The Hornets don’t have a lot of odds worth betting on, but we can see what the oddsmakers think of them.
We’re still in the middle of the preseason doldrums, so in my hunt to find something that we could make content out of, I came across some preseason odds for the Charlotte Hornets. There’s not a lot here, but let’s see what we got and what sounds right. We’ll use the DraftKings sports book for reference.
Championship odds: +15000
Conference champion odds: +7000
Win total: 36.5
The Hornets have the 21st best odds to win the title, 21st highest win total, and 11th best odds to win the conference, right behind the Knicks and right ahead of the Wizards. There’s a pretty big drop off from the Hornets to the Wizards, which may or may not mean anything.
Next, we have some postseason award odds:
MVP: LaMelo Ball, +7000, 19th best odds in the league
Those are some pretty strong odds for Melo, who comes in just behind Anthony Davis and Anthony Edwards and just ahead of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Ball is rightfully a long shot to win the award, but there are names ahead of him I’d argue should be longer shots, like the aforementioned Anthony’s and Zion Williamson.
Rookie of the year: Mark Williams, +3500, 13th best odds in the league
The Hornets rookie has the 13th best odds to win the award despite being the 15th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Sounds like a steal.
Most improved player: LaMelo Ball, +2500, 8th best odds in the league
Jalen McDaniels, +15000
James Bouknight; +20000
Terry Rozier: +20000
I don’t know where the non-Ball trio rank because they are so far down on the list, but at least they’re on the list. Any of those four seem like decent bets to make improvements, but I’d be surprised if any are able to get enough recognition to merit consideration for the award. I’m surprised PJ Washington didn’t get any odds, as he’d be one of my top guesses from the team.
Coach of the year: Steve Clifford, +2200, 16th in the league
Clifford’s odds to win Coach of the Year are better than the Hornets of winning the title, which means I guess there’s optimism he’ll help the team overachieve.
6th man of the year: Cody Martin and PJ Washington, both +20000
Both are going to be key pieces for the Hornets this year, but the Hornets need to be good to give them a shot at this award
Lastly, everyone’s favorite Hornet LaMelo Ball has box score props:
PPG: 21.5
RPG: 7.2
APG: 7.9
Which of these bets are you taking? Which lines are way off?