tonight. I want to play it safe and go for 8+ assists, which he has hit in 2 of his 4 games. He is going to have to score for his team to compete, but I think the Wolves are going to force him to pass to a team that is struggling to score outside of Jokic.
Noel is from Philadelphia, PA. He went to West Chester University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications in Media & Culture.
