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NBA Skills Challenge Picks: Randle Will Handle
AJ Salah
Chris Paul's game is custom-built for the NBA Skills Challenge, and he enters as a +250 odds co-favorite despite not competing since 2011.
The NBA Skills Challenge has taken a more diverse approach in recent years, pitting players of all shapes and sizes against each other in celebration of basketball’s continuing evolution towards position-less, uniform skill.
This year’s field is no different, with two guards, two forwards, a center, and a swingman all vying for the crown. We can also enjoy a cleaner competition, after blatant cheater Trae Young was shut out of the festivities (in his own city, no less).
So, who represents the greatest value here? Let’s break down the field with our NBA Skills Challenge picks.
NBA Skills Challenge participants
Luka Doncic (+250)
Volume stats are generally of very little importance in this contest, but Luka is, statistically, arguably the NBA’s most well-rounded player. He can pass, score and weave through defenses with the best of them.
Doncic previously entered this contest as a rookie in 2019, eliminated by aforementioned rule-cheeser Young in the semis. While he’s not the quickest up and down the court, none of the players in this year’s field are speed demons, and Luka has the skill set to rightfully be considered a co-favorite.
Chris Paul (+250)
CP3 is back in the Skills Challenge for the first time since 2011, an anomalous absence since he’s fundamentally the most skilled point guard of his generation. Paul can ace every aspect of the obstacle course and is the steadiest hand of any competitor.
Consistency is the name of the game with Paul. If you’re a casual NBA fan and want the safest bet, this is it. If you’re acquainted with CP3’s career, you need no further explanation.
Julius Randle (+500)
Randle has been one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this year, doing it all on offense for a Knicks squad that’s shockingly one game out of home court in the East playoff bracket.
He can get up and down the court quicker than people realize, has become a far more accurate playmaker, and is draining almost 41 percent of his threes on a career-high 4.6 attempts. The recent trend in this contest has swayed to bigs, with just one guard winning in the past five years, and Randle’s not a terrible choice at this price.
Domantas Sabonis (+500)
Sabonis may be a sleeper pick for lots of folks, given that he’s an uber-skilled big who finished runner-up to Bam Adebayo in last year’s iteration.
But Sabonis is the worst shooter in this field, a huge handicap in what can often become the “Who Can Hit the Last Three First?” Challenge. Most NBA players can hit an open transition three in a vacuum, but the odds of Sabonis besting last year’s performance aren’t amazing.
Nikola Vucevic (+500)
Vucevic could also be considered a trendy pick, given that a center has won this contest three of the past five years. He’s also having the most accurate shooting season of the contestants, nailing threes at a .412 clip.
But his 2019 Skills Challenge performance laid bare some leaks. Vooch was sluggish, openly jogging the court lengths, taking an opening-round L to Nikola Jokic on a rookie Bump/Knockout mistake - pausing to let his opponent shoot in rhythm.
Robert Covington (+600)
The NBA is honoring Historically Black Colleges and Universities at All-Star Weekend, giving Covington, the league’s lone HBCU alum, a nod to compete in the Skills Challenge.
While Covington has many niche NBA skills, they don’t translate entirely well to this format. He handles the ball by far the least of the competitors, isn’t known as a dead-eye passer, and shoots the vast majority of his threes off the catch as opposed to dribbling.
NBA Skills Challenge winner pick
Julius Randle (+500)
As mentioned, Paul is the safest bet, but Randle’s price here is fairly appealing. On paper, he's the best-suited of the big men for the Skills Challenge layout, and could have bonus motivation to add some extra bragging rights to his All-Star debut.
Randle is few things if not relentless, and we expect him to fully compete in a contest that Paul and Doncic – both likely headed for All-NBA teams - may not care as much about. Julius would definitely be an upset winner given his opponents’ pedigrees, but the price is right, and this NBA season’s been all about surprises. -
NBA 3-Point Contest Picks: Curry Hot Enough?
AJ Salah
Stephen Curry is very arguably still the best shooter alive, has been on fire for most of this season, and comes into the 3-Point Contest as the odds favorite (+150).
As the NBA hits its midseason break in this turbulent campaign, the players that need rest the most won’t be getting it, as the league stuffs a probably-unnecessary NBA All-Star Weekend into its schedule to help clot hemorrhaging revenues.
