Top Warriors Picks, Predictions for 2022-23 NBA Season: Can Poole Take Next Step?
Fresh off a fourth NBA Finals victory in eight seasons, the Golden State Warriors will look to stay on top in 2022. Here are our top picks and predictions for the Warriors and their star core in 2022-23.
There are some interesting team specials available at DraftKings Sportsbook for the 2022-23 NBA season, but most of them seem out of reach and not worth our time. There are multiple props that feature Stephen Curry averaging 28.0 points per game, something he’s done for a full season only twice in his career. He most recently did it in 2020-21 when the Warriors were without Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole hadn’t yet been unleashed as a scoring threat. Golden State missed the playoffs that season.
Draymond Green comes in at +800 in the shortest specials odds to average 7.5+ points, 7.5+ assists, and 7.5+ rebounds, which he’s never done for an entire season. Pass.
Finally, we have Curry to lead the league in points per game and Golden State to win the NBA title at +10000. This one is such a long shot because only five players in NBA history have won the scoring title and the NBA Championship in the same season, and it hasn’t happened since Shaquille O’Neal did it in 1999-2000. It’s tough to give a lot of credence to Curry going bonkers in the scoring department, as the Warriors have such a strong group of scorers who play unselfish basketball. Curry doesn’t need to play hero ball with guys like Andrew Wiggins, Thompson, and Poole able to drop 30 points on any given night.
Here are my picks for the Warriors during the 2022-23 NBA season (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook).
Top 2022-23 Picks for the Warriors
Bets to Make on the Warriors
Wiggins and Poole to each average 20+ PPG (+2500)
As mentioned above, Golden State plays team basketball, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if three or four players averaged at least 20 points per game this season. Wiggins has averaged 19.3 points per game over his eight-year career, averaging at least 20 in four seasons. In the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals, Wiggins posted 18.5 points and 8.1 rebounds, enjoying arguably the best stretch of his career when it mattered most.
Poole’s 18.5 points per game in the regular season were third-best on the team behind only Steph and Klay. While he won’t get the benefit of opening the season as a starter, he should see extra playing time off the bench thanks to Golden State’s offseason losses. It wouldn’t be a stretch for both Poole and Wiggins to average 20 PPG alongside the Splash Bros.
Two more props involve Thompson averaging 22.0 points per game, a mark he’s hit only twice in his career. Klay averaged just over 20 points per game through 32 games last season after two years off, and while it wouldn’t be a reach to envision him hitting just one extra basket per contest, each of the specials involving him also include division winner and NBA Finals winner, making those bets a bit riskier. Wiggins and Poole each scoring 20 per game comes with juicy odds and isn’t dependent on the team’s record or playoff performance.
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Warriors to win Pacific Division (+205)
Check out all the top Pacific Division odds here.
Golden State hasn’t won the Pacific Division in three years after taking it for five straight seasons from 2014-15 through 2018-19. There’s reason to be optimistic, however, and the +205 odds are attractive. We can count the Sacramento Kings out of this one, as they haven’t even made the playoffs in 16 seasons. That leaves the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Warriors.
The Lakers didn’t make the play-in tournament last season, and even if LeBron James and Anthony Davis are fully healthy (big if’s), it will be a stretch to climb back to the top of the division standings.
The Clippers are the favorites to win the division, but the team will likely exercise caution with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who have dealt with a plethora of injuries over the last three seasons. The goal for L.A. should be to make the playoffs with a fully healthy duo intact. Phoenix has won the Pacific Division each of the last two seasons, but after an embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals, there’s plenty of acrimony in the desert, especially with center Deandre Ayton, who doesn’t seem particularly thrilled to still be on the roster after Phoenix matched the Indiana Pacers' offer sheet.
Golden State has the most continuity, the best coaching, a track record of success, and far fewer question marks, making the team a strong bet to win the Pacific Division.
Poole to win Sixth Man of the Year (+450)
After a breakout season, Poole currently sits atop the odds board to win Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged career highs across the board, including points (18.5), assists (4.0), rebounds (3.4), 3-pointers made (2.8), and minutes (30.0) while starting 51 games. Poole benefited from Thompson’s early-season absence, but the youngster was still quite effective off the bench. He averaged 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 triples while shooting 48.0% from the field, 34.1% from 3-point range, and 90.3% from the charity stripe in 25 games as a reserve.
Those numbers should certainly keep him in contention to win the award, especially as Golden State lost key role players Damion Lee, Otto Porter, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson in the offseason. The Warriors’ rotations may be a bit tighter, allowing Poole to see increased run and production.
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