DraftKings King of the Court: Favorites and Sleeper Picks (10/21/25)

October 21, 2026

Koby Hanson provides his favorite players to target with prop bets tonight in DraftKings King of the Court contest. Turn five bucks into a big payout by finding the right player to bet on every week this season!

Welcome back to the NBA season, RotoBallers! It's been a long four months waiting for the season to get back underway. We have a new article to start the season off! DraftKings looks as if they will continue the King of the Court promotions as they did all season last year! I was able to nail it a few times, which led to a windfall of free bets and a profitable year. Some of the payouts can be really good! Let's check out what spots I'm targeting on this loaded 11-game slate.

With plenty of options, I will be narrowing it down to just five spots that include two of the more popular options on the slate, as well as a few pivots that I'm considering as well. If you are looking for any other bets or DFS help, make sure to check out the RotoBaller Premium Discord where I and other writers will be in there chatting about the upcoming slate and any updates that might pop up along the way!

In this article, I will provide my favorite picks for the DraftKings King of the Court contest on Wednesday, October 21st. And don't forget to grab a RotoBaller Premium Pass, which is highly discounted and includes DFS, betting, props, and season-long tools like the Team Sync platform. 

How King of the Court Works

King of the Court has quickly become very popular amongst DraftKings users. It involves picking who you believe will be the player with the highest PRA (Points/Rebounds/Assists) total for the night. You don't even have to win the prop bet to win the KOTC! You simply have to make a qualifying wager of $5 or more on the player who finishes as the leader in PRA.

There are a few ways to go about it; a lot of people will take the chalk and take the small bonus bets they get with it (since you have to split the pot with hundreds of thousands of other bettors). Or if you are like me, you like to get a little different, and that can lead to some big payouts!

I hit a few of these last season, including the game where Bam Adebayo went for 83 points! That led to me landing over 1k in bonus bets! Tonight, DraftKings has a 5 million-dollar pot to start the season off with a bang! That means everyone who picks the player with the highest PRA splits it evenly! Let's get to the picks, already!

DraftKings King of the Court Picks: The Chalk

Luka Doncic over 40.5 Points and Assists (-117 DK)

Luka very well could hit this number off points alone, but getting the extra bump in assists, where he will likely handle the ball full-time now that LeBron James is gone. In 20 games without LeBron since joining the Lakers, Doncic has had at least five assists in 18 of them. He has double-digit assists in eight of them. Luka Doncic was easily one of the most played guys in KOTC last season, and I won't be surprised if that continues. His ability to do stuff all around the court is second to none.

That being said, the payout will likely be fairly low, even with a payout as big as DraftKings is doing for the first week of the NBA season. A lot of people bet at the beginning of the season, with all the bonus bets and boosts they are giving out, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of the KOTC's largest turnouts.

Luka grades out better than everyone in our model, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the KOTC, but what's the fun in just going with Luka? Let's look at some other options as well.

Jalen Johnson over 30.5 Points and Rebounds (-120 DK)

Jalen Johnson was someone I targeted a ton last year. He has consistently been one of those guys that flirt with a triple-double on a nightly basis. His biggest downside is the scoring, though; he isn't quite the scorer that some of these other guys are, which hurts a bit when it comes to getting those high totals. Orlando is also one of the tougher matchups on the slate, but as of right now, Jalen Johnson is going to be the main producer on this team.

With no Trae Young on the team, Johnson will look to increase his scoring while keeping the rest of his game intact. The Hawks made some decent additions to their bench in Aaron Wiggins and Luguentz Dort, but nothing that will affect him in terms of production or usage.

Johnson had by far his best season, seeing a significant increase in scoring and assists while still averaging over 10 boards a game. If he can get by a tough Orlando defense, he should be there among the top guys on the slate.

DraftKings King of the Court Picks: The Pivots

When you are going after players such as Luka or Giannis, you definitely have a higher probability of hitting, but everyone else is taking them, too. It makes it likely that the payout will be quite minimal. So having other options in great spots, and hoping they pop off while guys like Luka maybe have a bit of a low-key game, is ideal when trying to go for as big of bonus bets as possible!

Darius Garland over 31.5 Points and Assists (-118 DK)

This might be one of my favorite spots on the slate. We are getting Darius Garland as the only true star on this lowly Clippers team going against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Sacramento Kings. The Kings also make for a prime matchup for Garland. The Kings were giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing PGs last season, while giving up the second-most points, seventh-most rebounds, and seventh-most assists.

Garland's usage is about to explode; with no Kawhi Leonard on the team, he will be the primary scorer and ball handler for the Clippers. As long as this game stays close, we should expect Garland to play 35+ minutes. I'm really excited to see how Garland looks in this offense, and it's just the perfect spot to start the season off. As long as Garland can get involved with the rebounds, then he could give some of the top guys a run for their money.

Deni Avdija over 29.5 Points and Rebounds (-105 DK)

I think this could be a sneaky good option as well. I think a lot of people will see the addition of Damian Lillard and Ja Morant to this Blazers squad and think there is too much going on with this team for Avdija to still get a large workload. But I think he is still going to get a ton of usage in this offense. I think he takes a small step back as a ball handler, so he won't get as many assists, but I think his scoring is still going to be there, and his aggressiveness when it comes to getting boards.

Deni Avdija was STELLAR this season 🤩

24.2 PPG (career-high)
6.9 RPG
6.7 APG (career-high)

He's just the second player in franchise history to average at least 24/6/6 - joining Clyde Drexler (1991-92). https://t.co/6nKvJfcDQJ

— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2026

During preseason, he had two games of 23 points or better, both of which were played with 25 minutes or less. This goes to show how needed he will be in this offense. I think Micah Nori has made it fairly clear that he is going to get Deni the ball as much as possible. His aggressiveness in the paint and being able to get to the line can be good for a 30-point night at any time. If he can still muster up five or more assists along with eight-plus boards. He could be in for a 40+ PRA night.

Cameron Boozer over 25.5 Points and Rebounds (-112 DK)

Do you want an absolute longshot with very minimal chance of hitting? Why not, right? This will soon be Cameron Boozer's team, and it's only a matter of time, because this kid is going to be dynamite, and on a roster that needs offense, he really can be a bright spot for them. Outside of Ty Jerome and maybe Cedric Coward, who will be producing on this team? That's why I think Boozer could be a sneaky good pivot.

Boozer had a solid preseason, while only playing less than 30 minutes. I imagine if he is playing well, then the Grizzlies will see what he can handle. In the final preseason game, he finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. He is also getting a great matchup against a Jazz team that couldn't figure out how to play defense for the life of them. They are getting the former Grizzly in Jaren Jackson Jr., which should help the defense a little bit.

Boozer was electric in his time with Duke, and it's only a matter of time before we start seeing double-double games consistently from him. Why not start the season off with a big game from the big man!

NBA Betting Tools & Resources

Don't forget to utilize all of the NBA DFS and betting tools we have here at RotoBaller! The NBA betting landscape changes by the minute throughout the day, so stay up to date with the latest odds and market values with our NBA DFS and betting tools and projections.

• NBA Betting Picks Tool
• NBA Props Optimizer
• DFS Matchup Ratings and Projections
• NBA Injury Report

Thanks for reading, RotoBallers, and good luck if you are tailing our bets tonight!

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