Little known fact — the NBA Draft is on Wednesday night. We’re in the middle of NFL and college football season and watching The Masters all weekend, so I feel like this is getting extremely overlooked. Which is fine, but for a hoop head like myself that bets pretty heavy on the NBA Draft most years, it’s time to start diving in. LaMelo Ball has made some major moves in the NBA betting market for the No. 1 overall pick, but as the positional NBA Draft prop bets are becoming more available, there’s plenty to bet on.
I used to cover the Celtics prior to getting into the DFS/sports betting industry, so I’ll be dusting off the old reporter hat over the weekend and reaching out to some sources on different ceiling/floor draft positions for certain players. I probably won’t bet much, if at all, until early next week. However, I am noticing some movement on players in the NBA Draft prop bet market that I agree with. So before the weekend hits, I wanted to touch on a few places you might want to get your money in now. I will definitely have an article on NBA Draft prop bets again next week with more concrete plays.
Using the help of OddsShopper to locate the best plays and prices, let’s analyze some NBA Draft picks.
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Top 2020 NBA Draft Prop Bets, Picks & Predictions
NBA Betting Pick: Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 7.5 (-144)
Some scouts and draft analysts believe Haliburton would’ve been considered the best player in college basketball if he hadn’t broken his wrist last season. Haliburton is a do-it-all point guard with great size for the position. While point guard isn’t a position of need for that many teams, going in the 4-7 range feels extremely likely for Haliburton. Reports indicate teams are falling in love with him, and a lot of teams are looking to trade out of high picks in this draft. The Hawks are the most notable team trying to trade out of No. 6, which could be a spot a team moves to select him. Haliburton’s absolute floor is No. 8 to the Knicks in my mind, which sets the number at 7.5. This is priced at -165 on DraftKings, but it is still up at -144 on FanDuel.
NBA Betting Pick: Tyrese Maxey UNDER 17.5 (-159)
Maxey didn’t shoot all that well at Kentucky, but he fits the NBA game well and should be a riser in this draft. Most reliable mocks have him going 10-18, giving us a good range on a number like 17.5. Out of the three plays I’m writing up today, this is probably the safest one to leave until next week and then bet. This number is being offered on DraftKings, while you can also avoid the juice and be under 16.5 at -110 on FanDuel. The Timberwolves own the 17th pick, so if they don’t trade it and do wind up with LaMelo Ball, it’s unlikely they will take Maxey. I need to do more research here, but I feel Maxey should go in the first 15 picks. It’s just a matter of when and where to back this play.
NBA Betting Pick: Tre Jones OVER 28.5 (-134)
I have seen one mock draft that has Jones somehow going No. 20, but everywhere else we’re looking at a second-rounder. It makes sense — Jones is a savvy point guard with high basketball IQ. In all likelihood, he’s a reliable backup in the NBA. That’s probably not something a team will spend a first-rounder on right now. If we lose this bet, a team would be reaching on Jones in the mid-20s. But Jones is much more likely to slip to the mid 40s, and in all likelihood he will be selected in the 30s. There are a lot of freshman guards that are considered to have higher upsides above Jones and a lot of point guards that should be selected first. One to watch is Nico Mannion, who we can get to go under 34.5 for +135 — a play I have my eye on. Jones over 28.5 is available on DraftKings, while FanDuel is a pick later at 29.5 with the over at -128.
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