But while questions may exist about the morality of forcing players to participate in this climate, the All-Star festivities offer up some of the year’s most fun opportunities for prop betting.
A highlight is the 3-Point Contest, a thrilling showdown of the league’s best at an increasingly-relevant skill. We’re previewing the field with our NBA 3-Point Contest picks.
NBA 3-Point Contest participants
Stephen Curry (+150)
A big part of the 3-Point Contest is catching a rhythm, and few humans have ever been able to get as hot from long range as the past champ in this year’s field – Stephen Curry.
Curry leads the NBA in threes made this season by a mile, hitting 4.8 per game at a 41 percent clip. He can get into a rhythm in a heartbeat, is automatic from everywhere except the left corner, and has one of the quickest releases of any shooter in history. The additional “MTN DEW Zones” are definitely an edge for him, and he could win this in his sleep.
Donovan Mitchell (+450)
Mitchell is one of two players that can mint himself as a dual-champ of All-Star Weekend’s marquee events. But it’s going to be slightly tougher on him than Zach LaVine (more on that in a moment). Mitchell is, by reputation, arguably the worst shooter in this field, and a curious choice, now at a better price than LaVine.
His .382 3-point percentage this year is a career-high, but, for perspective, ranks him sixth among Jazz rotation players. While he’s certainly known as a gutsy triggerman, Mitchell’s relatively slow release may be a detractor in the NBA’s version of pop-a-shot.
Zach LaVine (+500)
LaVine has slowly morphed from one of the league’s best young athletes to one of its best pure scorers. With a victory here, he, like Mitchell, would become the first player ever to win both the 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. And we don’t see why he can’t.
Only Curry hits more threes per game in this year’s field, and none of the participants nail them more accurately than LaVine’s 43.5 percent. While LaVine often has to create his own shot in Chicago’s offense, he hits an obscene 48.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes per nba.com, and will certainly be among the biggest threats from the deeper racks.
Mike Conley (+500)
Conley will now double-dip on Sunday, replacing the injured Devin Booker both in the 3-Point Contest and the All-Star Game, the latter of which will end the deserving Conley's drought as arguably the best non-All-Star in league history.
Conley's shooting a career-high 42.2 percent from long range this season, canning 2.8 of them per game. While he's definitely most comfortable pulling up off one or two dribbles, most of his attempts are face-up open looks. Both that and his pure, quick release lend themselves well to the 3-Point Contest, and while he's certainly not much of a "heat check" shooter, could surprise some folks at this price.
Jaylen Brown (+700)
While Brown is one of the NBA’s most consistent 3-and-D swingmen, his resume hardly stands out amidst this tough field. A career .373 shooter from distance, he attempts just 5.9 threes per game, fewer than any participant this year.
Brown isn’t necessarily known for his range far beyond the line and might have the slowest release of any player in this year’s field, two inherent disadvantages for a guy whose ceiling to go nuclear may also be the lowest here. To use a terrible pun, call him a long-shot.
Jayson Tatum (+700)
Tatum joins his Celts teammate at the bottom of the odds board, and likewise doesn’t profile as an awesome pick in this contest. For starters, he’s shooting a career-worst .363 from long range this season and has been sorely lacking for consistency.
He’s definitely more comfortable shooting off the dribble, and the extra-deep racks won’t cater to him like they will Curry and LaVine. But if you’re tempted to fire on an underdog, keep in mind that Tatum was responsible for this viral display.
NBA 3-Point Contest winner
Zach LaVine (+500)
While Curry’s prototypically the best candidate to win, LaVine’s value at +500 is more appealing. LaVine’s very much a rhythm player who has some great credentials for this contest. Curry shoots faster and is more proficient from super-deep, but we don’t feel as though he’s more than twice as likely to win this as Flight 8.
Factor in LaVine’s added incentive to become the first Slam Dunk/3-Point double-champ, and he’ll want this more than Curry, for whatever that’s worth. Already one of history’s most decorated players, we’ll be surprised to see the better effort from Steph, who’s been keeping his team afloat all season and needs the break the NBA’s not giving him.Comment
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NBA Slam Dunk Contest Picks: Allow Me To Introduce Myself
Alistair Corp
Cassius Stanley is perhaps best known for breaking Zion Williamson's vertical leap record at Duke, but on Sunday, he could become known as a Slam Dunk Contest champion.
