2024 NBA All-Star Weekend Best Bets: 3PT Contest & All-Star Game

• Karl-Anthony Towns Advance To Final Round (+160 FD)
• Karl-Anthony Towns 3PT Contest Winner (+700 FD)
• Jalen Brunson Advance To Final Round (+155 FD)
• Malik Beasley Advance To Final Round (+140 FD)

When projecting the 3PT Contest, it’s important to identify key areas that help form the foundation of their shots. That has led me to six categories that inform whether a player is currently set up to succeed in the 3PT Contest’s environment. 

First, every player begins from the corner, and a good start is crucial for a shooter’s rhythm. They must be balanced and prosper from everywhere though. Therefore, Corner 3PT% and Above The Break 3PT% represent the first two stats. Next, there will be two shot attempts from around 30 feet, and each will be worth a whopping three points. Deep 3PT Shot Making via Basketball Index measures how efficient a player is from way beyond the arc given their shot quality, or degree of difficulty. 

Now that the locations are accounted for, the context of their shots must be broken down. Players have no defenders in their field of vision affecting the attempt, but it’s a quick process with no dribble to consistently set up. As a result, the final three stats utilized are Wide Open 3PT%, 0-2 Seconds Touch Time 3PT%, and 0 Dribbles 3PT%. 

I collected the data on all eight players and subsequently ranked them for each metric. Because of the importance of the Starry Ball (30+ feet shot), it was double counted. 

After averaging their ranks, the top three candidates are Karl-Anthony Towns, Malik Beasley, and Jalen Brunson. They have tantalizing odds to make the Final Round, so playing all three along with Towns to win the title are the best bets for the 3PT Contest. 

All-Star Game Best Bets

• LeBron James MVP (+700 FD)

LeBron James makes his 20th All-Star appearance, which breaks the record previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, he still sits one All-Star MVP behind Kobe Bryant and Bob Pettit for most all time. What better way to stamp his All-Star legacy than to join these two and hold the record for most appearances and tied for most MVPs? 

Virtually no defense is played at the event, which includes non-existent rim protection. Therefore, James can still rack up points in the paint if his jump shot does not fall. Essentially, half of the battle for winning MVP is simply effort and hustle. Based on the history on the line for James, look for him to go all out here, especially since he doesn’t have many All-Star games left. 

Plus, if the race for MVP becomes narrow, the LeBron James name factor could hand him the tiebreaker over someone who is perhaps slightly more deserving.