After a break of over 140 days, the NBA 2020 season is set to restart at the end of July. Doubts still remain about the feasibility of holding the tournament in Orlando, Florida, and players have not been shy in voicing concerns about the competition.

As such, anyone interested in basketball betting might be a little cautious. After all, who knows if the season will suddenly be halted again? But there are other reasons to be careful. In short, the unprecedented nature of the rescheduled NBA season means that there are a lot of unknowns. That can throw up some advantages to bettors, but there are also some pitfalls.

Below we look at some of the factors you need to consider.

NBA teams will look quite different

Many contenders and playoff teams will be missing key players that have decided not to join their respective teams. They’ve dropped out for various reasons.The biggest question mark was where was James Harden?

After that, the Indiana Pacers’ Victor Oladipo who prefers to sit out of the seasons, but other factors might force him to suit up in the bubble.

A list of key players that would have logged decent minutes on playoff teams include Avery Bradley of the Lakers,, Trevor Ariza (Portland Trailblazers), Willie Cauley-Stein (Dallas Mavericks),  Thabo Sefolosha (Houston Rockets), and the Brooklyn Nets will be missing four important rotation players in Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, and Wilson Chandler.

Are Raptors serious contenders without Kawhi? 

A few things characterized the Toronto Raptors’ season. First of all, there was the brilliant response to the loss of Kawhi Leonard last summer. Leonard would leave a big hole in any team, but the defending champs coped admirably with the loss of the Finals MVP.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the Raptors were blighted with injuries. They have perhaps benefitted more than any other team from the break, and should be almost at full-strength in August.

When you consider that the Toronto Raptors had eight of their ten best players missing for more than ten games each so far, and they still posted a good record, the team might surprise when fully fit. 888sport give the Raptors a big price of 22/1 to repeat last year’s success.

Not many believe that the Raptors are serious contenders without Leonard? It won’t be easy. But this is a more dangerous team than the one that we saw back in March.

No more home court advantage 

It’s well known that playing in your own court and in front of a partisan crowd can propel a team – that’s why teams sludge through the season to get that one game advantage in the post season.

What happens to home advantage for a team like the Orlando Magic? Of course, the Magic technically have home advantage in every game, but their 16-15 record wasn’t anything special. The NBA has come up with various ideas to replace home advantage, such as giving first dibs on hotels, but it is not likely to compensate. In truth, it will impact some teams more than others.

The Milwaukee Bucks, regarded among the favorites at 5/2, had a superb 28-3 record when playing in Milwaukee. It’s even starker with teams like the Miami Heat, who posted a fine 27-5 home record and a terrible 14-19 away record. Any bettor should factor this information into their strategy. Yes, it’s a level playing field for all teams, but it’s still a fact that some teams rely on home comforts more than others. If you were wondering, the Lakers (26-6) have the best record on the road in NBA.

“Seeding Games” can be misleading

The regular season will conclude with eight games to determine the seeds for the final playoff bracket.

However, twelve teams have already qualified, and it’s just a matter of time for teams like the Dallas Mavericks, who are just a win or two away from securing a playoff spot. In short, there are going to be a lot of dead rubbers. In light of what we have said above about home advantage, will it be better to go all-out for the wins, or keep players fresh for the playoffs? In truth, we don’t know what teams are going to do. You can make an argument that everyone will want to build some momentum, but many of these Seeding Games might be essentially meaningless. It adds another piece to an intriguing puzzle.

One which NBA betters and talking heads will attempt to solve over the coming weeks.