2018-19 NBA Stat Odds: Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, John Wall Betting Leaders
October 3, 2018
James Harden ran away with last year's scoring title. This year, he and Anthony Davis are the co-favorites to pace the NBA in scoring average.
With the 2018-19 season just a few weeks away, the oddsmakers have handicapped the field for each of the individual statistical categories, per OddsShark:
Points
- Anthony Davis (+300)
- James Harden (+300)
- LeBron James (+650)
Rebounds
- Andre Drummond (+150)
- DeAndre Jordan (+300)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (+750)
Assists
- John Wall (+150)
- Russell Westbrook (+270)
- Ben Simmons (+600)
Last season, Harden (30.4 points per game) topped Davis (28.1) for the scoring title, with James (27.5) following closely behind in third. Harden's dynamic scoring abilities not only helped the Houston Rockets finish second in scoring last season but also earned the six-time All-Star his first NBA MVP award.
James could be a player to keep an eye on. While he hasn't led the league in scoring since 2007-08, the four-time NBA MVP has increased his scoring average in two consecutive seasons. Not only that, but he may have to carry a bigger workload, as he has joined a young Los Angeles Lakers core.
Meanwhile, the rebounding favorites should come as no surprise. Either Drummond or Jordan has led the NBA in boards in four of the past five seasons. The only time neither won the crown, they tied for second (13.8 rebounds per game) just behind Miami Heat star Hassan Whiteside (14.1) in 2016-17.
Drummond has two rebounding titles on his resume over the past three seasons, leading the league at 16.0 a season ago. Jordan, on the other hand, went back-to-back in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Neither has finished lower than second since 2012-13.
The assists category may be the most surprising of the group. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook led the league in assists (10.3) last season while averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive year. However, he does not enter the season as Vegas' favorite.
Instead, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall does. While appearing in just 41 games in 2017-18, the five-time All-Star averaged 9.6 assists, his lowest total in four years. He did average double-digit assists from 2015-17, though.