NBA Futures 2023 – Markets and Players to Target

There are lots of markets for NBA futures 2023. Sportsbooks have released team futures, player futures and team or player specials. We’ve identified the best markets and players to target for NBA futures 2023.

NBA “futures” is a wager placed on a betting market that will be graded in the future. The NBA futures market allows you to bet on things like “who will win the NBA Championship” or “whether or not a team will make the playoffs”. You are wagering on an event where the outcome will be determined much later in a given NBA season. This wager will carry on beyond the current day or week, or a single game.

Check out our NBA Championship futures guide, with odds to win and free predictions.

Best Team NBA Futures 2023

Here are the best team NBA futures 2023 to target:

• Oklahoma City Thunder to Make the Playoffs (-135)

The Thunder went 40-42 last season and were eliminated in the 2023 Play-In Tournament. The Thunder scored 117.5 PPG (5th) and allowed 116.5 PPG (20th). The defense should improve with Chet Holmgren starting at center this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranked fourth in the league in points per game (31.4). Josh Giddey (16.6 PPG), Jalen Williams (14.1 PPG) and Luguentz Dort (13.7 PPG) are all back.

• Toronto Raptors to Win 35+ Regular Season Games (-160)

Toronto will have a tough time making the NBA playoffs in the East this season. After going 41-41 last season and being eliminated from the 2023 Play-In Tournament, the Raptors changed coaches and let Fred VanVleet leave. Dennis Schroder is now the starting PG. The Raptors allowed 111.3 PPG (6th) last season and they’ll be strong on the defensive end again. Pascal Siakam (24.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 5.8 APG) is still elite. O.G. Anunoby (16.8 PPG) and Scottie Barnes (15.3 PPG) are expected to improve.

• Phoenix Suns Under 3.5 Conference Seeding (-140)

With this team NBA futures 2023 market, the Suns need to finish the regular season as the #1, #2 or #3 seed in the Western Conference. Phoenix finished as the #4 seed last season (45-37). Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul are gone, but Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic will replace them. Kevin Durant will play his first full season with the Suns. Devin Booker is back and led the team in points per game (27.8) last season. If Durant, Booker and Beal can stay healthy, this is a team that should win 50+ games.

Best Player NBA Futures 2023

Here are the best player NBA futures 2023 to target:

• Trae Young Over 26.1 Points Per Game (-115)

Excluding his rookie season, Young has averaged over 26.1 PPG in four of five seasons. In the last two seasons, he has averaged 28.4 PPG (2021-22) and 26.2 PPG (2022-23). He posted his worst shooting percentages since his rookie season last season (43.0 FG% and 33.5 3P%). Young is going to have the green light to shoot at will with the Hawks. If he improves his shooting slightly, this will easily cash.

• Anthony Davis Under 11.7 Rebounds Per Game (-115)

Davis led the NBA in rebounds per game (12.5) last season. Davis has averaged over 11.7 RPG in three seasons in his career. Prior to last season, he hadn’t averaged over 10.0 RPG in a single season with the Lakers. Davis had a career-high 3.5 ORPG last season and that number is likely to regress. He averages 2.6 ORPG in his career, so if he reverts to his career average, he’ll cash this under for us.

• Stephen Curry Over 6.0 Assists Per Game (-115)

Curry is a playmaker and he consistently dishes out the basketball. In the last 11 seasons, Curry has had 6.0+ APG in nine seasons. He has averaged 6.3 APG in each of the last two seasons. Chris Paul is now the starting PG for the Warriors, but I still expect Curry to handle the ball a lot. Paul can still shoot it well also, which will provide Curry with opportunities to get assists on Paul’s baskets this season.

MUST READ: NBA DIVISIONS FUTURES – WHO WILL WIN EVERY DIVISION

Plenty Value As We Move Down the Board

• CJ McCollum Over 2.7 3-Pointers Made Per Game (-115)

McCollum is a great three-point shooter. His career three-point shooting percentage is 39.5. McCollum has hit 37.5% or more of his three-pointers every season. McCollum has had over 2.7 3PM in four of the last five seasons. In the season he didn’t, he averaged 2.7 3PM. Since moving to the Pelicans, his 3-point attempts have gone down slightly, but with his accuracy, he doesn’t need many attempts to cash this bet.

• Tyler Herro to Average 20.0+ Points Per Game (-105)

Herro was in trade discussions all offseason, but he’s still in Miami. The Heat need him to take another step forward, as the roster is aging (Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and Josh Richardson are in their thirties). Herro has averaged 20.7 PPG (2021-22) and 20.1 PPG (2022-23) the last two seasons. He has a 43.9 FG% and 38.3 3P% in his career. If he adds a bit of volume, he’ll average 20.0+ PPG again.

• Jusuf Nurkic to Average 10.0+ Rebounds Per Game (+105)

After seven seasons with Portland, Nurkic is now the starting center for the Suns. Phoenix lack depth and I expect Nurkic to play more minutes this season. He isn’t going to be relied upon to score points. Phoenix need him to control the paint and get rebounds. Nurkic has averaged 10.0+ RPG in four of the last seven seasons. He has averaged 9.0+ RPG in each of the last seven seasons. He could lead the NBA in RPG.

Best Special NBA Futures 2023

Sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel release “special” NBA futures 2023. These NBA futures 2023 require two outcomes to hit, but the payout odds are higher due to the additional risks.

