Jaren Jackson Jr. is having another impressive scoring year, and it’s helped the Grizzlies to a 29-15 record. The former Defensive Player of the Year upped his field goal percentage from 44.4 to 49.1 percent.
He’s taken on the primary scoring duties when Ja Morant is sidelined, which has kept the Grizzlies as a top three seed in the Western Conference. They’ll have a relatively easy matchup tonight against the Pelicans, who are 14th in the conference.
The Grizzlies are 11-point favorites and the game total is set at 244 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Below, I have featured my favorite Jackson prop bets to consider from this contest.
Best Jaren Jackson Jr. Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Jaren Jackson Jr. over 1.5 blocks (+100)
It’s hard to gauge Jackson’s offensive stats with Morant questionable for tonight’s game against the Pelicans. His responsibilities will change depending on whether the star guard is available and for how many minutes.
Instead, a defensive prop bet is much safer. Jackson is two years removed from his Defensive Player of the Year campaign in which he led the NBA in blocks per game at 3.0. The year prior he also led the league with 2.3 blocks per game.
His numbers have dipped to 1.6 in the past two seasons, but he’s still a solid defender. Blocks aren’t a telltale sign that a player is a good defender, so it’s not alarming that Jackson’s numbers have decreased.
Though his season averages have dropped, his numbers against New Orleans have remained impressive over the past two seasons. He’s averaging 2.5 blocks per game in two games against the Pelicans this year and had 2.3 per game in four games last season.
This isn’t just a trend over the past two years. Jackson’s block average against the Pelicans each year has been greater than his overall season average. It’s a good time to jump on this train as tonight’s over 1.5 blocks prop bet has plus-money value.