2024-25 NBA Blocks Leader Odds and Predictions

Victor Wembanyama was having a block party on a nightly basis last year. Despite being restricted to fewer than 30 minutes per game, his skill-set allowed him to lead the NBA with 3.6 swats per contest.

All things considered, he looks like a lock to lead the NBA in blocks this season.

That said, we can’t always assume past production will be repeated. There are some worthy contenders to this award beyond Wemby as well, so it makes sense to turn over every stone.

If you want to bet on the 2024-25 NBA blocks leader, join me as I look at the latest odds and offer my prediction. Want more NBA stat betting markets? Consider betting on who will lead the NBA in assists as well.

NBA Block Leader Odds

You can find the following NBA blocks leader odds at most basketball betting sites.

Victor Wembanyama is your reigning NBA blocks champion, and the odds suggest the San Antonio Spurs superstar is a lock to do it again in 2024-25.

I don’t know if we need to spend a ton of time arguing against him, as there is a very strong case for him to pace the NBA in blocked shots again. More on that in a bit, though.

If you did want to go away from Wemby, the most obvious reason is that he’s just one of many great shot-blockers, and his NBA blocks leader odds are not appealing. A -600 price tag is gross, and it’d take an insane amount of money to win anything back.

The fact that we can get +1000 odds or better for every single option is why a guide like this exists. Of course, before pointing you to the top contenders – and getting to my NBA blocks leader prediction – let’s go over Wemby’s case for repeating.

Why is Victor Wembanyama Favored to Lead the NBA in Blocks This Year?

The first reason Wemby is the NBA blocks betting favorite is because he just crushed the competition last year. He’s the reigning shot-swatting champ and he did that as a rookie.

To be more specific, he racked up 254 blocks and averaged a robust 3.6 per game. That was the most total blocks by a blocked shots champion since Hassan Whiteside had 269 back in 2015-16. It was also the best blocked shot average since Whiteside’s magical shot-altering season.

Wemby is a tower of a man and he has incredibly long arms, so it makes sense that he can redirect, track down, and swat shots to oblivion with remarkable consistency.

The truly wild part, though? He did all of this (in year one, mind you), while playing less than 30 minutes per game. He played less than almost every other dude that was in contention for this stat, and yet he smoked them all.

With Wemby’s minutes likely to spike in his second NBA season, it’s only natural to project his shot block total (and average) to see a lift, too.

Of course, one could argue that Wemby will have bigger fish to fry. He’s also favored to win the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and some think he even will have a shot at league MVP.

I don’t think either of those things actually keep him from racking up the most blocks, though. In fact, they probably simply mean he keeps doing what he’s been doing already.

Top 2024-25 NBA Blocks Leader Contenders

Wemby is the likely winner here, but his price demands bettors look elsewhere. Let’s look at the other top contenders and their NBA odds for this market.

Jaren Jackson Jr. +1000

JJJ is the clear challenger to Wemby, seeing as he’s led the NBA in blocks twice before. He was the NBA shot-blocking overlord in the previous two seasons, prior to Wemby arriving via the NBA Draft last year.

Jackson averaged 3.0 swats per game in 2022-23 to take the crown, and he won the year before with 2.27 per game. Last year he fell off considerably, but still averaged 1.6 blocks per game.

A big reason for the drop-off? The Memphis Grizzlies were hurting badly with star players either out for the season or missing games left and right. JJJ himself missed 16 games on the year, while numerous games saw him limited due to blowouts.

Things should be better this year, as Ja Morant is back, the team has gotten healthy, and Zach Edey could take attention away from JJJ down low. This team actually being at full strength is a big reason I like them to win the NBA Cup this season.

It remains to be seen what Edey’s presence does for Jackson’s block numbers, of course, while it’s also worth noting Jackson is currently dealing with an injury and could miss some time.

My play? If you do want to bet on JJJ, wait a bit. His early-season injury will likely inflate his price, and you can get him at an even steeper discount.

Anthony Davis +2000

Someone you may want to target now to lead the league in blocks might be The Brow. Anthony Davis is still in his prime at age 31 and is coming off a dominant campaign where he put up 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per contest.

Davis was seen as an NBA Defensive Player of the Year snub by many, as he also added 2.3 blocks per game to his overall 2023-24 resume. That tied for the most blocks he’d had in any of the previous four seasons, which suggested a return to elite defensive form.

