Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
Anthony Davis finished second behind Giannis Antetokounmpo in the voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year last season. And with a new long-term deal from the Los Angeles Lakers in hand, Davis sits second on the odds to win Defensive Player of the Year in the season ahead at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
But it’s not Antetokounmpo that’s ahead of Davis on those betting props at sports betting sites, it’s Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz who sits as the slim +250 betting favorite. Davis is just behind him at +260 odds, with Antetokounmpo third on the chart at +350 odds.
Antetokounmpo picked up 75 first-place votes to win the award last season, earning 432 points overall. Davis received 14 first-place votes and picked up 200 points. Gobert was third with six first-place votes and 187 total points. The only other player with multiple first-place votes for the award was the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo with two; he’s sitting at +900 odds.
Another member of the Lakers sits prominently on the Sixth Man of the Year odds board, with Dennis Schroder second at +400 behind the L.A. Clippers’ Lou Williams at +300. Schroder, acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason, could also end up starting for the Lakers this season.
Schroder was second in voting for the award last season, behind new teammate Montrezl Harrell and just ahead of Williams. Harrell, who the Lakers signed away from the Clippers during the offseason, sits at +1000 odds to win the award.
Elsewhere on the NBA awards odds for the season ahead, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets is the +950 betting favorite to win Most Improved Player, with Steve Nash of the Brooklyn Nets set as +800 chalk to win Coach of the Year. Frank Vogel of the Lakers is tied for second at +1200 on those NBA odds with Erik Spoelstra, Brad Stevens, and Tyronn Lue.
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