2021-2022 NBA Awards Odds & Best Bets

The historic 75th season of the NBA is almost three weeks in, and most sharp bettors are closely monitoring season-long futures bets to wager on like NBA awards odds. 

Those include the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year. If you want to read more on NBA Most Valuable Player odds or NBA Rookie of the Year odds, check out my best bets and my preseason picks of who I think will win the hardware.

Sportsbooks like BetMGM have a wide array of NBA player futures and player odds for the 2021-2022 season for each of these prestigious accolades. Let’s break down the latest NBA awards odds and determine why the respective player is the favorite and if there’s opportunity to grab a newcomer:

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds

After winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy in three of the last four seasons, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is once again at the top of the oddsboard to win it again. Only two players have ever won the NBA DPOY award four times in their careers: Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace, both of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Is Gobert on that level for defensive impact? Maybe not quite but in this era of basketball we live in, he’s as close to an NBA defensive stalwart you’ll find in the paint.

Gobert has picked up right where he left off last season and is second in the NBA in blocks and rebounds per game.  this was after he was second in blocked shots and rebounds last season. Another similarity? The Jazz are also third in opponent points scored per game at 100.1 points per game which can be directly attributed to Gobert’s presence down low.  At this point, you may as well pencil in Gobert as a top-three finalist for this award as long as he’s healthy. His impact defensively is bigger than just what the boxscore says and voters know that too. At +275, it’s not the best odds but definitely worth considering.

Normally, I’d try to recommend a long shot bet for NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds, but there aren’t any candidates that stand out who could usurp Gobert at this juncture. Maybe Jrue Holiday with the Milwaukee Bucks at +3000 but even then, it would take the Bucks to be a top-two team in the East and for voters to overlook his teammate, Giannis Antetokounmpo at +550. A very tall order.

Who will win the NBA DPOY in 2022?

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds 

In what’s becoming a common theme of Utah Jazz players being a top option for NBA awards odds, reigning Sixth Man of the Year winner Jordan Clarkson is back near the top but as the second favorite to win it again. The fave designation for Sixth Man of the Year odds goes to Tyler Herro with the Miami Heat at +200. Clarkson has since dropped to +900.

Herro was nearly written off with how his second season with Miami went, and some of that could be attributed to an NBA Finals hangover. This season, he’s averaging career-highs across the board in points (20.4), assists (4.1), rebounds (6.2) and field goal percentage (45.7). He has yet to start in eight games for the Heat and has been instrumental in helping them to a 6-2 SU record through eight games. 

Clarkson, on the other hand, is still quite effective in the bench role with the Jazz but his scoring and shooting percentages have dipped this year, opening the door for Herro. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year averaged a career-high 18.5 points per game last season and only started once in 68 games. He ended up being the second-leading scorer on the team despite being seventh on the team in minutes played per game, which is the exact case were seeing in Utah this season. 

Outside of Herro or Clarkson, no other player should be seriously considered for NBA Sixth Man of the Year odds and the latter still has great odds at +900.

Who will win NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2022?

NBA Coach of the Year Odds 

After opening last season as the betting favorite for NBA Coach of the Year odds, Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has since dropped to fourth on the NBA Coach of the Year odds. That’s because Erik Spoelstra with the Miami Heat has been leading the charge and is now the +750 betting favorite to win the award.

The Heat lead the NBA in points allowed per game (99.2) while also ranking eighth in points scored per game (110.9). The Heat are also second in point differential at +12.5 which shows that their outclassing the opposition and not having many close games.

Out of all the NBA awards odds and betting angles, NBA Coach of the Year odds likely only has two main factors to consider when placing a bet: team standings and narrative. Usually a coach wins this award because his team has a top record in the NBA or the team was crapped on so much in the preseason that no one expected them to be competitive at all (See 2020 New York Knicks). The latter is what intrigues me for a long shot bet because one team that is being completely written off but has a chance to make some noise this season is the Toronto Raptors.

Nick Nurse is widely considered one of the best coaches in the NBA and has won this award, back in the 2019-2020 season. Not only do I think the Raptors can win 45 or more games, but I think they can get the sixth seed in the East.

The Raptors were ravaged by injuries last year but now have a competent roster that goes nearly 10-deep. If Goran Dragic and Fred VanVleet can coexist, you’ll see one of the better shooting backcourts in the NBA along with a fleet of 6-foot-8 wing defenders in Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and top pick, Scottie Barnes. At +4000, I love this bet and not just because I’m a Raptors fan. 

Who will win NBA Coach of the Year in 2022?

NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Odds

When it comes to betting on NBA Most Improved Player Award for the 2021-2022 season, you don’t have to look farther than the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets as Ja Morant and Miles Bridges have been stealing the show. 

Morant is putting up 27 points per game this season after only scoring 19 per contest last year while Bridges has nearly doubled his scoring output, averaging 24.1 points per game after averaging 12.7 last season. Both would make ideal candidates to swoop in and take this award because of their strong play to start the season,

Bridges technically has done the most “improving” if were just judging by the statistics but the growth of Morant is something bettors can’t overlook because the Grizzlies are actually competitive in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are 5-3 through eight games and while Morant’s scoring average has increased, his assists still remain the same as his career average at 7.3, which shows he’s getting his teammates just as involved. 

Bridges ascension could be directly correlated to the play of LaMelo Ball, which may hamper his chances when voters are looking at trying to pick between the two for NBA Most Improved Player of the Year odds. 

Who will win NBA Most Improved Player of the Year in 2022?