VEGAS BABIES!
Yes, you can bet on NBA’s young studs this summer
LAS VEGAS — A year ago, it was the Summer of Lonzo. The NBA Summer League set records for total attendance and TV viewership as Lonzo Ball led the Lakers to the tournament championship in Las Vegas.
The suits in the NBA front office also know this: The crowds and the hype led to a record wagering handle at Las Vegas sports books.
Wait, oddsmakers actually post lines and people really bet Summer League games? The answer, for more than a decade, is yes.
“We had one big player firing away on it last year,” Nick Bogdanovich, the William Hill sports book director, said in reference to several $10,000 wagers.
“Lonzo Ball was a big attraction last year. I don’t know if that was fluky or not, but we wrote some business on it. These games will be well bet.”
Firing money on NBA Summer League games might sound crazy, but it’s not fluky, and lines will be posted by William Hill in New Jersey. Vegas bookmakers expect to break last year’s wagering handle because for the first time all 30 teams will converge on the UNLV campus and every game will air live on television between the ESPN networks and NBA TV.
It’s a boost when big names and Ball-ers are showcased. The top two picks in the recent NBA draft — Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III — face off Saturday, when Phoenix plays Sacramento on ESPN.
The Knicks open play Saturday with a roster featuring draft picks Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, second-year guard Frank Ntilikina and undrafted rookie Allonzo Trier. League play opens with 10 games on Friday, when the Nets debut and will be led by 6-foot-11 Jarrett Allen, who had an impressive rookie season.
In 2007, Jeff Sherman was the first in the world to post summer league betting lines. Sherman, the top NBA oddsmaker at the Westgate, embraced a lonely and risky task by making lines on mystery teams.
“I did it on my own. I evaluate the rosters and put a number on it,” Sherman said. “I heard it from the media: How can you make numbers on these games?”
Of course, the risk to the sports books is mitigated by low betting limits. The Westgate accepts $1,000 wagers on sides and $500 on totals. Bogdanovich said the William Hill limits are $2,000 — unless a known player wants to fire more.
These are not the NBA teams viewers know well. Brad Stevens will not be stalking the sideline for the Celtics, who will be coached by assistant Jay Larranaga. Most of the first-round draft picks will be in action in Las Vegas, with the exception of Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Denver’s Michael Porter Jr.
It’s a unique challenge to analyze rosters that were recently pieced together and learn on the fly a coach’s tendencies. But when a line is posted and a game is on TV, there always will be bettors willing to do battle with the bookmakers.
The summer league is for basketball fans what a nicotine patch is for smokers trying to kick a habit. It’s a way to get a small fix in the midst of a long offseason. Lines will be up on the entire 12day, 82-game schedule, which will draw a wagering handle comparable to two NBA Finals games. Once all rosters are made public this week, a futures board will open, if you dare try to pick the summer champion.
“The handle has grown significantly as most games were televised,” Sherman said. “Attendance was at an all-time high and wagering was at an all-time high last year.”
Ball, who has a knee injury, will not be returning to Las Vegas with the Lakers. Still, the summer league is bigger than one player, and the betting buzz is surging each year.
“This was a deep draft,” Bogdanovich said, “so there will be some interesting players to watch and there will be good action.”