The start of the NBA regular season is rapidly approaching.
That means we don’t have much time left to lock in our futures wagers.
Let’s dive into the rebounds per game category and highlight some players to consider.
NBA Rebounds Leader Odds
NBA odds used for these rebounds leader best bets are current as of Thursday, Oct. 12, and courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Domantas Sabonis (+320)
- Nikola Jokić (+380)
- Anthony Davis (+460)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600)
- Rudy Gobert (+600)
- Joel Embiid (+1000)
- Walker Kessler (+1700)
- Steven Adams (+2000)
- Nikola Vucevic (+2500)
- Deandre Ayton (+3300)
- Jonas Valanciunas (+3300)
- Clint Capela (+3500)
Who Will Be the NBA Rebounds Leader in 2024?
Domantas Sabonis (+320)
Sabonis is the favorite to lead this category, and he should be.
He led the league last season at 12.3 rebounds per game. That marked the fourth straight season in which he averaged at least 12.0 rebounds per game. He also logged at least 35 minutes per game in all four of those seasons.
There is nothing to suggest that Sabonis should take a step back in the rebounding department this year. The top backup options behind him at center are Alex Len and JaVale McGee, neither of which should eat into his playing time.
The Kings ranked inside the top 12 in the league in pace of play last season and should deploy a similar offensive philosophy this season. That means plenty of rebounding opportunities are likely coming Sabonis’s way.
NBA Rebounds Leader Favorites
Nikola Jokić (+380)
Jokić wasn’t far behind Sabonis last season, averaging 11.8 rebounds per game.
It was the fifth time over the last six seasons that he hauled in at least 10.7 rebounds per game. However, it was a notable decline from the 13.8 rebounds per game that he averaged during the 2021-22 campaign.
- See where Jokić ranks in our NBA MVP odds.
Like Sabonis, Jokić has no quality depth behind him. The Nuggets’ primary backups at the five figure to be Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan.
Denver deploys some small lineups with Aaron Gordon at center and could also use Peyton Watson in such lineups, but Jokić is going to play a ton and be among the league leaders in boards.
Anthony Davis (+460)
Davis averaged 12.5 rebounds per game last season, which marked the first time since joining the Lakers that he averaged more than 9.9 rebounds per game for a season.
Prior to that, he had averaged at least 11.1 rebounds per game in three straight seasons for the Pelicans.
While Davis averaged more rebounds per game than Sabonis, he only appeared in 56 games, so he didn’t qualify to be on the leaderboard. A player must play in at least 70% of a team’s games to qualify, meaning he needed to appear in at least 58 games.
That is the problem with betting Davis to lead this category. He has played at least 58 games just once over the last five seasons.
NBA Rebounds Leader Contenders
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600)
Antetokounmpo has put up gaudy rebounding numbers during his career.
He averaged 11.8 of them per game last season, marking the fifth straight campaign in which he averaged at least 11.0 rebounds. He has collected at least 12.5 rebounds per game in a season twice in his career.
- Check out where the Bucks stand in our NBA Finals odds.
Antetokounmpo has dealt with his share of injuries but has never played fewer than 61 games in a season.
Fellow big man Brook Lopez is great at blocking shots but is not a great rebounder for his size. He also spends much of his time on offense around the perimeter, freeing Giannis on the offensive glass.
Expect the two-time league MVP to put up more stellar rebounding numbers.
Rudy Gobert (+600)
Gobert’s average of 11.6 rebounds per game last season would have been great for most players. However, it was a disappointment by his lofty standards.
Before that, he had hauled in at least 12.9 rebounds per game in each of his four seasons with the Jazz.
The reason for Gobert’s decline in the rebounding department was likely an adjustment to playing alongside fellow big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Still, Towns was limited to just 29 games because of injury.
As the two share more time on the floor this season, we might see more muted rebounding numbers from Gobert.
NBA Rebounds Leader Sleepers
Walker Kessler (+1700)
In his rookie season, Kessler averaged 8.4 rebounds over 74 games.
However, he began the season as a member of the second unit, which contributed to his final average of 23 minutes per game. Over 40 games as a starter, he logged 28 minutes per game and averaged 10.2 rebounds.
Heading into his second season, Kessler is locked in as the starting center for the Utah Jazz. He does have some quality options behind him, mainly Kelly Olynyk. Newly-acquired John Collins can also play center when the Jazz want to go small.
However, if either of them were to suffer an injury and push Kessler to average 30 minutes a game, he could put up some stellar rebounding numbers.
Nikola Vucevic (+2500)
Talk about consistency. Vucevic has averaged exactly 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in both of the last two seasons.
He has been an excellent rebounder throughout his career, putting up at least 10.4 rebounds per game in a season nine times.
Despite their struggles last year, the Bulls are running it back with their leading trio of Vucevic, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan. Andre Drummond is behind Vucevic on their depth chart, but he only averaged 13 minutes per game last season.
Vucevic has been a pillar of health, appearing in at least 70 games in each of the previous four seasons. It could only take injuries to a couple of the top rebounders in the league for him to finish as the statistical leader.