The Step Back's Official Guide to All-Star Weekend prop bets

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Skills Challenge

Undoubtedly the strangest of the events on show at All-Star Weekend since the Shooting Stars competition was put out to pasture, the Skills Challenge is a frantic and unpredictable scramble that is likely more open than ever before.

Traditionally a contest that favored smaller, skilled guards, the shift in direction and skill around the NBA means that this event is no longer as cut and dry as it used to be. Before Karl-Anthony Towns emerged victorious last year, the event had been won by a guard in every year since its inception in 2003.

In a league where skills may be distributed more evenly than ever, it’s an event that offers real risk from a betting perspective, but as a result also provides the possibility to pick out a long shot winner.

As the odds below would suggest, Isaiah Thomas and John Wall stand out as players who would seem to have the right mixture of ball-handling, passing and shooting to excel on this stage. If there’s such thing as a safe bet, it’s likely found between those two.

Saying that, the most intriguing player in the field comes in the form of late replacement for Joel Embiid and current dark horse, Nikola Jokic. At the time of writing, Jokic is yet to have been assigned odds by most major bookmakers and sports books, yet the 21-year-old has wowed spectators around the league throughout the season with his passing, while also shooting 36.3 percent from 3-point range. If you’re looking to pick an outsider, Jokic could be your guy.

(All odds for this market are accurate as of 2/15, and can be found listed at bet365 and Paddy Power)

Isaiah Thomas

Odds: +230 (bet365), +200 (Paddy Power)

John Wall

Odds: +275 (bet365), +250 (Paddy Power)

Devin Booker

Odds: +500 (bet365), +650 (Paddy Power)

Kristaps Porzingis

Odds: +650 (bet365), +650 (Paddy Power)

Anthony Davis

Odds: +900 (bet365), +1100 (Paddy Power)

Gordon Hayward