Raptors Gambling Roundup For 2020-21 Season
With the NBA opener just hours away there's no better time to look at some gambling odds for the Toronto Raptors this season.
I'll note that I am not a gambler and have not put any money on any of the Raptors bets below. But the trick to being a good gambler — so I've been told — is to find the best deals available. For example, let's say you want to bet on OG Anunoby to win the Most Improved Player award this season. Right now you can find that bet on Oddschecker anywhere from 25-to-1 all the way to 55-to-1 on different sportsbooks. At 25-to-1, Anunoby has an implied probability of about 3.8% of winning the award. If you can get that same bet at 55-to-1, you're dropping that implied probability all the way to 1.8%. So instead of perusing one sportsbook looking for the best bet, a much better strategy is to find the best deal between different sportsbooks. If you see a big difference between two books, there's probably a good deal to be had.
Anyways, here are some Raptors bets for this season and the likelihood of them happening. All the odds come from Oddschecker.
Coach of the Year: Nick Nurse
The NBA's reigning coach of the year, Nick Nurse, has the 18th best odds of winning this year's coach of the year. He can be found at 33-to-1 to repeat this season, the same as his former assistant Indiana Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren. Considering only one coach has won back-to-back Coach of the Year awards since the award's inception in 1963, I don't think Nurse will be taking that title away from Hubbie Brown this year.
Verdict: Highly unlikely.
Most Valuable Player: Kyle Lowry/Pascal Siakam
The Raptors have a few players listed for the NBA's Most Valuable player this year including Kyle Lowry at 150-to-1, Pascal Siakam at 190-to-1, and Fred VanVleet at 250-to-1. It would take a monumental jump from any of these players to take home the NBA's top award and as the odds suggest, it's extremely unlikely to happen.
Verdict: Highly unlikely
Defensive Player of the Year: Pascal Siakam/Kyle Lowry/OG Anunoby
The Raptors will undoubtedly have one of the NBA's best defences this season, but that strong team defence will make it hard for any one player to take home the league's top defensive prize. Pascal Siakam has the best odds of winning the award 60-to-1, he's followed by Kyle Lowry at 80-to-1, and OG Anunoby at 150-to-1. While I don't expect any Raptors player to win the award, it's a little surprising that Anunoby has the lowest odds of the trio.
Verdict: Highly Unlikely
NBA Championship: Toronto Raptors
As a team, the Raptors appear to be taking a bit of a step back this season. I have little doubt they'll defy expectations again this year, but even at 30-to-1 to win the NBA Championship, the Raptors don't really seem like a true title contender this season. If you think the Raptors are truly in the hunt for James Harden — which I don't — that could change, but unless the Raptors bring in a superstar level player they appear to be longshots to win it all.
Verdict: Unlikely
Rookie of the Year: Malachi Flynn
Raptors rookie Malachi Flynn was certainly among the most impressive rookies in the preseason. He averaged 10.3 points and four assists in his three preseason games and certainly caught the attention of Nurse. Despite his impressive preseason, his 6-to-1 odds of winning the award seem a little high considering he was only the 29th overall pick in the draft, and the Raptors have two starting point guards ahead of him.
Verdict: Unlikely
Sixth Man of the Year: Norman Powell
Norman Powell enters the season with the 11th best odds of winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. He can be found at 16-to-1 to win it this season, slightly behind former Raptors big Serge Ibaka who can be bought at 10-to-1. Powell will certainly be in the hunt for the award after an impressive 2019-20 campaign in which he averaged 16 points per game. The problem for Powell is he might see too much time in the start rotation this season if someone gets injured. If he does qualify though, he could certainly take home some hardware this year.
Verdict: Plausible
Most Improved Player: OG Anunoby/Chris Boucher
No Raptors player is better positioned for a breakout season than OG Anunoby. If things go as planned, the 23-year-old Anunoby should be in the conversation for the league's Most Improved Player. It's why his 55-to-1 odds of winning the award seem a little surprising. Considering some sportsbooks have him at 25-to-1, nabbing him at 55-to-1 on FanDuel seems like a pretty good deal. You can also find Chris Boucher at 50-to-1, but considering he's not slotted for a starting spot this year, it's hard to see Boucher earning the award.
Verdict: Plausible
