Player props have become one of the NBA’s most entertaining ways to bet, offering value beyond the standard spread or total. Each night, this column highlights the best opportunities on the board — from points and rebounds to assists and combo lines — using matchup data, recent performance, and betting trends to find edges. Keep reading for the top NBA player prop picks for October 24. Also, make sure you check out our live VSiN programming for more. Our hosts and analysts will be all over the NBA, which is why it pays to be a VSiN Pro subscriber.
Noteworthy OptaAI Player Prop Edges for Friday
Below you’ll find some of the projections that stood out when looking at our OptaAI NBA Player Prop projections. Subscribers have access to hundreds of others on a daily basis!
Scottie Barnes Over 4.5 Assists (-153)
Bucks at Raptors – 6:30 pm ET
Barnes, who averaged 5.8 assists per game last season, had nine dimes in a blowout win over the Hawks on Wednesday. OptaAI now has Barnes projected for 6.06 assists in a meeting with a Bucks team that plays fast — and plays questionable defense. You can either take a juiced Over on 4.5 or a plus-money play on 5.5.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Over 1.5 Blocks (-124)
Heat at Grizzlies – 8:00 pm ET
In Memphis’ season-opening win over New Orleans, Jackson Jr. blocked six shots in 27 minutes. Tonight, all it will take is two for him to go Over his block total, and OptaAI has Jackson going for 2.58 in this game. I’m actually going to play this one (see below).
Jerami Grant Over 13.5 Points (-130)
Warriors at Trail Blazers – 10:00 pm ET
Jerami Grant exploded for 29 points in Portland’s loss to Minnesota the other night. That performance also followed up a 32-point outing against Utah in the final game of preseason. Grant might be coming off the bench for the Blazers now, but there’s still a big role for him. He’s one of the few reliable bucket-getters on a bad offensive team. Tonight, OptaAI has him going for 20.19, which is much higher than his point total of 13.5/14.5.
Friday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find what I’m personally playing on the player prop market for Friday. My official plays are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record.
Wendell Carter Jr. Over 8.5 Points (-119)
Hawks at Magic – 7:00 pm ET
Carter Jr. didn’t play all that well in Orlando’s season-opening win over Miami. He finished with nine points in the game, but he was 2 for 5 from the floor and 0 for 1 from deep. However, Carter Jr. had just played some awesome basketball in the preseason, averaging 14.0 points per game and shooting 64.5% from the floor and 57.1% from three. I think he’s in for a nice season as the unquestioned starter on a Magic team that should be a little better offensively with the arrival of Desmond Bane. Throughout camp, Carter was receiving praise for his play as a roller. That, combined with his ability to occasionally step out and drill triples, makes him a player that should regularly score in double figures.
The Hawks are also coming off a game in which they allowed 124.5 points per 100 possessions, and they allowed the Raptors to shoot 82.5% at the rim. So this is a bit of a test to see how quickly Atlanta will patch things up with so many new players on the roster. Our OptaAI projections also happen to have Carter going for 10.85 points in this one.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Over 1.5 Blocks (-124) & 3+ Blocks (+237 – 0.5 units)
Heat at Grizzlies – 8:00 pm ET
I’m going to tail the OptaAI projections with this play, but I’m also putting a little something on JJJ to have at least three blocks. Last year, he had two blocks per game in both of his meetings with the Heat, and there could be some more shots at the basket from Miami now that Norman Powell’s around to pressure the rim.
Zach LaVine Over 3.5 Assists (+115)
Jazz at Kings – 10:00 pm ET
LaVine wasn’t asked to do much as a playmaker in Sacramento’s meeting with Phoenix the other night, but 3.5 is a low total for him. Last year, LaVine averaged 4.2 assists per game in 74 games played with the Bulls and Kings. He also averaged 7.8 potential assists per game, and the NBA’s tracking data had him at 5.3 adjusted assists per game. The Sacramento guard is just a better passer than he is given credit for, and he’s going up against a Utah team that should be miserable defensively. The Jazz were last in the league in adjusted defensive rating last season (119.1), and they also gave up more assists per game (29.6) than any team in the league. That makes this a shot worth taking.
