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2024 Paris Olympic Basketball Best Bets

The Olympic basketball tournament begins on Saturday in Paris, one of the marquee events on the program.

By Benjamin Upson

Jul 25, 2024; Paris, France; The Eiffel Tower prior at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremonies. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 25, 2024; Paris, France; The Eiffel Tower prior at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremonies. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Bonjour! The Paris Olympics have finally arrived and we are on the cusp of 15 straight days of athletic events with some of the greatest athletes in the world. While the slate runs very deep every four years, basketball is one of the marquee events that will take center stage at these games.

While the United States enters as a heavy favorite, they are not the only country to target in this event. The hometown France team will be a contender, Serbia, Canada and Australia also are expected to be in the mix. Remember, there are 10 minute quarters as Olympic competition is run by FIBA.

Here’s what to target at the Olympics.

Best Olympic Basketball Bets

  • Germany To Win Group B (+220)
  • Victor Wembanyama Most Total Points (+700)
  • Canada To Win A Medal (-110)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Germany To Win Group B

One of the groups to watch in this tournament would definitely be from Germany. They have caught a lot of attention following their most recent battle with the United States in exhibition play, but they appear ready to compete. Their roster is headlined by Mo and Franz Wagner, Dennis Schroeder and Daniel Theis.

Franz Wagner has played well in the preparation games. Against the United States, he tallied 18 points and 7 rebounds. In the prior game versus Japan, he posted 27 points and 8 rebounds. Schroeder and Theis have additionally averaged in double digits for the Germans. They are clicking well and even defeated France in an exhibition game.

I’m not going to stick with the chalk here. Maybe I’m going off recency bias in the game against the United States, but this roster has good enough talent to win this group. While taking on France is going to be a challenge, I’m gonna back the Germans to make some noise in French territory.

Victor Wembanyama Most Total Points

France has a great chance to walk home with some hardware in this position and have formed a roster that is capable of being in the final medal events at the end. NBA star Victor Wembanyama is at the forefront of this roster and is set to shine in the Paris spotlight, his home country.

He had a very strong exhibition series, averaging 18.4 points, 8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game with the French national team. He leads in all of those categories. While the USA has a lot of depth, Wembanyama has the ability to explode any given game with his size and athleticism. His presence alone startles defenders who will have trouble defending his 7’4” stature.

He’s among the top of the list for this prop of most tournament points but is still hovering around +700. There’s some real value with this play and I love his skillset that he put forth this season in the NBA. Wemby is a multi-purpose player and I think he wants to show out back here in his home nation. I’ll gladly wager on this.

Canada To Win A Medal

The Canadian team enters these games with a strong roster. The talent pool includes Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Lugentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett. It’s been a rough go for the Canadians who have yet to reach the Olympic podium since 1936. This year, it feels significantly different.

Barrett, Gilgeous-Alexander and Brooks have all averaged north of 13 points per game for this team. As a team, the Canadians shoot approximately 43 percent from the field and they are quickly progressing into a contender at these Olympics. I really believe that SGA is a major factor here. The Thunder star averaged 30.1 points and 6.2 assists this season in the NBA. He is going to quickly emerge as the leader of this squad.

This team from top to bottom is too talented to leave Paris without any medal. We’re getting a really ideal price too at around even money in this spot. There are plenty of versatile players to go around and it should be in good hands here. I fully expect Canada to contend for the silver medal behind the United States. It’s been long overdue for the curse to be broken. For the first time in 88 years, I’m banking on Canada to take home some hardware.

Note: Odds are subject to change.

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