Kicking off the 2023 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night festivities is the Kia Skills Challenge. The three-team, three-round competition puts teams through a timed relay, passing, and shooting challenge. The winning team of the relay and passing competition earns 100 "Challenge Points", while 200 "Challenge Points" are awarded to the team that wins the shooting challenge.
Last season, the hometown trio, Team Cavs, edged Team Rookies to win the Skills Challenge, highlighted by Evan Mobley hitting a half-court shot in the final tiebreaker. The format was a bit different than it is this time around, though. Now, more onus is put on the team's shooting abilities, seemingly giving the better-shooting team the biggest edge in winning it all. For more information on the Skills Challenge, check out NBA.com's breakdown of the event.
If you're looking to bet on the Skills Challenge, we've handicapped the field and selected one team we think has the versatility and drive (along with enticing odds) to claim this year's crown.
Who's competing in the Kia NBA Skills Challenge?
- Team Jazz (Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, and Jordan Clarkson)
- Team Rookies (Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, and Jabari Smith Jr.)
- Team Antetokounmpo (Jrue Holiday, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Alex Antetokounmpo) *Holiday will reportedly replace Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Skills Challenge, per Jim Owczarski.*
The Kia Skills Challenge participants and teams ⬇️
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 15, 2023
Event format and rules: https://t.co/VAIPdW1jWl pic.twitter.com/ur44fm07JN
NBA Skills Challenge Odds 2023
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
| Team | Odds |
| Team Jazz | -120 |
| Team Rookies | +140 |
| Team Antetokounmpo | +475 |
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Team Jazz sits as the odds-on favorites at -120. Between Sexton's burst and elite floor spacing ability, Clarkson's well-rounded skillset and experience, and Kessler's length and nimbleness as a seven-footer, the betting market's correctly assessed them as the team to beat. It also doesn't hurt that they'll likely display solid chemistry given they play together daily and are also competing in their home arena.
Team Rookies, consisting of three of the top five selections in the 2022 NBA Draft, is priced with the second-lowest odds at +140. Led by No. 1 picks and the overwhelming favorite to win this season's Rookie of the Year award, Paolo Banchero, Team Rookies is hoping to put on a show for the nation to see. No. 2 pick, Jabari Smith Jr., and No. 5 selection, Jaden Ivey, round out Team Rookies, and their pedigree alone could be enough to lead them to a Skills Challenge title.
Last up are the Athens boys, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and brothers Thanasis and Alex get a chance to make amends for last year's last-place finish. The betting market isn't expecting the AntetokounBros to have much success, pricing them with the highest odds to win the contest at +475. Even though the format's a bit different than last season, their experience certainly won't hurt their chances of pulling off an upset.
Before we get into our best bet, make sure you're shopping around the various legal sportsbooks in your state to find the best possible odds on the participants you want to bet on. Relative to betting on a regular-season game, the skills challenge odds can fluctuate from book to book, so getting the highest potential return on your wager is all the more important.
2023 NBA Skills Challenge Best Bet
Team Jazz -120 (implied probability 54.55 percent)
We're laying the chalk and riding with the hometown favorites, expecting Sexton, Clarkson, and Kessler to put on a show for the home crowd. While a nice plus-money payout on Team Rookies and Team Antetokounmpo is enticing, Team Jazz's elite shooting ability gives them a massive upper hand over the rest of the competition. Again, with the team shooting competition winning team earning 200 "Challenge Points," there's a decent chance the skills competition is boiled down to the last of the three mini-games.
Sexton and Clarkson are both shooting north of 44 percent from the field, and while Kessler boasts a 71.2-percent shooting percentage, he won't have the luxury of living in the paint. While Kessler's likely a liability in the shooting challenge, per the official rules, each player needs to attempt at least one shot. While Sexton and Clarkson likely won't phase Kessler out entirely, there's a chance he attempts the fewest number of shots, giving Team Jazz a good chance to win the shooting competition.
As far as the team relay and passing competitions, we think Team Jazz's chemistry and cohesiveness are enough to lead it to a win in at least one of the mini-games. Claiming at least one of the first two mini-games while winning the shooting competition should result in the hometown team claiming the Skills Challenge title for a second-straight season.
