2024 NBA Skills Competition: A More Even Playing Field This Time
The Home Team is Not Favored This Time Around
NBA Odds Have It Between “Top Picks” vs “All-Stars”
But can the home team, “Team Pacers” come away with an upset at +215? They are not much underdogs as “Team Top Picks” is at +150 and “Team All-Stars” is at +160. This is not like previous seasons where the home teams won with favored odds. Now, Indiana is the dog and will need to push to win this 2024 NBA Skills Competition. With star guard Tyrese Haliburton leading the trio, it’s more than possible.
All Eyes are on Myles Turner For Team Pacers
Of the nine participants playing in this 2024 NBA Skills Competition, forward-center Myles Turner stands out. The 27-year-old typically does not handle the ball and he is not much of a passer either averaging 1.2 assists in his career. He can shoot and is the second-tallest participant at 6’11”, however. But the fate of his team depends on him.
“I think I might just watch film… there’s really no way to practice. All about instinct,” Turner said of the event.
Indeed, Turner sees no reason to sharpen his skills to help Team Pacers beat the NBA All-Star odds. It is just for fun after all and Turner, along with teammate Bennedict Mathurin, missed their last game against Toronto with illnesses. These may have mild impacts on their team’s chances of winning.
Mathurin, the sophomore star, is also not much of a passer with an average of just 1.6 in his career. He can shoot the heck out of the basketball and is a stellar athlete. So he and Turner will need to find ways to make up for their skill deficiencies to help Haliburton, who leads the NBA in assists per game at 11.7, drag this team to a victory.
Team Pacers are also all new to this contest whereas their opponents have at least one member who has experience playing this skills challenge.
Top Picks or All-Stars? Who’s The Better Bet
The Top Picks consist of three of the last four first-overall picks for the NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards (2020), Paolo Banchero (2022), and Victor Wembanyama (2023). The All-Stars consist of two new All-Star selections Scottie Barnes and Tyrese Maxey plus three-time selection Trae Young. All six players are capable ballhandler’s and able shooters.
Combined, Team Top Picks is also the biggest team with Edwards being the shortest member at 6’4”. Banchero is 6’10” and Wembanyama is 7’4”. With their size and all-around skill set, they have the shortest odds to win the 2024 NBA Skills Competition though by a slim margin over Team All-Stars.
The All-Stars still have the better set of skills and have more experience. Banchero and Wembanyama are crafty passers and their long legs will help with striding down the court. But Young and Maxey are more natural guards and being smaller could help them weave in and out of the obstacle course. Barnes is not as spry as his teammates here but moves pretty swiftly for a 6’7” swingman.
Young and Barnes have also participated in the contest before albeit in losing efforts. The former almost won as he lost to Jayson Tatum in the finals when the challenge was still a 1-on-1 between players. Barnes, on the other hand, played for “Team Rooks” as they lost to “Team Cavs” in 2022, which was the first year for this team-based format.
Given the experience and more “natural” skill set of Team All-Stars, they may be a better NBA free pick over Team Top Picks. However, “big men” have enjoyed plenty of success in this skills challenge. From 2016 to 2021, just before the format change, four of the six challenges were won by a forward-center type of player.
The Skills Challenge: How Does It Work?
The skills competition is one of the first to be played on the NBA All-Star Weekend schedule. The three teams will look to accumulate the most points over three rounds: a team relay just like the original format, a passing challenge, and a shooting challenge. The first two rounds are worth 100 points for the winners and the last is worth 200.
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