The Dubs trail the Celtics and are tied with the Clippers in the book’s early look at the 2023 NBA Champion.
The Golden State Warriors will be defending NBA champions in the coming 2022-23 season. Unlike in many of their previous championship runs, the Dubs are not a consensus pick to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy and defend their title. In fact, the DraftKings Sportsbook currently has the Dubs tied with the Los Angeles Clippers with the second-best odds in the league at +600.
The Boston Celtics, the team Golden State defeated in the Finals this summer, have the best odds at +450.
It’s not very surprising to see some other teams with equal or better odds than the Dubs. Golden State caught many by surprise this past season when they emerged as champions. While stars like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have had amazing moments in recent years, none are at the top of their game anymore. Barring a revitalized version of Curry, Klay, and Green, the Dubs will need young players like Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and especially James Wiseman to take big steps forward in 2022-23 for the team to repeat as champions.
Still, the teams ahead of the Warriors are at least a bit surprising to me. The Celtics’ addition of Malcolm Brogdon this offseason did address the biggest need on the reigning Eastern Conference champions, but the Milwaukee Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo and should be welcoming Khris Middleton back after he injured his knee in the postseason. Milwaukee currently has the fourth-best title odds in the DraftKings Sportsbook at +700, which seems low to me.
The Clippers are also an interesting team to rank near the top of the list. Los Angeles has arguably the most talented roster in the NBA, but Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and even secondary pieces like Luke Kennard, John Wall, and Norman Powell have struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. Seeing them at +600 tied with the Dubs while the Nuggets and Grizzlies are at +1900 and +2000 respectively seems a bit out of order to me.
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