Though All-Star Saturday night has been scrapped this year, we'll still get the annual Dunk Contest at halftime of the main event between Team Durant and Team LeBron. Even with an altered format, NBA All-Star Weekend picks are still coming in hot and we have you covered on a variety of prop bets.
Here, we'll cover three highflyers with our NBA Slam Dunk Contest picks.
Dunk Contest participants
Cassius Stanley (+100)
The latest in a line of dunk contest participants who are seemingly preordained for the event, à la 2020 champion Derrick Jones Jr., Cassius Stanley enters Sunday night as an unknown. Stanley is perhaps best known for breaking Zion Williamson's vertical leap record while at Duke, which should tell you all you need to know about his athleticism. Though he has played just 23 minutes in his NBA career, the Pacers' Stanley looks primed to be the headliner to Sunday night's dunk contest.
Anfernee Simons (+225)
The smallest of the three participants, Portland's Anfernee Simons can get up with the best of them despite standing just 6-foot-3. Though Simons has been unable to string together consistency during his short NBA career, he has flashed elite athleticism. We're always going to see some creativity, and maybe even props, during the Dunk Contest. Simons could be the one to come up with the most original dunk on Sunday and should provide some great entertainment.
Obi Toppin (+250)
Knicks rookie Obi Toppin entered the league with a reputation for monster dunks from his time at Dayton, and now that will be put to the test on All-Star Sunday. The Naismith Award winner a year ago as the top college player, he has long been expected to participate in the Dunk Contest. A 6-foot-9 forward, Toppin is likely to be the only participant throwing down power dunks against two smaller, freaky-explosive athletes. Toppin is no slouch himself, however, and should wow viewers with his reputation preceding him.
NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner
The Pacers' Cassius Stanley is in the sweet spot for dunk contest size, at 6-foot-5, has broken Zion's max vertical jump, reached a 44" vertical at the NBA combine, and has shown off his absurd dunking ability time and time again. Just like Derrick "Airplane Mode" Jones Jr. introduced himself to the NBA as a relatively anonymous G-Leaguer in the 2017 dunk contest, before winning it last year, Stanley will become a much more well-known name after Sunday.Comment
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Atlanta natives to ref NBA All-Star Game
The only instances of NBA referees Tom Washington, Tony Brown and Courtney Kirkland all officiating together are some offseason pro-am games in Atlanta, the city they all call home.
That will change Sunday.
The trio was chosen as the officiating crew for this year's All-Star Game, and those selections are significant for a number of reasons - including that they get to represent Atlanta and that all three are graduates of historically Black institutions, a primary focus of this game from a charitable and exposure standpoint.
''I'll tell you right now, one of the things is significant for me is that I'm working with Tom and I'm working with Tony. We could stop right there if we had to,'' Kirkland said. ''The HBCU thing, that's awesome. But having the opportunity to work with two guys that are really close with me, it's just an honor to work with them.''
They have a combined 70 seasons of experience, a neat coincidence given that this is the 70th All-Star Game. Washington is working the game for the third time, Brown for the second time and Kirkland also for the second time. Kirkland becomes the first ref to work back-to-back All-Star Games since Jack Madden in 1993 and 1994.
Washington is a graduate of Norfolk State, Kirkland a graduate of Southern and Brown a graduate of Clark Atlanta. They fully understand the significance of this game and what the NBA shining the spotlight on HBCUs may wind up meaning for those institutions.
''I think that exposure from this game is going to be fantastic because we're going to actually enlighten people on another subset of our educational process here,'' Washington said. ''I'd like to see them exist on the same level as Ivy League schools, as Big Ten schools. And I also think that the fact that they're doing that and the fact that us three are going to be out there representing them should be empowering and encouraging to the young people behind us. There is quality education being provided by HBCUs.''
Even though this All-Star Game will differ from all others - the arena will be largely empty because of the pandemic - Brown said it's still an honor to be selected.
''The most important part about this entire game, for us, is that we are representing the NBA officials and we have to do an outstanding job for them,'' Brown said. ''Every night that we go on that floor we are representing each other. And that's the greatest accolade and accomplishment that we can ever have, doing our job.''Comment
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