Early 2021 March Madness Betting Predictions
Read this articleNBA Player Props Picks 2021

As the NBA season heats up, it has never been a better time to bet on NBA props, including NBA MVP and the 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year. Find our picks here!
Even without any, or some fans in a few cities (we will never forget Courtside Karen), this is turning into a great NBA season. At this point, we are starting to see the season unfold, and it is the perfect time to make NBA prop bets on the 2021 season with some gusto. You can find our favourite NBA Player Prop picks with the best odds below!
NBA MVP 2021 Pick
Player Odds | ![]() |
---|---|
Lebron James | 4.00 |
Nikola Jokic | 6.00 |
Joel Embiid | 6.50 |
Luka Doncic | 7.00 |
Kevin Durant | 7.50 |
*Odds on more players available
At the start of the 2020-21 NBA Season, Luka Doncic was the top bet to win the 2021 NBA MVP. However, his team – the Dallas Mavericks – are underperforming, and Luka’s poor shooting (29% from three) have moved him out of the top contender spot. The top picks now for MVP are LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid.
Before the season, some pundits thought James might take it easy to start the season – due to the shortened offseason. However, James is doing no such thing. James is having an unbelievable season – hitting a career-high 40.9% of his threes on a career-high 6.8 attempts. He is averaging 25.0-7.7-7.5 through 22 games and has the Lakers sitting at or near the first place and as the favourites to repeat this season.
Joel Embiid’s play this season has moved him up the NBA MVP odds and have the Philadelphia 76ers sitting in the first place 22 games into the season. Embiid is averaging a career-best in points at 28.6 per game, three-point percentage at 42.3%, and steals at 1.2 per point. Embiid has played 17 of 22 games this season. The 76ers are 15-2 with him and 1-4 without him.
While those guys have both played great, our choice for league MVP is Nikola Jokic. Jokic – in his sixth-season – is possibly the greatest passing big of all-time. Jokic is averaging 8.6 assists per game – which ranks fourth in the NBA. He is also shooting lights out with a .384/.574/.836 slash line. After a sluggish start to the NBA season, the Denver Nuggets are back into a top-four spot in the Western Conference – with Jokic play the central part of their rise up the standings.
It is a competitive race for the MVP this year, but about a third into the season, what Jokic is doing is the most impressive and worthy of NBA MVP. As long as they finish in the top three or four in the West, Jokic is the best choice to win MVP.
Pick: Nikola Jokic (6.50) to Win NBA
NBA Rookie of the Year Award Pick
Player Odds | ![]() |
---|---|
LaMelo Ball | 1.74 |
Tyrese Haliburton | 4.50 |
Immanuel Quickley | 7.00 |
James Wiseman | 8.50 |
Anthony Edwards | 15.00 |
*Odds on more players available
A third into the NBA season, the battle for Rookie of the Year is shaping up to be a two-horse race between LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton. While Ball is putting up the box score numbers that attract the eyes of casual fans and some voters, Haliburton has been the better player on the better team.
Ball leads rookies in assists per game (6.0) and ranks second in points (12.7) and rebound (5.9) per game – but his shooting is inefficient at best, with a slash line of .320/.428/.793.
Haliburton is not far behind Ball in points (11.2) and assists (5.4) per game while shooting the ball much more effectively at .423/.471/.833. Haliburton is helping his team stay in the mix in a super competitive Western Conference. Haliburton also looks like his ceiling this season is potentially higher this season. He just dropped a career-high 21 points in a win against the Celtics (on Feb 3).
If you bet on Haliburton now, you are getting great value – so get on it as soon as possible – as we expect his odds to win Rookie of the Year will quickly offer less value.
Pick: Tyrese Haliburton (4.50) to Win NBA Rookie of the Year
Bradley Beal Next Team Prediction
Team Odds | ![]() |
---|---|
New Orleans Pelicans | 3.50 |
Denver Nuggets | 4.00 |
Golden State Warriors | 4.50 |
Dallas Mavericks | 5.00 |
Atlanta Hawks | 7.00 |
*Odds on more teams available
Although their bonkers win – down five with 12 seconds left – against the Brooklyn Nets silenced trade rumours briefly, a Bradley Beal trade seems likely in the next five-six weeks. Beal is an outstanding player and will command a steep price since he is under contract until 2023.
Only a contender will make an offer on Beal, which rules out a few teams. Teams also need to have the capital and players to make the deal happen – which rules out a few teams as well.
The top prop bet to land Beal is the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets have the perfect young player – Michael Porter Jr. – to package with a bunch of picks and other players to trade for Beal. Porter is only in his second season – and looks like a future All-Star averaging 16.6 points and hitting an insane 50% of his shots from beyond the arc.
While Porter is such a great young player, the combination of Jokic, Beal, and Jamaal Murray would be the best threesome in the West and put them right up there with the Clippers as the team with the best chance of knocking off the Lakers.
Also, this bet voids and returns if Washington does not trade Beal, so why not bet the Nuggets.
Pick: Denver Nuggets (4.00) to Trade for Bradley Beal
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