Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine put on one of the most memorable Dunk Contests in history last year, going toe-to-toe in a can-you-top-this showdown. LaVine came away with the crown for his second consecutive dunk contest title, but he won’t be participating in this one.
Gordon is back and a heavy favorite to win this year’s competition against three other contestants. Gordon has insane athleticism and proved last year that he can perform under the bright lights. We will have to see what he has up his sleeve this time around but it seems likely that he comes out and wows the audience once again.
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Gordon has unreal athleticism and can pull off a variety of dunks with ease. He would have won the Dunk Contest in a normal year last time out but him and LaVine put on a showdown for the ages. It would have been fun to see the duo face off once again but LaVine decided to pass on a chance to win a third straight title.
Gordon is listed as -200 to win the title this time around as many expect him to outclass the rest of the field. His biggest competition is expected to be Derrick Jones, Jr. Jones is an interesting case because he has barely been on the Suns’ roster this season, spending much of the year in the D-League.
He doesn’t contribute in Phoenix in any meaningful way but showed in the D-League his explosive dunking ability. While he is yet to make an impact on the NBA in the regular season, he would love to put on a show in this event. Jones is listed as the +155 underdog and is clearly the top contender to Gordon.
Glenn Robinson III is also in the contest and hopes to keep pace with the favorites. His odds are listed at +750 and he would pay off nicely if he can put a string of impressive dunks together to upset Gordon and Jones.
DeAndre Jordan is the biggest underdog in the event. He has impressive athleticism, but it’s fair to wonder if his height will limit him. Dwight Howard did well in the Dunk Contest in the past and Jordan would love to follow in those footsteps as a dominant big man, but his odds are listed at +1200.
Dunk Contest Details
The four participants will get two dunks apiece in the first round. There will be no time limit and they will have a maximum of three attempts to successfully complete the dunk. However, the judges tend to take away points for extra attempts.
The two players with the highest combined scores face off in the finals. There will be five judges that can choose scores between six and 10, with a ‘50’ the highest score available. LaVine and Gordon hit that number often last season.
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Gordon is the clear favorite and should certainly be in the finals. However, a couple of things are working in Jones’ favor. He has never shown his dunks in this competition before, and his underdog story makes him a player worth rooting for.
It’s quite possible Gordon makes the rest of the contestants look silly and runs away with this thing, but at these odds, the choice is for Jones to wow the crowd and come away with the slight upset. Gordon isn’t a bad pick. Jordan and Robinson III, though, are too big of underdogs to choose, even if they would pay off nicely.
NBA Dunk Champion: Derrick Jones, Jr.
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