LeBron James, Anthony Davis Make Lakers 2021 Favorites, Clippers, Warriors Among Top Contenders

The Los Angeles Lakers are favored to repeat as champions after defeating the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals.

L.A. leads the way as the very early betting favorite, with +350 odds to win the 2021 NBA Finals, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. LeBron James and Anthony Davis brought the franchise its 17th championship in their first season together as teammates.

At 35 years old and in his 17th career season, James proved that he’s still the best basketball player on the planet. After finishing second in the regular-season MVP race, James won his fourth NBA Finals MVP award. The four-time champion averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, shooting 58.6% from the field.

Following an offseason trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis showed that he is a top-five NBA player. Averaging 25.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in the Finals, Davis was a force on the defensive end.

The Lakers went 16-5 in the playoffs. Los Angeles won each of its first three series in five games.

Miami is tied for fifth in the NBA and second in the Eastern Conference with +900 title odds. Jimmy Butler was one of the biggest winners of the NBA’s bubble, as the superstar averaged 26.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game in the Finals.

The Los Angeles Clippers are still considered to be the Lakers’ biggest threat with +400 odds to win next year’s championship. The Clippers were the favorites to win the 2020 Finals until Kawhi Leonard and Paul George helped give away a 3-1 series lead in the second round of the postseason.

The Milwaukee Bucks lead the East with +500 championship odds. Milwaukee had the NBA’s best record and Giannis Antetokounmpo won the MVP award in each of the last two years, but it hasn’t resulted in a trip to the Finals.

The Golden State Warriors have +600 championship odds. The team that won the West each year from 2015-19 should be back to full strength with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson recovering from injuries.

The Brooklyn Nets have +900 title odds. Kevin Durant is set to make his Nets’ debut. Kyrie Irving only played 20 games with Brooklyn as the team earned the No.7 seed.

The Boston Celtics (+1200), Toronto Raptors (+1600) and Denver Nuggets (+2000) are potential contenders ahead of the draft and free agency.