Best Outsiders To Make The Playoffs – Odds, Tips & Predictions

Heading into the 2024/25 NBA season, an octet of teams – that’s eight of them, for the less linguistically minded – has separated itself from the chasing pack as the clear favourites for the Championships. Unsurprisingly, those teams – as well as a couple of others – are widely expected to make it through to the playoffs at the very least, leaving just a handful of spots likely to be up for grabs in each conference. On this page, we will take a look at some of the best value teams to make it through to the postseason, ignoring the aforementioned teams for whom betting sites are offering little better than bank interest to advance to the playoffs, and focusing more on some longer odds options. 

Atlanta Hawks

The Eastern Conference is once again looking pretty shoddy compared to the West, at least in terms of its depth, and as was the case last season there appears to be a very clear top eight that should be playing in the playoffs. But it’s a long, long season and a few of those eight teams are just an injury or run of bad form away from opening the door to the teams below them, and leading that pack is probably the Hawks. Let’s be honest; the Hawks were not great last season and won’t be great this season, but they are a quintessential mid-table team that should end the season just a little under .500, as they did in 2023-24. If they do, they’ll likely make their way into the play-in tournament, and from there they will be just a win or two away from the postseason. The Hawks have officially given up on the failed Trae Young-Dejounte Murray experiment, sticking with Young and sending Murray off to the Pelicans. Unfortunately they didn’t bring in a whole lot; Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr will get some minutes, while lottery pick Zaccharie Risacher could make an immediate impact too. More important than those guys, however, will be the development of a couple of their talented youngsters. Jalen Johnson leads that pack – in just his fourth year he is ready to take another big step after doing the same last season – while Onyeka Okongwu could be ready to take the reins from Clint Capela at centre, and Deandre Hunter could take another stride forward. There is some potential there – this Young-led team are certainly no world-beaters in their current state, but they are good enough to be around mid-table in the Eastern Conference, and could be better than last year if those youngsters improve, particularly Johnson. At worst they should be in the Play-In Tournament, so at close to $3 they are reasonable value.

What brings them here? The Hawks have been floating around in the world of mediocrity for a while now and probably won’t exit that bubble this season, but mediocre could be enough for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
 
What could hold them back? A lack of improvement from their young players. The Hawks aren’t that good and didn’t make any major pickups in the off-season, so if they don’t see any chance from those youngsters they could just miss out on the postseason again.
 
Injury report. Each of Johnson, Okongwu and Rissacher has had off-season injury concerns, but they are all expected to be ready to go by the start of the season.

Bet on the Hawks to make the playoffs @ $2.80 with PlayUp

Charlotte Hornets

One of the few lower ranked teams in the East with the potential for significant improvement in 2024-25 is the Hornets, though having won only 21 games last season that improvement will have to be pretty hefty for them to make the playoffs. They are a potentially exciting young team which plays fast and fun basketball, and they do have a handful of very talented young players on their roster who could help to lift this team from the doldrums. The best among them, at least at this stage, is Lamelo Ball, who has shown plenty of ability in his four seasons in the NBA but has not been able to stay on the floor for the past two of them. He played only 22 games last season after 36 the season prior, and if they’re to challenge for the playoffs he will need to be out there a lot more than that. If he does stay healthy, however, he will lift their ceiling significantly. Brandon Miller will also play a major role; in just his second season, the number two pick – the same as Lamelo – will be an important player for the Hornets after averaging an impressive 17.3 points per game in his rookie season. Miles Bridges also now has a year under his belt after missing an entire season for his unsavoury off-field exploits and is a capable player, while of centre duo Mark Williams and Nick Richards, hopefully someone can take a step forward. There is probably a lack of depth on this team and they have very little in the way of stable veteran leadership – though they did bring in Taj Gibson, alongside Australian Josh Green. What they do have, however, is talent and flair, and if everything clicks for them then they could be a fun team to watch and a dangerous team to play. They will have to improve a lot to play in the postseason, but the pieces are there – it just depends whether new head coach Charles Lee can extract the most out of them. 
 
What brings them here? The Hornets have been sitting down the bottom for a while now, but they have compiled a few talented players from high draft picks who could help lift them up the table.
 
What could hold them back? A lack of experience and depth. In Ball, Bridges and Miller they have some talent to play with, but they don’t have any experienced stars nor do they have a whole lot to come off the bench.
 
Injury report. Lots of Hornets have had injury concerns over the off-season, including Ball, Bridges, Seth Curry, Cody Martin, Nick Richards and Grant Williams, but they are all expected to be ready by the start of the season. Mark Williams is questionable for their first game. 

