With LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard set to lead their respective franchises next season, Los Angeles has become the nerve center of NBA storylines. Among the many talking points is which one of these two L.A. superstars will be a more productive scorer next year–the Klaw from the Clippers or the King from the Lakers. In order to capitalize on this debate, oddsmakers have offered a new scoring average prop bet that pits LeBron against Kawhi.
DraftKings Sportsbook is now taking action on a 2019-2020 scoring average bet that asks who will score more points per game during the regular season–James or Leonard. At the moment, LeBron is the favorite at -139 while Kawhi is a +115.
Kawhi averaged a career-high 26.6 points last season for the Toronto Raptors on his way to winning the NBA championship. In what many considered a down year for LeBron, he averaged 27.4 points during his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. James has also averaged more points per game than Leonard’s career high 12 times so it’s not difficult to see why he’s favored in this prop.
If you’re going to bet Kawhi here, though, you’re suggesting that LeBron’s production will begin to decline as he slowly inches toward age 40. You’re also expecting Kawhi to continue to emerge from the player who averaged 7.9 points per game as a rookie to one who is now capable of averaging close to 30. A $100 bet on Leonard pays $115 and a $139 bet on James pays $100.
