Best NBA Player Props Today - December 16
Twenty teams are in action on Saturday, December 16, and I’ve trawled through all the NBA odds and matchups to bring you my three favorite NBA player props for this 10-game slate.
In the end, I landed on a trio of props featuring Cade Cunningham, Michael Porter Jr., and Chicago Bulls guard Coby White. Find out more in my free
Best NBA player props today
- Cunningham Under 3.5 turnovers (-130 at DraftKings)
- Porter Jr. Over 7.5 rebounds (-105 at SIA)
- White Over 21.5 points (-120 at bet365)
Picks made on December 15 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Read full analysis of each pick.
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NBA player props for December 15
Prop bet #1: Cunning Cade
It's beginning to feel like the Detroit Pistons may never win again. The season has been such a nightmare from start to finish, the noise of losing begins to infect the analysis of every part of the team.
And no one has been subjected to more scrutiny (outside of perhaps Monty Williams) than former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. Cunningham continues to show flashes of greatness but has yet to put all the pieces together required of a true lead creator.
Something both Detroit and Cade will have to reign in if they want to start winning Games is turning the ball over. Live ball turnovers are the most costly mistakes a team can make, and Cade’s high turnover rate is easily the most damaging aspect of his Game at the moment.
That’s been a point of emphasis in recent weeks, as Cade has made serious strides with his ball control. He’s still averaging a ghastly 15.3% turnover rate, but he’s made improvements of late. That’s down to 11.9% in December — still a bad rate — but one that's not completely sabotaging the team. He’s only had more than three turnovers in one of his last six games.
The Milwaukee Bucks don’t have the personnel to play a pressure defense, and as such have one of the lowest opponent turnover rates in the NBA. I think these Cade Cunningham odds are still anchored to his struggles earlier in the season.
Cade Cunningham prop: Under 3.5 turnovers (-130 at DraftKings)
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Prop bet #2: Thunder flaw
If the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are in a class of their own in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are just a half step behind. They’re 15-8 and their +7.6-point differential is second best in the West. The scary part is how young they are and how much shooting they can put on the floor without compromising their defense.
But OKC isn't a perfect team. Even with Chet Holmgren arriving on the scene as a bonafide All-Star level player way ahead of schedule, the Thunder are small and they play like it. This team gets eaten alive on the glass on a nightly basis.
The Thunder are dead last in defensive rebounding percentage per Cleaning the Glass at just 32.7%, a full half-point behind the barely NBA-quality Washington Wizards. They lose the battle on the boards to every team that matters, and even the vast majority of the ones that don’t.
Size still matters in the NBA and in some ways, it matters more than it has in years. That’s in part because the skill development of NBA bigs has allowed teams to add size without compromising on guard skills like passing and shooting.
Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets is a case and point. He came into the NBA as a one-trick-pony capable of shooting the ball at a hellacious clip but not much else, but since then he’s patiently grown his floor game and has become a strong rebounder. While Nikola Jokic is also likely to beat the Thunder up on the glass, the Michael Porter Jr. odds are just much more favorable.
MPJ is averaging 8.2 rebounds over his last 10 games and I expect a big night on the glass from him against OKC’s diminutive forwards.
Michael Porter Jr. prop: Over 7.5 rebounds (-105 at SIA)
Prop bet #3: Ample opportunity
No matter how many times we see it, it seems we'll forever be learning the lesson that giving up on guards early in their NBA careers is a foolish move. Coby White of the Chicago Bulls is just the latest in the long line of draft picks who performed in relative anonymity during the beginning of their season, showed steady growth in key skills, and is now thriving in an increased role.
While Zach LaVine’s injury is complicated for the Bulls given their trade aspirations, it has at least given White a chance to shine as lead guard for Chicago in the interim. White has responded by turning in easily the strongest stretch of basketball in his career.
White has long been known as a combo guard gunner, and at his heart, he still is that in many ways. But he’s doing just enough as a playmaker now to involve his teammates and keep opponents guessing that he’s scoring better now than he ever has before.
White is averaging 25.8 points in eight Games without LaVine this season and is doing it on an absurd 66.7% true shooting. He’s also got the ultimate green light from the rest of the team, and his usage rate has jumped to star levels in that same span. For as long as Zach is out, these Coby White odds are going to present significant value.
Coby White prop: Over 21.5 points (-120 at bet365)
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