 
Bet on the Hornets to make the playoffs @ $6.00 with PlayUp

Chicago Bulls

The DeRozan/Vucevic/LaVine experiment is officially over, and not a moment too soon. It didn’t work, at all, making the Bulls good enough to sneak into a playoff spot in the decidedly average Eastern Conference and not much more. They were actually a better team with Zach LaVine out injured for much of last season, but it’s DeMar DeRozan who has gone elsewhere, taking his talents to Sacramento. But his absence is not all that has changed for the Bulls this season. They also traded Alex Caruso to the Thunder in an interesting trade, netting Josh Giddey in return. They lose some defence, tenacity and plenty of intangibles in Caruso, but this could end up being a really quality trade. Giddey was pick six just three years ago and has shown plenty in the NBA, but on a Thunder team with talent everywhere you look he just gradually became redundant. His shooting has been and may always be a problem, but it’s got better each year and his stroke actually looked pretty good for the Boomers in the recently concluded Olympics. Alongside LaVine, the much-improved Coby White and the underrated and continually progressing Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls now have a lot of different ball-handling options – and if Lonzo Ball comes back they will have even more, though we won’t hang our hats on that at this point. Patrick Williams could also be primed to take a step forward, while Nikola Vucevic will remain in his spot at centre. The Bulls won’t be a fantastic team this season, but they won 39 games last year and could feasibly be better in 2024-25. A lot might depend on how Giddey fits into the system as well as whether White and Dosunmu continue to take steps forward, but all going well this team could scratch 40 games once again. At the least that will be enough to get them into the Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference, so at nearly $10 with some Australian an international betting sites they look like one of the better options in the East.  
 
What brings them here? The Bulls have been a mid-table team for a while with their not so big three, but change is in the winds with Giddey coming across and White, Dosunmu and Williams potentially taking on bigger roles this season.
 
What has changed? As mentioned, DeRozan is the biggest out from last season, while Caruso will also be a significant loss. Giddey will provide plenty for them, while they also picked up Jalen Smith from Indiana, who could prove useful.
 
Injury report. Lonzo Ball is, of course, on the injury report, though he is expected to be ready for the start of the season in what would be a huge result for him after a shocking run. Giddey also hurt an ankle at the end of the Olympics but should be good to go by the season’s start. 

 
Bet on the Hawks to make the playoffs @ $8.50 with UniBet

Houston Rockets

In contrast to the Eastern Conference, the West has perhaps only four teams which, barring a disaster, should be playing in the postseason, leaving a number of spots up for grabs. There are quite a few teams hovering around the $1.50 or so mark with NBA betting sites to make it, but at slightly longer odds the Rockets look like one team capable of taking big strides forward and advancing to the playoffs this season. They improved dramatically last season, with the substantial growth of the uniquely talented Alperen Sengun pairing with the backcourt experience of Fred VanVleet nicely, Jabari Smith playing well in his second season and Jalen Green showing plenty of signs of his otherworldly talent in the back half of the season, even if he remains erratic. They have changed very little in the off-season, indicative of their content with the capacity of this roster to grow organically. Sengun will probably be their most important player as he returns from an ankle injury that prematurely ended his 2023-24 season, and if he stays on the court he is capable of pushing for an All-Star spot in his fourth season in the league. Jalen Green, too, has plenty of untapped potential, and while on stats alone he did not really progress last season from the one prior, something clearly clicked for him in the second half of the season. With Smith Jr and VanVleet also on the floor, Steven Adams seemingly healthy for once, Dillon Brooks continuing to prove a pest and likely improvement from guys like Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore in their second seasons, this team really should be better, and potentially a lot better, than they were last season. Given they won 41 in 2023-24, they should be aiming for 45+ this season, which should at the least get them into the Play-In Tournament.
 
What brings them here? Years at the bottom of the West has given the Rockets a bounty of high draft picks, and they are beginning to pay dividends.
 
What could hold them back? The Rockets are still very young and have a lot of what-ifs surrounding them – what if Jalen Green doesn’t stop missing shots and turning the ball over? What if Alperen Sengun doesn’t come back from his ankle injury as hoped? What if Whitmore and Thompson don’t improve?
 
Injury report. The Rockets haven’t released their injury report ahead of the season but seem pretty healthy, with Sengun and Adams notably ready for the season after significant injuries.

