Of all the trophies that Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won last season, the NBA scoring title is among the least important.
That being said, this basketball betting market is one of the most fun to track throughout the season, as the league’s brightest stars fill up the cup on a nightly basis.
Below, I’ll break down the 2025-26 NBA scoring leader odds and make my predictions for this season’s scoring champion.
NBA Scoring Leader Odds
These NBA lines are current as of Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 3:30 p.m. ET and courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+150)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+200)
- Luka Doncic (+500)
- Nikola Jokic (+1500)
- Devin Booker (+1500)
- Anthony Edwards (+1800)
- Joel Embiid (+2500)
- Jaylen Brown (+2800)
- Cade Cunningham (+3000)
- Jalen Brunson (+5000)
All other players have (+7500) odds or longer.
Who Will Be the NBA Scoring Leader in 2025-26?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+150)
Last season was a career year for SGA, who led the Thunder to the NBA championship, won the NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards, and earned his first scoring title.
The dynamic guard led the NBA with 32.7 points per game, his third consecutive season averaging at least 30 per night.
While Oklahoma City has plenty of talent on its roster, it’s clear that SGA is the alpha of this team, and he will be the one with the ball in his hands the majority of the time. He ranked 4th in the NBA last season with a 33.6% usage rate, falling only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and LaMelo Ball.
The 27-year-old is still at the peak of his powers and should continue to be one of the league’s dominant forces for years to come, making him a great candidate to repeat as scoring champion. Back SGA as your NBA bet of the day.
NBA Scoring Leader Favorites
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+200)
Giannis has never won an NBA scoring title. However, he continues to get closer to the elusive prize.
Last season, Antetokounmpo was the only other player besides SGA to average at least 30 points per game (30.4), earning his second straight runner-up finish in the scoring title race.
The Greek Freak’s unmatched athleticism, size, and speed make him one of the toughest players in the NBA to stop, which helped him score at least 30 points per game in each of the last three seasons.
My only concern in backing him in this market is that a potential trade away from the Milwaukee Bucks could limit his usage if it materializes.
Luka Doncic (+500)
Last season was an unpredictable one for the 2024 NBA scoring champion, who was traded midseason from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic also dealt with injuries during the campaign, limiting him to 50 games played across his two teams. In addition to struggles staying on the court, he also had to learn to play with new teammates, including LeBron James.
Still, he averaged 28.2 points per game last season with the purple and gold, just a few ticks shy of his career scoring average.
With James likely nearing the end of his historic career, the pressure is on Doncic to make the Lakers his team moving forward. He averaged upwards of 32 points per game each of the previous two seasons before the trade, so he’s more than capable of winning this award if he returns to peak form.
NBA Scoring Leader Contenders
Devin Booker (+1500)
Devin Booker is one of the purest scorers in the NBA, and he’s never had a situation as favorable as the one he has entering this season.
The Phoenix Suns’ star is no longer part of a big three after the offseason departures of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Booker is the top scoring option on this Suns team, which isn’t expected to be a contender in the West.
The Kentucky product averaged 25.6 points per game last season and scored more than 27 per night each of the previous two campaigns.
Booker will have to average 30 points per game to have a chance to win this award, but given the lack of support around him, it’s not inconceivable that he could overcome these odds.
Anthony Edwards (+1800)
Edwards is one of my favorite bets to win this award because his game continues to reach new heights.
The 24-year-old averaged a career high 27.6 points per game last season across 79 contests, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Edwards took significantly more three-point attempts last season and also converted at a career-best 39.5% rate from behind the arc.
He has improved his scoring output year over year in each of his NBA seasons, and if he continues to do that, he could crack the 30-point threshold this season.
NBA Scoring Leader Sleepers
Jaylen Brown (+2800)
Brown is not someone I would typically consider for this award. Still, the Boston Celtics’ expected reliance on their lone healthy star makes him a legitimate sleeper candidate to win the scoring title.
Somehow, Boston must fill the 26.8 points-per-game void left by Jason Tatum while their star recovers from his Achilles injury.
Brown, the team’s second leading scorer a season ago with 22.2 points per game, is the most likely option, especially with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis out of the picture.
The 28-year-old has never averaged more than 26.6 points per game in a season, but I expect him to rival that mark as the Celtics’ top scoring option this campaign.
Cade Cunningham (+3000)
Cunningham finished 7th in the NBA in scoring last season, setting a new career high with 26.1 points per game across 70 contests.
The Detroit Pistons’ star attempted over 20 field goals per game, the second-most in the NBA behind Gilgeous-Alexander.
Like Edwards, Cunningham has improved his scoring average in each of his NBA seasons, and showed last year in the playoffs that he can be the true alpha on a contending team.
The 24-year-old has plenty of potential to one day win an NBA scoring title, though asking it to be this season could be a year too soon.
Previous NBA Scoring Champions
Here are the last five NBA scoring champions:
2025: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2024: Luka Doncic
2023: Joel Embiid
2022: Joel Embiid
2021: Stephen Curry
