Opening 2021-22 NBA Award Odds – DPOY, Most Improved, Sixth Man of the Year and COY Prices Released

• The opening odds for Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved, Sixth Man and Coach of the Year have been released
• Jordan Clarkson is the favorite to defend his Sixth Man of the Year crown, while Michael Porter Jr is favored to win Most Improved
• Read below for the latest odds, betting analysis and more

With the majority of the free agents signed and Summer League well underway, the NBA is focusing on next season. Odds for the 2021-22 NBA awards have been released. Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved, Sixth Man of the Year and Coach of the Year are our main focus here.

Rudy Gobert (DPOY), Julius Randle (MIP), Jordan Clarkson (6MOY) and Tom Thibodeau (COY) are the holders of the four awards. Clarkson and Gobert are the favorites for their respective hardware once again, while Thibodeau has slipped to an outsider in the Coach of the Year running.

No player has ever won Most Improved Player in consecutive seasons, and the books aren’t expecting Randle to break that trend.

Opening 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds

All odds as of Aug 16 at DraftKings

Another Year of the Big Man?

It’s no surprise to see Rudy Gobert at the top of the market once again. It is, however, a bit odd for Ben Simmons to be at such a short price. Simmons pushed Gobert all the way last year, but the uncertainty over Simmons’ future, and the public criticism of Simmons in the playoffs, makes his candidacy wildly unclear. We don’t even know which team he’ll be playing for or how engaged he’ll be.

There’s value to be found in the opening Defensive Player of the Year odds. Many bettors will default to Gobert, safe in the knowledge that the Jazz will have an elite defense. Similar can be said for Anthony Davis and the Lakers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Joel Embiid’s games played tally will likely rule him out of contention once again.

.@Money23Green rocking his gold medal at Summer League 🥇

Tough. pic.twitter.com/IIk0YXlmMF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 12, 2021

Myles Turner was a contender for this award early last season, but injuries derailed his campaign. The Pacers will need to take a step forward as a team defensively, too, after ranking 13th on that end last season. His block total will be high, but that’s not enough to make Turner a good bet here.

After a postseason run of defensive mastery, Jrue Holiday will get plenty of interest from bettors. The Bucks will be a top-tier defense if they are locked in throughout the regular season, but Holiday has his work cut out to win the award given that he’ll be sharing the floor with Giannis. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler could face a similar issue given how loaded the Heat are on the defensive end.

Draymond Green’s price stood out. The Warriors were fifth in defense last season, and they welcome back Klay Thompson. Green was second in defensive box plus-minus, and earned his sixth All-Defense selection. The three-time All-Star would be worth a wager even if he was at +900 – the +1600 price is too good to miss out on.

Eighth in defensive win shares last season, Clint Capela is a good bet at +3000, too. The Hawks were 12th in defensive rating in the second half of last season, and they were over six points better per 100 possessions defensively with Capela on the court. Put De’Andre Hunter with Capela and Nate McMillan’s coaching and Atlanta should be a top 10 defense.

2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player Odds

Watch Young Studs Out West

With Jamal Murray out for the majority of the season, Michael Porter Jr is going to be the Robin to Nikola Jokic’s Batman. Porter saw his shot attempts almost double last season, and he’s on course for another uptick in 2021-22. His raw talent makes him an understandable favorite at this stage, but there are plenty of strong candidates in this market.

Where there’s a clear group of contenders for other awards, the Most Improved Player odds are trickier to navigate. Julius Randle came from the wilderness to win the hardware last season. Some breakout seasons can be predicted, but many are a surprise.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would have been in the mix last year if he’d played through the season. With the Thunder still not interested in winning, there’s no value in backing Gilgeous-Alexander at such a short price. Zion Williamson can become even more dominant, but given how unstoppable he already is, it would probably take a major leap with his shot and/or defense for him to win Most Improved.

Kevin Porter Jr is a really interesting option here. He’s got the talent to have a real breakout season, but he’s going to be sharing the offense with John Wall and Jalen Green. The +800 price is on the short side for the Rockets guard. Still, though, if you believe in his ability, it’s worth getting a wager in now, because that price will quickly drop if he can repeat the heroics from late last season against the Bucks.

