NBA Southwest Division Odds: Can the Grizzlies Overcome the Suspension of Ja Morant?

The NBA season is right around the corner. Heading into the 2023-24 campaign, there are clear favorites in terms of contenders for the NBA title. However, the Southwest Division is one that could be up for grabs among a few teams.

Let's take a look at this division and see how things look going into the season

Here are the Southwest Division odds, per the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook:

Memphis Grizzlies (+145)

The Memphis Grizzlies won the Southwest Division last season with 51 wins. This was good for second in the Western Conference.

They didn't make any big moves in the offseason before, instead relying on young players taking a step forward. The likes of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. joined Ja Morant to form a talented and fairly young core.

The biggest story of their offseason involved Morant. He got involved in a second incident involving a gun and will be suspended for the first 25 games of the season. This is obviously a big loss, but it's not the end of the world for Memphis.

Memphis made a trade for Marcus Smart this offseason, and he can start in Morant's stead. He doesn't offer the same offensive abilities as Morant, but he is one of the best defenders in the NBA at the guard position.

Smart's addition should strengthen an already elite Memphis D. The Grizzlies were second in defensive rating last season and should be tough on that end again in 2023-24.

They are favorites to repeat as Southwest champions and have a deep enough squad to do just that.

Dallas Mavericks (+185)

The Dallas Mavericks experienced a collapse last season that shocked the NBA world. After going to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, the Mavs found themselves not even making the play-in round in 2023.

People can point to the acquisition of Kyrie Irving as the reason for their downfall, and it's hard to argue with that. The Mavs went 7-18 after they traded for Irving, with Spencer Dinwiddie being a bigger loss than potentially anticipated.

Dallas, however, didn't see this as a deterrent to re-signing Irving, so he'll be on the team from the jump this season. It remains to be seen if he and Luka Doncic can co-exist on the floor together. If they can, the duo will be really fun to watch.

The biggest offseason addition for Dallas was Seth Curry, who teams up with Kyrie once again. They also added Grant Williams, who can provide shooting as a wing and depth.

We'll have to see if the supremely talented duo of Doncic and Irving can put things together to make a run at a division title. Doncic is a player I wouldn't want to bet against very often, but with that said, I'm not sure I'd want to back the Mavs at +185.

New Orleans Pelicans (+210)

The last team with a realistic chance to win the Southwest is the New Orleans Pelicans. Like Dallas, they had a disappointing end to their season and will want to change that moving forward.

The big question mark around the success of the Pelicans is the health of Zion Williamson. He played just 29 games last year after missing the entire 2021-22 season. He averaged 26.0 points per game last season, so his abilities haven't diminished despite the lengthy injury history.

Zion has played more than 20 minutes in each of New Orleans' three preseason games so far, so he looks good to go (knock on wood). The rest of the team is not lacking talent and could push for the division title if Zion is a factor.

Brandon Ingram had probably the best season of his career last year. He averaged career-best marks in points (24.7) and assists per game (5.8). C.J. McCollum was also very good in his first full season in New Orleans, averaging 20.9 points per game.

The Pelicans have depth in their bigs, with veterans Jonas Valanciunas and Cody Zeller along with an up-and-comer in Herbert Jones, someone who can defend multiple positions. They ranked sixth in defensive rating last season, and it could be even better with more games from Zion.

New Orleans is certainly an intriguing team to bet at this +210 number if Williamson can play 60-plus games.

Houston Rockets (+4000)

Next, we'll get to two extreme long shots in the Southwest, a pair of squads that are in the middle of a rebuild.

The first team is the Houston Rockets, who won just 22 games last season. They didn't get the luck in the lottery that they wanted and ended up picking fourth in the draft. They likely will be vying for a high pick once again.

Houston was busy this off-season and added a good veteran guard in Fred VanVleet in free agency. They also landed Ime Udoka as head coach. However, they traded Kevin Porter Jr. after he had another off-court incident that made his spot in the NBA untenable at the moment. Porter was supposed to be a big part of their future after signing an $82-million extension, so this is a loss for them.

They added two talented players in the draft in Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore to go with their young core of Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith and Jalen Green. This is a nice nucleus to build around, but the Rockets probably won't have a ton of success this season.

The Rockets are +750 to just make the playoffs, so winning the division is pretty much out the window.

San Antonio Spurs (+8000)

The San Antonio Spurs can be considered the winners of the offseason. They won the draft lottery and were able to select Victor Wembanyama, a player who could possibly be a generational NBA talent.

Wembanyama has been as advertised so far in the preseason. He's scored 43 points in just 42 minutes of action and looks the part of a unique basketball player with an insane ceiling.

Like the Rockets, the Spurs have some young players who they should feel good about, and it's not just Wembanyama. Devin Vassell took a big leap forward in 2022-23, averaging 18.5 points after scoring just 12.3 per night in 2021-22. He recently signed a $146-million extension, the largest in Spurs history, and is going to be key pillar of the rebuild.

Jeremy Sochan had a decent rookie season after being picked ninth overall in 2022. Tre Jones looks like he can be an NBA contributor as a point guard. These are some solid building blocks around Wembanyama, but it's unlikely to be enough to compete this season.

It's somewhat easier to feel more optimistic about San Antonio than Houston, but make no bones about it -- it would take a miracle for either team to win the division. Save your money and bet on one of the Grizz, Mavs or Pels.

Do you think you know which NBA teams will succeed or falter this season? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA division odds market to bet any team's win total with America's Number One Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.