Los Angeles Clippers Soar in NBA Championship Odds After John Wall Signing

Clip City is now one of the favorites to be Chip City this upcoming NBA season. 

The Los Angeles Clippers will sign John Wall in free agency after Wall agreed to a buyout with the Houston Rockets. Wall hasn’t played in over a year, and averaged 20.6 points per game in the 40 games he played during the 2020-21 season. It’s been a long time since he’s been on the court, but the oddsmakers believe he still has a lot left to contribute. 

I also agree with the oddsmakers that John Wall’s signing isn’t just noise. While it has been a long time since Wall played, this is going to be the smallest role he’s been in. Wall has averaged at least 32 minutes per game every season of his career. That won’t happen this season. He’s going to play in spurts, and that’s going to keep him fresh. 

Los Angeles’ odds to win the title stayed at +700, but the rest of the teams had their odds moved further back – giving the Clippers the second-shortest odds to win the title behind only the Warriors. 

Obviously, the Clippers’ biggest need is a big man. They’ve been exposed before when going small in the playoffs. However, Wall’s signing will give Reggie Jackson some rest and it will give the Clippers a veteran point guard who can set up the offense for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. 

John Wall will still be able to get up and down the court, so expect to see the Clippers run a little bit more in transition. 

I don’t think anybody is expecting John Wall to be the All-Star caliber player he was before his injury. Still, he has the potential to give the Clippers depth and leadership – which you can never have too much of. 

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.