NBA Prop Picks for Individual Player Awards in 2022-23. Odds for MVP, DPOY and 6th Man
The 2022-23 NBA season is just a few days away. With that in mind, we’ll look at the players who have the best early odds to win a variety of individual awards with our top NBA season prop picks for 2022-23.
The categories include League MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixth Man of the Year.
Nikola Jokic won the MVP award the previous two seasons. Tim Duncan was the last center to win back in 2003. Last year, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was the top defensive player and Tyler Herro became Sixth Man of the Year.
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Will those trends repeat in 2022-23? Let's look at the early frontrunners for these categories.
NBA Player Prop Picks: MVP
Luka Doncic (+425 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Doncic joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2018-19. Since his arrival, he's proven to be a transcendent talent. Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6 assists per contest his rookie season.
Over his next three seasons, Doncic put together an average 28.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per outing. His emergence didn't yield immediate success. The Mavericks missed the playoffs his rookie year and suffered consecutive first-round exits in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
That narrative changed last season as Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since their 2011 title run. Doncic was nothing short of spectacular in last year’s playoffs, averaging 31.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.
This guy doesn’t shrink on the league’s biggest stage. Based on the numbers, the sky is the limit for Doncic, and he’s only 23. Given that Doncic has the best early odds across multiple venues – FanDuel (+500) and BetMGM (+400) --it's a wise move to bet on him as league MVP.
NBA Player Prop Picks: Defensive Player of the Year
Rudy Gobert (+400 via FanDuel Sportsbook)
Rudy Gobert didn’t make an immediate impact during his first three seasons with the Utah Jazz. However, over the last seven, he's been a double-double machine, compiling averages of at least 13.9 points and 12.7 rebounds per contest. In 2021-22, he posted a rebound career-high, snagging 14.7 boards per outing.
Another noteworthy attribute is Gobert's ability to defend. He's been a top-10 impact player the last two seasons. Furthermore, he’s averaged 2.4 blocks per contest during his nine-year career.
Despite his defensive skills, Utah never advanced past the second playoff round, and because of their recent postseason failure, the Jazz dealt him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for four future first-round picks. Whether he’s worth such a massive haul remains to be seen. But as the league’s top defender in three of the past five seasons, Gobert should be in the conversation again this year.
NBA Player Prop Picks: Sixth Man of the Year
Jordan Poole (+400 via BetMGM)
Jordan Poole joined the Golden State Warriors before the 2019-20 season. After a somewhat quiet year where he averaged 8.8 points per outing, his stock rose. In 2020-21, Poole averaged 12 points per contest. Although he shot 43.2 percent from the field, it was a 10 percent increase from his rookie season field-goal percentage.
In 2021-22, Poole increased his scoring average for the second straight season, averaging a career-best 18.5 points per contest. He also posted career highs in rebounds (3.4), assists (4.0), and three-point shooting (36.4).
Poole got his first taste of postseason action during the Warriors’ fourth title run in eight years. He averaged 17 points per contest on 50.8 shooting from the field and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. As was the case with Doncic and Gobert in their respective categories, Poole is the frontrunner to win this award across multiple sportsbooks. Barring a significant drop-off in production, he has an excellent shot at winning this award.
Where to bet on NBA Player Props
NBA stat prop picks made 10/14/2022 at 1:48 p.m. ET
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