5 Hottest Player Props Picks for the 2024-25 NBA Season
by Lou Aguila | by Tyler Doty
Here Are The Five NBA Players Who Will Dominate in their Respective NBA Player Props Categories
The 2024-25 NBA season is in full blast, as is the action on the betting market. 30 NBA teams kicked off their campaigns three weeks ago, battling through a grueling 82-game regular-season schedule while the remaining 16 teams go through the more brutal postseason for the opportunity to lift the NBA championship trophy in June.
For NBA bettors, there's one thing that pops out of their mind: that's a lot of basketball.
Ever since the NBA adopted the 82-game regular-season schedule during the 1967-1968 season, there have been 1,230 games in a single season, not including the postseason games.
From money lines to spreads to over/under, it seems that there's an endless stream of NBA betting choices available in every major sportsbook in the United States. However, the market that has gained so much popularity in the past few years, especially among the younger demographics, is player props betting.
If you aren't familiar with this betting option, player props betting or proposition betting is a wager where bettors place a bet on a particular event or milestone achieved by a certain player during the match. Unlike the standard betting choices where the bet depends on the outcome of the game, player props bets focus on players' performances, which include the number of points, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals or a combination of two or three stats categories, regardless whether the player's team wins or loses the match.
In this first edition of Sportytrader's NBA Hot Picks for the 2024-25 season, we will try to identify the players who will likely become the NBA player props darlings over the next six months. We will also discuss why these players are surefire blockbusters on the NBA player props market and how you can take advantage of their production on the floor this season.
Buddy Hield
Signed by the Golden State Warriors in the offseason to fill the void left by Klay Thompson, who is now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Buddy Hield is enjoying a spectacular start to his first season with the Dubs. The 6-foot-4 gunner out of Oklahoma has transitioned seamlessly into the Warriors' offensive system, averaging 19.1 points on 50.8 FG%.
What makes Hield a hot pick in the player props category this season is the newfound freedom to shoot the three-ball whatever he likes. Hield is attempting almost 9 three-point shots at 8.6 3PT attempts per game. The good thing is that he has made half of that attempt, shooting a staggering 49.4% from beyond the arc. Playing alongside the best shooter ever, Stephen Curry really opens up a lot of space for Hield to uncork those 3-point bombs at an efficient rate.
Player Props Tips on Hield: Always try to pick Hield at 4+ 3-point shot against teams with weak perimeter defense. We are talking about teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards, who allow 14-15 made threes per game this season.
Cam Thomas
The Brooklyn Nets guard is off to an explosive start, averaging 25.2 points per game on 42.6 points. After spending his first three years as an offensive sparkplug on the Nets bench, Thomas has now carved a role as the team’s primary scorer with the greenest light to shoot at will.
Despite being a bit short at shooting guard, the 6-foot-3 Thomas uses his athleticism, particularly his explosive first set, to get by his defenders for easy buckets or draw fouls to get himself behind the free-throw line, where he’s making 6.1 out of 6.7 shots per game or a jaw-dropping 91 percent free-throw shooting.
Player Props Tips on Cam Thomas: Bet big on Thomas’ scoring 25+ points whenever the Nets face opponents that thrive in a run-and-gun style of play. The Wizards, Raptors, Hawks, Bulls, Jazz, and Pacers are the kind of teams that Thomas would want to play because of their poor defense and the lack of perimeter defenders who can limit his production. Never bet on Thomas scoring more than 20 points against teams like the OKC Thunder, Celtics, Magic, and Rockets, who have excellent wing defenders on their team.
Trae Young
Trae Young has emerged as the assist leader early this season, averaging 11.5 dimes per game. The Hawks All-Star is expected to have a turnaround season after Atlanta traded his backcourt running mate for two seasons, DeJounte Murray, to the New Orleans Pelicans, making him the undisputed No.1 ball handler and shot creator for his team.
In the Hawks’ first 11 games, Young has already recorded 9 games with 10+ assists, including a 16-assist performance against the Chicago Bulls on November 9 and a 15-assist showing against the Washington Wizards on October 30.
Player Props Tips on Trae Young: The Hawks revert back to a run-and-gun style of play this season after slowing down their pace in the past two years. Young will continue to put up 10+ assist games against a team that also likes to speed up the game and engage in a high-scoring contest. Be wary of elite defensive teams like the Celtics, Thunder, Spurs, and Warriors because they can negate Young’s playmaking ability with their swarming defense and terrific 1-on-1 coverage.
Nikola Jokic
After winning his third regular-season MVP, the Joker continues to be a nightmare for NBA teams, putting up monster numbers almost every game. Jokic is averaging 28.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 11.3 assists per game, on pace to become only the third player to average a triple-double in a season after Oscar Robertson and his new teammate Russell Westbrook.
Because of this historic production, it has now become a regular occurrence to see Jokic get a large number of bets at 40+ on combined points, rebounds, and assists. The Serbian is unstoppable, literally and figuratively, and I won’t be surprised if he bags his fourth MVP at the end of the season.
Props Tips on Nikola Jokic: Jokic is a player who can fill in the stats sheet regardless of the opponent. He already has six triple-doubles this season, and it seems only an injury can stop him from joining an elite circle of players who averaged a triple-double in a season. Take your chance at picking Jokic at 40+ player combos on points + rebounds + assists in regular games and 45+ in high-stakes matchups because this player tends to produce even stellar numbers if he plays top competitions.
LeBron James
King James never ceases to amaze as he churns out high-quality stats in his 21st season in the NBA. Father time will have to wait a bit more because James is averaging 23.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game in 35 minutes of play.
Through five games, James has already posted three triple-doubles and five double-doubles. While he’s still capable of scoring big numbers like what he did when he dropped 39 against Memphis on November 6, James is trying to be more of a facilitator this season with Anthony Davis as the No.1 option on the Lakers’ offense.
Player Props Tips on LeBron James: Pick King James at 25+ to 30+ player combos (points and assists). LeBron is still an automatic 20+ point scorer and can dish out 10+ assists whenever needed. LeBron may have underwhelming performances against physical teams like the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Cavaliers, and even Suns, but always count on him to dazzle in high-leverage games.
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