Best NBA Player Props Today: Quickley Breaks Down Blazers Defense

Prop bet #1: Make haste Quickley

The Toronto Raptors took a gut punch earlier this month when franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes suffered a hand injury that required surgery. Barnes might be out the rest of the reason, and while they weren’t in the thick of the play-in race as is, it’s a drag that they lose out on precious development time for their new young core.

If there is any silver lining to it at all, however, it’s that it means more responsibility for former New York Knick Immanuel Quickley. Quickley was the point guard prize that saw OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa sent to New York, with the Raptors betting that the former Sixth Man of the Year runner-up had more to his game than providing scoring off the bench.

It was a smart bet. Quickley is quite literally the most efficient pick and roll ball handler in the NBA. With 1.18 points per possession, he’s well ahead of other high-volume maestros like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton. 

Quickley doesn’t make yet make a lot of eye-popping passes, but his shooting gravity allows him to create consistently quality looks for his new teammates. His assist percentage jumped from 15.1% as a Knick to 27.3% as a Raptor.

Since Barnes went out on March 1, IQ is the alpha and omega of the Raptors' offense. He’s on the ball, directing traffic, and guiding the team through this rocky period. Whether Toronto sinks or swims, these are critical reps in an otherwise lost season. 

So far IQ has answered the call. He had a career high 18 assists against the Suns on Thursday and is averaging 11.2 dimes over his last five contests. These Immanuel Quickley odds are too low given his high level of on ball responsibility.

Immanuel Quickley prop: Over 7.5 assists (-145 at bet365)

Prop bet #2: Catch and shoot Cade

It's fair to say that Cade Cunningham slightly disappointed as a prospect relative to sky-high expectations when he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons first overall. There are a plethora of reasons for this, including Detroit’s own ineptitude, but an underdiscussed one is Cade’s shooting. 

Cunningham was an outstanding shooter late in high school and in college and projected as an elite shooter, in volume and diversity, as an NBA player. But for his NBA career thus far, he’s at just 33.1%.

It hasn’t come together at the NBA level yet, but there are signs that an elite shooter is still lurking just beneath the surface. 

With Jaden Ivey finally carving out a consistent role under Monty Williams, Cade is able to shift to playing off ball a bit more. That little change could have profound consequences, and positive ones, for Cade and the Pistons as a whole. Not only are threes off the catch easier in general, Cade has simply been asked to do way too much on offense to this point of his NBA career.

As much as some people want to paint Cunningham in the Luka Doncic mold, he’s not that kind of player. Almost nobody should be trying to emulate Luka’s level of usage and expect anything but low efficiency play.

By lowering Cade’s creation burden a touch, I think Cade is becoming a more effective player, and more efficient shooter. In the eight games since the All-Star break, Cunningham is shooting 48.2% from deep on seven attempts per game. These Cade Cunningham odds are anchored to his prior performance, but I’m buying his recent progress as a shooter.

Cade Cunningham prop: Over 1.5 made 3s (-140 at Sports Interaction)

Prop bet #3: Dime time DeMar

The Chicago Bulls have quietly been one of the better teams since the New Year, not just withstanding the losses of Zach LaVine and more recently Patrick Williams, but thriving.

A lion's share of the credit goes to Coby White, who is making a late push for Most Improved Player, but an equal amount of credit at least should go to DeMar DeRozan, who continues to come up huge in clutch games. The Bulls have played in 37 clutch games, third-most in the NBA, and DeMar has been critical in all their wins.

While DeMar’s ability to score and draw fouls is naturally what most people think of when they consider his clutch performances, his playmaking is typically overlooked. DeMar has been an elite playmaker for a shooting guard since his stint in San Antonio. 

Now that he has multiple shooters worth passing to in White and Alex Caruso, he’s racking up solid assist numbers.

DeRozan is averaging 5.6 assists over his last 10 and never had fewer than four in that span. Getting these DeMar DeRozan odds at plus money value makes this my final best bet for Saturday’s slate.

DeMar DeRozan prop: Over 4.5 assists (+105 at Sports Interaction)