The NBA season begins on Wednesday, and while it’s always interesting to look at the odds for the Championship and which sides will come out of each conference, we’ve decided to look a little deeper and find out if there’s value in some of the divisional title races this season.
Central Division
While Detroit ($5) could have a little say in this race, there really only seems to be two sides who could take out the Central Division crown this season.
Milwaukee ($2.25) are the favourites and rightly so, although it seems like they could be a little shorter, given Giannis Antetokounmpo is set for another superb season.
Many believe the Greek Freak could put his hand up for MVP honours, and with the Bucks adding impressive depth including Ersan Ilyasova and Brook Lopez, they’ll not only be looking at a division title, but also home court advantage in the East.
The team hot on their heels according to the odds are Indiana ($2.50), as they keep a strong core headlined by Victor Oladipo and young gun Myles Turner.
Both sides lost in game sevens in the opening round of the playoffs last season, although with the Bucks clearly having the best player from the combined rosters, Antetokounmpo should prove the difference in the division.
Northwest Division
It seems every year the Northwest Division is the most stacked division in the league, and once again it looks to be no different.
Oklahoma City ($3.25) and Utah ($3.25) are joint favourites, while Minnesota ($5) and Denver ($5) closely follow.
The Thunder have lost Carmelo Anthony and the Timberwolves could lose Jimmy Butler, and that situation in certainly a story in itself.
The Nuggets definitely could challenge, although the value in the division here could be the Jazz, who knocked off the Thunder last season in the first round.
Utah’s core and even their bench players have remained, with former Duke guard Grayson Allen looking like a decent draft selection already.
Donovan Mitchell is set to explode in his second season, while guys like Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles, Ricky Rubio and Jae Crowder are all just that more synchronised after another pre-season together.
OKC have the raw talent to win the division, although the strength of Utah’s roster from top to bottom should see them improve on last season, which would see them take the title of Northwest champions for the second time in three years.
Southeast Division
In a genuine two-horse race, two sides who fell in the first round of last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs will be out to go a few steps further this season.
Washington ($1.65) and Miami ($2.65) aren’t just yet at the quality of Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto, although they’re certainly in that next crop who could be fighting for the fourth seed.
The Wizards have added Dwight Howard and Austin Rivers, while Marcin Gortat could be a big loss for the DC-based franchise.
Miami have basically retained the same roster from last season, although they seem to be in negotiations with Minnesota over Jimmy Butler, which could turn this division on its head.
As it stands with Butler on the Wolves, the Heat will be enjoy having a similar side to last season, with players now getting more and more comfortable with each other.
The Heat finished one game clear of the Wizards last season, but that’s only after the Wizards lost nine of their final 12 regular season matches.
With John Wall and Bradley Beal still at the helm for Washington, the Wizards would be confident they can claim the eighth division title in franchise history.