Bet on the Rockets to make the playoffs @ $1.90 with PlayUp

Los Angeles Lakers 

Despite having been a decidedly average Western Conference team last season, the Lakers are probably the most talked about team in the NBA, and having drafted Bronny James in the off-season that is certainly not going to change anytime soon. Average is perhaps harsh – they won 47 games in a competitive Western Conference and though they were beaten comfortably in the first round of the playoffs by the Nuggets, they were competitive in every one of those games. Once again this season, they will be led by Anthony Davis – coming off an underrated 2023-24 – and the ageless LeBron James, who wound back the clock at the Olympics to remind the world that, even nearing 40, he's still capable of playing as well as just about anyone on the planet on his day. The durability of that duo will obviously play a key role in their season given they will still be relatively reliant on those two, but they do have some other nice pieces on their roster. Austin Reaves perhaps didn’t take the step forward that most expected from him last season but he was still a really solid player for them, while D’Angelo Russell, for all his flaws, is capable of being a pivotal player on any given night at the offensive end of the floor. That aside they have lots of semi-decent players but no one jumping off the page, though if someone like Max Christie takes a big step forward it could help this team take a step forward. To put it simply, this team is very similar to last year’s incarnation of the Lakers, which was a team that was right around the middle of the West for most of the season and made its way into the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament. But the West was really close, as it will likely be this year – the Lakers were only four games from the Clippers in 4th, and they are likely to be right amongst a big group of teams battling for the last few spots in the playoffs this year as well. And with the star power that they have, if they do make it to the Play-In Tournament they are well-placed to win their way through, as they did last year when LeBron had 23-9-9 and Davis 20 points and 15 boards against the Pelicans. At basically even money on the betting apps, they look like a better bet than a lot of the teams shorter than them in this market.

What brings them here? The Lakers have put all their eggs in the James/Davis basket in the past few years, and who could blame them given it brought them a chip. Now they are a mid-tier team in the West, one that will need everything to go right to challenge for another championship but which worst case should be right in the mix for the playoffs.

What could hold them back? Injury will remain a persistent concern for this team given Davis’ history and LeBron’s age – if either of them goes down for an extended period, it’s hard to see them keeping pace with the other teams in the West.

Injury report. Christian Wood has a knee injury that is expected to keep him out until early November, while Jarred Vanderbilt is touch and go for the start of the season.

 
Bet on the Lakers to make the playoffs @ $1.90 with PlayUp

San Antonio Spurs 

Now for a real smoky in the Western Conference. The Spurs won 22 games last season, less than half of what was required to even make the Play-In Tournament, so it’s safe to say that a fair bit of improvement is required. But they have an ace up their sleeve the likes of which no other team in the league can boast – Victor Wembanyama. The wild hype surrounding the French number one pick from the 2023 draft was always going to be hard to live up to, but he did just that, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and a ridiculous 3.6 blocks per game in his rookie season. What’s more, he improved a lot as the season wore on, with numbers significantly better than the above after the All-Star break. Of course, one man does not make a team, but he is far and away their most important player. Last season he was sharing the floor with a few decent guys who will return for 2024-25 – Devin Vassell has some ability, Jeremy Sochan has some unique talents, while guys like Keldon Johnson and Malaki Branham are okay enough. What they clearly lacked, however, and what would have really helped to get even more out of Wembanyama, was a genuine point guard. So what did they do in the off-season? Picked up Chris Paul, of course. Paul will turn 40 during the season and is well beyond his athletic prime, but what remains is a basketball nous rivalled by few others, if any, in the league. Paul will be able to run a pick and roll with Wembanyama far better than anybody could last season, and that pick and roll will be nearly impossible to stop. Often with Wembanyama on the floor, the game plan could be as simple as tossing it up in the air near the rim and letting him do the rest, but too often last season he was ignored in that situation. That won’t be the case this year. The Spurs aren’t going to double their win tally this season based purely on Wembanyama getting a bit better, but his ridiculous potential should be maximised a lot further, and he and Paul running a two man game together will open up plenty of doors for teammates, too. With a pretty decent coach by the name of Gregg Popovich at the helm, there are lots of ways for this team to be good at both ends of the floor, and they could be a sneakily good chance to show a massive amount of improvement this season.
 
What brings them here? When the Spurs drew the number one pick for the 2023 draft, it changed the future of this franchise. Wembanyama is a talent the likes of which we have never seen, and if and when they improve he will be the primary reason why.
 
What could hold them back? The Spurs are still very young, and while they have a lot of decent players around Wemby, they have few really good ones. They’ll need a lot from him and for the combination with Paul to go as well as it possibly could if they’re to make the playoffs.
 
Injury report. Vassell will miss the start of the season with a foot injury but should be back by early November, while Johnson and Branham have had off-season concerns but should be good to go by the start of the season.

Bet on the Spurs to make the playoffs @ $5.50 with PlayUp 

There are a few different ways that you could play this, either keeping it simple and going for a team like the Lakers or Rockets to make it at even money odds – a surefire way to keep your bet going for much of the season – or take a little more of a risk on a team like the Bulls or the Spurs. There are no absolute standouts, but the team that looks like they should at least keep themselves in the mix to make the Play-In Tournament while at really long odds with all betting sites in Australia to make the playoffs is the Bulls. They haven’t been a good team for a while and probably won’t be this season either, but they have at long last made some moves and have the potential to win as many games as they did last season – even more all going well. That only gets them to around 40 wins, not a great total, but the handful of awful teams at the bottom of the East combined with a couple of really good ones at the top means that should be enough to get them into the top ten. If they do that they’ll be just one or two wins away from a playoff spot, so as the longest odds team of all those covered above, they look like pretty decent value to make the playoffs this season.