Here are the best special NBA futures 2023:

• Nikola Jokic to Average 26.0+ PPG and Nuggets to Win Northwest (+195)

The Nuggets should easily win the Northwest Division. The Timberwolves finished second in the division last season and were 11 games back of Denver. Jokic averaged 24.5 PPG last season, but he averaged 26.4 PPG (2020-21) and 27.1 PPG (2021-22) the two seasons prior. Jokic posted a career-best FG% last season (63.2), but his shooting volume was down. If his volume goes up slightly, this bet will cash.

• Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett to Both Average 22.0+ Points Per Game (+650)

This one is a bit of a longshot, but it still has a realistic shot at hitting. Brunson took a big step forward last season and averaged 24.0 PPG. Brunson shot a career-best 41.6% on 3-pointers, but his FG% was a bit down (49.1) from his last two seasons with Dallas.

Barrett averaged 19.6 PPG last season after averaging 20.0 PPG the season prior. If his three-point shot improves, he’ll average 22.0+ PPG. Even a small uptick in shooting volume will give him a chance to hit this target. At +650 odds, this bet is worth gambling on.

Tracking NBA Futures 2023: Team and Player Markets

We’ll be tracking NBA futures 2023 for teams and players on this page throughout the season. Now that the NBA regular season is underway, we’ll be providing regular NBA futures 2023 updates.

(November 1st 2023): Our three team NBA futures 2023 are doing fine. The Thunder (3-2) are seventh in the West, but as long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is healthy, I like them to have a big season. Toronto (2-3) have been boom or bust to start the season, but they’re close to on pace for 35+ wins. The Suns (2-2) need to get healthy, but there’s still a lot of time left to move up the conference standings.

Our six player NBA futures 2023 are sitting at 4-2 currently. Anthony Davis is averaging 13.8 RPG, Tyler Herro is averaging 25.3 PPG, Jusuf Nurkic is averaging 10.5 RPG and CJ McCollum is averaging 3.3 3-pointers made per game. Curry could still hit on the assists player futures bet. We also released two longshot special NBA futures 2023 and those are looking interesting.

The Nuggets (4-1) are leading the Northwest and Nikola Jokic is averaging 26.5 PPG to start the season. In the second special, we need Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett to both average 22.0+ PPG. Brunson is averaging 19.8 PPG and Barrett is averaging 21.0 PPG. At +650 odds, that’d be a nice hit, but there’s still a lot of season left.

(January 1st 2024): It’s time to examine our NBA futures 2023 and update readers on the progress. The Thunder (22-9) are second in the West and on track to make the NBA playoffs. The Raptors (12-20) are struggling and may not win 35+ regular season games, but it’ll be close. The Suns (17-15) are dealing with injuries and Kevin Durant has shown some frustration. The Suns are eighth in the West and will need to improve considerably to finish in the top three in the West.

Trae Young is averaging 28.3 PPG and on track to cash his player prop (over 26.1 PPG). Anthony Davis is leading the NBA in rebounds per game (12.3 RPG), but he could still go under 11.7 RPG. Steph Curry is averaging 4.5 APG and will need to post big numbers the rest of the way to average over 6.0 APG. CJ McCollum is on pace to average over 2.7 3-pointers per game. He’s averaging 3.4 3-pointers per game. Tyler Herro is averaging 24.2 PPG and on pace to hit his player prop. Jusuf Nurkic is averaging 10.5 RPG and on track to cash his prop. My NBA futures 2023 player props are performing great so far.

My two special NBA futures 2023 are still in it and would potentially pay well. Nikola Jokic is averaging 26.1 PPG, but the Nuggets aren’t winning the Northwest currently. Jalen Brunson is averaging 25.9 PPG and RJ Barrett is averaging 18.2 PPG. Barrett was just traded to the Raptors and he’ll have a bigger opportunity to rack up points with Toronto, which could land us a nice profit if he picks it up a bit.

NBA Futures 2023 Update

(February 23rd 2024): I bet on a number of NBA futures 2023 at the start of the season. It’s time for another update to check on the status of these predictions. The Thunder (38-17) are second in the West and will easily make the NBA playoffs. We got an awesome price on this NBA futures 2023 bet (-135 odds). The Raptors (20-36) traded away their best players and are tanking, so they aren’t likely to win 35+ games at this point.

The Suns (33-23) are seventh in the West and unlikely to finish in the top three in the conference. I’m a bit surprised the Suns have struggled as much as they have with the talent on the roster. Trae Young is 11th in the league in points per game (26.7), which is slightly above what we need. Anthony Davis is averaging 12.2 RPG (3rd) and he’s having a big month of February. Stephen Curry is averaging 5.1 APG. He’d need to improve considerably for us to lose on the under 6.0 APG bet we made for NBA futures 2023.

CJ McCollum is averaging 3.4 three-pointers per game on 42.1% shooting from beyond the arc. He hasn’t had a better season shooting the deep ball. Tyler Herro is averaging 21.0 PPG and if he keeps it up, we’ll cash another bet. Nurkic is averaging 10.1 RPG, which is just over 10.0 RPG. My two special bets are still alive. Jokic is averaging 26.0 PPG, but the Nuggets aren’t leading the Northwest. RJ Barrett is averaging 19.0 PPG and needs to improve considerably for my longshot NBA futures 2023 bet to win.