Moving onto another of the Jr’s, Jaren Jackson is a fun name in this market. The Grizzlies forward had a disrupted 2020-21 season through injury. Memphis has changed their frontcourt with the Steven Adams for Jonas Valanciunas trade, and it’ll be interesting to see if this means more opportunity for Jackson at the five. That’s likely where he’ll be long-term, particularly if he can cut down the fouls and improve on the boards. He’s definitely worth consideration at +1400.

Lonzo Ball (+2500), Dejounte Murray (+5000) and Rui Hachimura (+8000) are some of the better longshot options. Ball should flourish in Chicago, while Murray and Hachimura have the opportunity to grow after the departure of big-name teammates.

2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds

Clarkson Favored to Repeat

Joe Ingles was Jordan Clarkson’s closest rival for Sixth Man last season. Ingles is in the running again in the opening odds, but DraftKings tab Clarkson as the heavy favorite. With the Jazz running it back with the same core, Clarkson’s role is unlikely to change too much. He’s still going to get a bucket load of shots up. If voters are swayed by the counting stats, Clarkson is going to be hard to beat, but his lack of efficiency compared to others (including Ingles) means this isn’t a foregone conclusion.

On the back of a strong playoffs, Kevin Huerter shares the +1200 price with Ingles in the opening Sixth Man of the Year odds. Huerter has made massive strides on the defensive end, and provides Atlanta with a versatile offensive skillset. On such a deep team, though, and often sharing the floor with Trae Young, he might struggle to put up big enough numbers to win Sixth Man.

Jalen Brunson is an interesting name here. The Mavericks guard got some Sixth Man chatter last year, but was ultimately a long way off the pace set by Ingles and Clarkson. He had a difficult time in the playoffs, though the Mavs’ moves this offseason have shown how much they trust him. After missing out on Kyle Lowry, Dallas focused on shooting rather than playmaking, leaving Brunson as backup point guard to Luka Doncic. Having posted a 61.8% true shooting last season on 12.6 points per game, Brunson could have a massive year if the Mavs increase his role.

Steve Kerr knows Jordan Poole will continue to make an impact in the Warriors’ system 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZE87nNzCnV

— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) August 11, 2021

Further out, Jordan Poole languishes at +3500. The former Michigan guard finished last season strongly, and even with Klay Thompson returning, he’s got an important role to play off the bench for the Warriors, who desperately need his shot creation. At such a long price, Poole looks like a decent bet.

Goran Dragic and Terrence Ross are two players to avoid here. It’s unclear what the future holds for Dragic, and his health is always a major question. Orlando is going to be at the bottom of the standings once again, making it hard for Ross to be considered even if he puts up numbers on a guard-heavy Magic roster.

2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year Odds

Value Resides Outside Title Favorites

Steve Nash is coaching the title favorites. Erik Spoelstra is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league and should have a top-four seed after the Heat’s offseason moves. It’s easy to see why they share favorite status at this point, but for this regular season award, the value could well lie elsewhere.

Brooklyn is not going to prioritize regular season wins. Expectations are already high for Miami – they would likely have to exceed them for Spoelstra to win the award. Just as with Nick Nurse and Tom Thibodeau in the last two seasons, Coach of the Year often goes to a team which significantly overachieves, and that usually means starting with mediocre expectations.

Instead of looking at the coaches of the title favorites, perhaps the best bets here are on aspirational teams. Billy Donovan’s Bulls finishing in the top five in the competitive Eastern Conference would put him in the mix. Michael Malone or Ty Lue winning 50+ games without Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard respectively would make them real contenders. The Nuggets, in particular, have the talent to do just that.

Donovan is the best bet among the frontrunners. Malone and Lue are names to keep an eye on. Further out, it’s worth a wager on Rick Carlisle at +2800. The Pacers have more talent than their record showed last season, and there’s no question about Carlisle’s ability to generate wins.