5 NBA teams to bet in 2020-21

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If the 2019-20 NBA campaign ultimately ends without a formal postseason, it would leave a bitter taste in the mouths of bettors who found early value - Lakers at 25-1, anyone? - but would have to cope with a wasted ticket.

Still, the success of certain teams pre-shutdown was a reminder that it's never too early to find value in the market. When odds are eventually released for 2020-21, you should be ready to pounce on these five teams.

Dallas Mavericks

Quick, name the team with the best offensive rating in the NBA this season. No, it's not the Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, or Bucks. Those teams aren't even close to Mavericks, whose offensive rating (15.8) was more than two points higher than any other squad when the league suspended play - and that was despite Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis missing a combined 29 games.

If not for Doncic's midseason injury, the 21-year-old star could have made a real run at this year's MVP, and he'll be a preseason favorite next year. Any team with an MVP contender is worth a look, especially one with an elite offense, a veteran coaching staff, and nearly the entire rotation under contract for another season. Without the sizzle of the other top teams, Dallas will be among the best buys on the market.

Boston Celtics

We're beyond the point where you'll ever get stellar value on the Celtics, who've churned out 48-plus-win seasons with a roster that always feels "one year away" from title contention. Well, next year could be that year. Jayson Tatum took a true star turn in the weeks before the league suspended play, which helped his squad post the league's fourth-best net rating (plus-5.3) over its final 25 games.

Boston's defense showed signs of elite upside, too, so if Tatum can fully establish himself as a superstar offensively, this team should be in the mix as an East contender. The Celtics also have three first-round picks this year, because of course they do, so there could be another key piece added to this roster before next season.

Portland Trail Blazers

Injuries are unpredictable, and they always derail at least one or two teams before the action gets going. This season, that was the case for the Blazers, who couldn't overcome their frontcourt issues with Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic on the shelf.

Yet Portland still rallied to within a few spots of the eighth seed pre-shutdown, and it'll likely add a lottery pick (maybe a wing?) to a roster that was in the Western Conference finals a year ago and won't face another free-agent exodus this offseason. If the Blazers enter the year in the 30-1 or 40-1 range, that would be stellar value.

Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta felt like a classic "year too early" team heading into this season, and sure enough, the Hawks succumbed to youth and lousy defense en route to a substandard campaign. Take one look at the roster, though, and there's obvious potential for a strong Year 2 of the rebuild.

In addition to an extra year for its young guns, Atlanta should enter the 2020 offseason with the most cap space of any team in the league - a crucial advantage in a time when the cap could go down and freeze most teams' spending. Add a healthy Clint Capela and a potential top-five pick to a cast of savvy veteran free-agent signings, and the Hawks should be able to convert intrigue into a playoff spot.

Memphis Grizzlies

Remember when the Grizzlies were supposed to be a fun League Pass team as they suffered through a rebuilding season? Instead, rookie Ja Morant averaged 17.6 points and 6.9 assists on nearly 50% shooting and carried Memphis to the eighth seed in the West pre-shutdown.

The Grizz won't have the benefit of another lottery pick this offseason, though they were already an above-average team by advanced metrics a year ago with one of the least experienced squads in the NBA. So, Memphis won't be threatening for a title, but it should still be a great "over" candidate for wins and have game-to-game value.

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.