The NBA season officially begins on Tuesday, October 22. So, the way I see it, it’s now-or-never to lock in your final preseason long-term predictions. Continue below for my favorite 2024 futures best bets, which feature my NBA picks for two teams' final playoff seeding position, plus a win total bet.
NBA Futures Best Bets: Win Total & Playoff Seeding Picks, Predictions
- Charlotte Hornets Under 11.5 Seed (-140) | 35+ Wins (+245)
- Minnesota Timberwolves Under 3.5 Seed (-135) | 2nd Seed (+400)
Hornets Under 11.5 Seed (-140) | 35+ Wins (+245)
There are currently eight teams in the Eastern Conference who should finish with a better seed than Charlotte barring catastrophic injuries: Boston, New York, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Orlando, Indiana, and Miami.
On the other hand, bottom-dwellers like Washington and Brooklyn both have their sights set on Cooper Flagg and lack the immediate talent to unintentionally win plenty of games.
That means Charlotte must win more games than two of the following four teams for this bet to cash: Atlanta, Toronto, Detroit, and Chicago. The Hornets definitely have the talent to accomplish this feat.
Former All-Star LaMelo Ball is a dynamic pick-and-roll lead guard with the shooting chops to play off-ball. He’s not the most consistent scorer, yet there will be plenty of nights where he drops 30 points. Ball also facilitates like a magician and has notched 10+ assists in 27.8% of games over the past three seasons.
Second overall pick Brandon Miller turned in a phenomenal rookie season. The Alabama product scored off the bounce, knocked down triples, and flashed pick-and-roll playmaking. Factor in Miles Bridges’ slashing ability, and the Hornets’ offense features a strong trio.
When those three shared the court with lob threat and rim protector Mark Williams last season, Charlotte outscored opponents by 12.1 points per 100 possessions. It wasn’t a negligible sample either though at 116 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The depth is…kind of good. Josh Green is an athletic 3-and-D piece, while Grant Williams and Cody Martin are solid veteran forwards who can soak up minutes. Charlotte also has quality point guard and center depth due to Vasilije Micic and Nick Richards.
Now we get to the wild cards. Oklahoma City castoff Tre Mann showed intriguing scoring potential during his time there, and he’s starting to put things together. In four preseason games, Mann averaged 16 points per game on an incredible 68.9 effective field goal percentage. If this leap is legit, then Charlotte may have a sixth man on their hands.
And then there’s rookie Tidjane Salaun – my guy in the draft. Charlotte turned heads when they selected him with the sixth pick, but he will easily be worth the gamble. Salaun is a massive yet nimble power forward who plays hard, runs the court, defends, and can shoot from well beyond the arc. He will go through growing pains; however, Salaun’s hustle and international experience provide a strong foundation.
Finally, Taj Gibson is entering his 16th season. Although he won’t directly make an impact on the court, his locker room leadership may help solve this young team’s maturity problems – an issue in recent years.
The Hornets are clearly a top-11 team in the East based on talent and depth. Injury concerns are very real though. Ball has played in only 58 games over the past two seasons, while Williams notched 62 games. Charlotte cannot afford to be without them for most of the season if they want to cash these lines, especially Ball.
Should the Hornets stay relatively healthy though, 35+ wins at +245 odds is juicy.
Timberwolves Under 3.5 Seed (-135) | 2nd Seed (+400)
Karl-Anthony Towns and his 3-point shooting will be missed, but the Timberwolves are still an elite team.
Their top-ranked defense remains superb with Rudy Gobert anchoring a unit of superb sticky defenders such as Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. It also makes more sense now that Julius Randle occupies the power forward spot and not Towns.
On the other end, Randle adds much-needed playmaking, and Donte DiVincenzo helps replace some of the lost 3-point shooting from Towns. They could use a bit more self-creation and spacing, yet Minnesota’s offense is deeper than last season. If Anthony Edwards makes a leap, it may be an above average unit.
Overall, Minnesota’s defense gives them a high floor for wins and will keep them in almost every matchup – enough for the offense to pull ahead and close games. Even if one believes that the Wolves lost championship equity this offseason, they should still be a great regular season team who vies for the top seed.
Oklahoma City appears to be a juggernaut on paper, so I’m taking Minnesota to claim the second seed at 4-to-1 odds.