His shot-blocking average was also good for 4th in all of basketball.

I expect Davis to continue to be a problem on the defensive end of the floor. He doesn’t have quite the ceiling someone like Wemby does, but The Brow played 35 minutes per game last year, so it isn’t as if the Los Angeles Lakers are going to limit him.

There’s also the arrival of NBA Coach of the Year candidate J.J. Redick, who could end up using Davis in different and more effective ways than Darvin Ham or previous Lake Show coaches did.

If any of that ends up being true, it wouldn’t be that shocking to see Brow sniff 2.5+ blocks per game. Will that be enough to stave off Wemby? It seems unlikely, but Brow’s +2000 odds demand we at least consider him.

Chet Holmgren +2000

One other legit contender to rack up the most NBA blocks this year is Chet Holmgren. Other guys don’t really exhibit the same ceiling as some of the top contenders, but we know Chet still offers untapped potential.

Much like Wemby, Holmgren was never fully allowed to explode in his first full NBA season. He, too, averaged just under 30 minutes per game. Despite that, Holmgren swatted 2.3 shots per game, sliding in as the 5th best shot-blocker as a technical rookie.

Holmgren’s Per 36 minutes numbers would put him at 2.8 blocks per game. That obviously isn’t sniffing where Wemby is or can still get to, but we can’t really account for Holmgren’s individual growth, either.

Of all the viable challengers to Wemby, Chet Holmgren feels the most appealing, just because he is already in contention and his ceiling is massive.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the ebay teams in the NBA last year, and the odds are good that they’re ready to take another big step forward. A key part of that will be Chet’s continued development, which likely means a ton of blocks.

At his +2000 odds, I don’t mind swinging for the fences here.

Best 2024-25 NBA Blocks Leader Value Bet

My favorite value bet to lead the NBA in blocked shots is Daniel Gafford. His betting odds are insane at +25000, especially for a guy who had the 7th most blocked shots (2.1 per game) a season ago.

Gafford’s shot-blocking and general efficiency have never been in question. His issue is he doesn’t have much of an offensive game outside of the paint, and he can get a bit handsy on defense.

Foul trouble and limited offensively ability admittedly curb Gafford’s shot blocking ceiling, simply because he’s probably going to continue splitting floor time with fellow Dallas Mavericks center, Derek Lively.

He did see a decline in minutes after being shipped to Dallas, as his minutes went down by five and his blocks regressed by 0.3 compared to his time with the Washington Wizards.

So, clearly this could be a problem. However, the risk with Gafford is baked into his absurd price tag. He’s not a great bet to pace the NBA in blocked shots, but he can rack up swats with the best of them. 

The play here is rolling the dice on Gafford either 1. Being hyper-efficient with his blocks when he is playing and/or 2. Gafford earning more court time than Derek Lively. That, or maybe Lively gets hurt and Gafford is forced to play a ton.

Don’t believe more floor time matters? Gafford’s Per 36 minute stats tell me everything I need to know. When you stretch his minutes out, you’re looking at 3.2 blocks per game last year and a 2.8 average for his career.

I know we can’t fully rely on that. But it does mean the more Gafford plays, the more blocks he’s going to get. It’s a gamble, but we’re getting a top-10 shot-blocking menace at +25000. That is a bet I wouldn’t mind having a sprinkling of this year.

2024-25 NBA Blocks Leader Predictions

There are some solid contenders to lead the NBA in blocked shots. If you want to roll the dice like a former champ like Jaren Jackson Jr, I won’t stop you. If you want to bet on a veteran with elite shot-blocking ability like Anthony Davis, nobody can blame you.

Chet Holmgren looks like the most appealing challenger, however, and the best value bet has to be Daniel Gafford.

All of these options intrigue me, but they pale in comparison when looking at Wemby’s shot-blocking floor and ceiling. If last year is just the beginning – and in a season where he was held back – I’m a bit scared to bet against Wemby in this market.

Eating the -600 price doesn’t feel good, but barring injury, I can’t see anyone racking up more blocks than Victor Wembanyama. Of course, due to the odds, my suggestion is finding an alternative bet, or just betting on Wemby props during individual games.

That said, if you simply want the straight up NBA blocked shots leader, I think it’s an easy call.

Bet: Victor Wembanyama -600

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