2022 NBA All-Star Game Picks: Who Wins the Slam Dunk Contest? (Archive)
The NBA All-Star game is right around the corner but there are also fan favorites like the Slam Dunk Competition waiting to be decided. Let’s check out the entries and who we believe has the best chance of taking home the title and allowing us to cash our NBA picks.
NBA Slam Dunk Competition
Saturday, February 19, 2022 – 08:00 PM EST at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Whatever happens on Saturday night, it has to be light years ahead of last year’s morose three-entry Slam Dunk Competition. Covid protocols prohibited a live audience and most of the performances were about as electric as the crowd.
It was a disaster on so many levels but this year we will see the return of the traditional number of competitors in front of an audience that will provide the spark that will light the fuse on these four sticks of dynamite.
Without further ado, let’s preview this year’s contestants and make our choice as to which NBA star will be taking home the hardware.
Jalen Green (Rockets) +150
Jalen Green has not been the lights-out shooter the Rockets believed they were getting when they tapped the G-League star as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. However, he’s not been a bust either and at 20-years-old he has plenty of time to grow into the elite point guard the Rockets believe he will ultimately become.
But guess what? None of that matters because the NBA Slam Dunk Competition is all about elevating, twisting, and slamming with more style than the next guy. And Green has the athletic profile to do it better and splashier than anyone in the gym.
Obi Toppin (Knicks) +175
The runner-up in last year’s Slam Dunk Competition is back in the ring to take another swing. Obi Toppin will count on his previous experience to help him capture the title this season.
Toppin is not a starter in the Knicks’ lineup and averages just 15 minutes per game but he has had more than his fair share of wild dunks this season. The NBA odds show him as the second choice in this four-man competition but some believe he is the man to beat!
Cole Anthony (Magic) +325
Orlando’s young gun, Cole Anthony, is the best of the lot in this competition if we are talking strictly about their respective performances in the 2021-2022 NBA season. Anthony is averaging 17.6 points and over 33 minutes per game. And if you think the son of former NBA player, Greg Anthony, lacks swagger, well think again.
The 21-year-old made a game-winning shot last season against Memphis’s 6’9” veteran, Kyle Anderson, in isolation on Anthony.
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“I knew if I got someone on an island, they weren’t going to be safe. … I saw I had Kyle Anderson on me. It’s game-time. I’m trying to get this money.”
Juan Toscano-Anderson (Warriors) +500
Juan Toscano-Anderson has started only five games in his 56 appearances for the Warriors and is averaging 14 ½ points per game. Yet, Toscano-Anderson is a fan favorite in Golden State but he hasn’t had many opportunities to display flashes of dunking brilliance during his tenure with the Warriors.
However, there have been a few exceptions and they have been impressive enough for him to warrant consideration in this contest. At the longest odds on the board, JTA makes a decent value bet.
And the Winner Is…
My choice is New York’s, Obi Toppin. I like the fact that he has performed on this stage just last season and if you have seen him slam this year then you know he is one of the most stylish dunkers on the planet.
Last year in the competition, he performed a windmill jam over both his father and Julius Randle who happens to stand 6’10’!
Toppin’s height may be the one thing working against him. At 6’9” he is the tallest player in the competition and, let’s face it, watching a 6’3” human kiss the rim and touch the sky is more impressive than a taller man. But Toppin has amazing agility for a man his size and I say he is still worth a wager even at +175.
NBA Pick: Obi Toppin (+175) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
