Early 2016 NBA Odds: A Look at the Coming Season

Posted by Alex Murphy on Tuesday,June 23, 2015 11:19, EDT in

On to the next one! That’s what LeBron James’ close friend, rapper and business mogul Jay Z is probably telling his pal after he failed to win the 2015 NBA Championship. Indeed, it’s on to the next one for us here as well, with all the focus turned to the 2016 NBA odds to win the National Championship.

Immediately after the Cavs lost to the Warriors, the oddsmakers released the early NBA odds for the coming season, placing Cleveland as 11/4 favorites to win the 2016 NBA championship, followed by the Warriors at 4/1, the Thunder at 15/2 odds, Spurs at 10/1 and the Clippers at 11/1 to round up the top-5 favorites.

Early 2016 NBA Odds: A Look at the Coming Season

 

 

As per the early odds, does it mean that we will be having a rematch of the 2015 Golden State vs. Cleveland Finals? If not, then who among the remaining 28 teams will be making it to the 2016 NBA Finals?

Well, the Cavs (playing without starters Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in the Finals) had a solid showing in the Finals, so if both players stay healthy in coming season and the Cavs add a couple of role players, they should be able to make a stronger playoff run in 2015. It therefore makes total betting sense that the Cavs are favored, especially because James and the majority of Cleveland’s potential free agents like J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson are expected to sign new deals with the team.

By virtue of having the Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) alongside NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and do-all utility player Draymond Green, and a host of other talents on both sides of the ball, the Warriors figure to be another solid unit in 2015. Plus, if Steve Kerr was able to lead the Warriors to an NBA Championship in his rookie coaching year, he should be able to do more as a second year.

For OKC, we all know the story about Kevin Durant’s injury and the impact it had on their competitiveness. With Durant (the league’s leading point scorer in 2013) expected to be healthy in 2015 alongside Russell Westbrook (the league’s scoring champion in 2014), the Thunder (who have won last four Northwest Division titles and were NBA Finalists in the 2011-12 season) should also be strong enough to make a deep playoff run under new coach Billy Donovan.

It’s hard to know what to expect from the San Antonio Spurs in 2015, as a good number of starters in the team, including Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili could be hitting the free agency market. The Spurs also don’t have a true shooter from beyond the arc, while many teams have been able to contain their once explosive capacity to wreak havoc on-the-paint. So, unless they keep most of their free agents and get new weapons for long-range shooting, it won’t be easy for them to compete in the Wild Wild West, where teams literally live and die based on their sharpshooting skills.

The Clippers arguably had the best starting five in the league, with DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin being particularly terrific. But unlike other top championship contenders like Golden State and Cleveland, the Clippers’ bench wasn’t deep enough to assist the starters. Retaining the free agent services of Jordan and co. will of course be the priority for the team in the offseason, but on top of that, adding more depth will be chiefly for them, if they are to have a solid run in 2015. In fact, as per our projections, an improved Clippers team could topple Golden State in the division and beat all the other Western Conference Playoff teams in the upcoming season to go all the way to the Finals. Be sure to watch the Clippers on their appealing 11/1 odds to win the 2016 NBA Championship.

The rest of the competition in the 2016 NBA odds to win the National title is pretty much evened out, which could offer a lot of value to bettors. Here is how the entire odds currently stand:

• Cleveland Cavaliers 11/4
• Golden State Warriors 4/1
• Oklahoma City Thunder 15/2
• San Antonio Spurs 10/1
• Los Angeles Clippers 11/1
• Chicago Bulls 14/1
• Houston Rockets 16/1
• Atlanta Hawks 25/1
• Memphis Grizzlies 28/1
• Dallas Mavericks 33/1
• Indiana Pacers 33/1
• Los Angeles Lakers 33/1
• Miami Heat 33/1
• New Orleans Pelicans 33/1
• Portland Trail Blazers 40/1
• Toronto Raptors 40/1
• Washington Wizards 40/1
• Boston Celtics 50/1
• Brooklyn Nets 100/1
• Denver Nuggets 100/1
• Detroit Pistons 100/1
• Milwaukee Bucks 100/1
• New York Knicks 100/1
• Phoenix Suns 100/1
• Sacramento Kings 100/1
• Utah Jazz 100/1
• Minnesota Timberwolves 150/1
• Charlotte Hornets 250/1
• Orlando Magic 250/1
• Philadelphia 76ers 250/1

Notably, the 2016 NBA odds to win various divisions have also been released and we will be providing you with a low-down on all that. So don’t forget to check with us in the NFL News and Headlines section for updates on that, and much more.

Sources:
ESPN.com: http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/3449/kevin-love
YahooSports.com: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4612/