Every June, some of the top stars from both overseas and the college ranks have their dreams come true when they’re taken in the NBA Draft. And each fall, the pressure is on their shoulders to live up to the hype during their rookie campaigns. The odds for the NBA Rookie of the Year 2024 are updated as of Apr 23, 2024:
Chet Holmgren to win 2023/24 Rookie of the Year
Congratulations to the 2023 Rookie of the Year
Congratulations to Paolo Banchero on winning the 2023 Rookie of the Year and we look forward to seeing much more from this rising star in 2024!
But, which stars have exceeded expectations in their first years in the NBA? Guys like Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and many more wasted zero time announcing their arrival to the league.Looking ahead to the future, which star will follow in those massive footsteps this season and be the best young NBA player while boosting their team’s NBA betting odds? We take a look at some of the top contenders for who will be the NBA Rookie of the Year in this piece.
Predictions at the start of the 2023-24 season
After a crazy season last year, we can expect something closer to normal this year with the opening tip-off date of October 19th. Betting should be more of a straightforward affair during this NBA season.
The odds for NBA Rookie of the Year really get lots of traction once the teams are set after the draft. During the preseason and regular season, you can expect to see lots of movement in the lines across all major sportsbooks.
Whoever does end up winning the award will be joining some pretty dang good company. Recent winners include Luka Doncic, Ben Simmons, Malcolm Brogdon, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Keep in mind NBA Finals odds can be affected by the promising play from rookies as well.
Historically, there have been some amazing talents to win NBA ROY. The impressive list features Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and so many others.
Who was the favourite to be the Rookie of the Year back in 2020?
In last spring’s 2020 NBA Draft, star Duke freshman Zion Williams went No. 1 overall in the least surprising decision anyone could have predicted for the New Orleans Pelicans.
At No. 2 was Ja Morant to the Grizzlies, while another Duke star in R.J. Barrett went No. 3 to the New York Knicks.
Unfortunately for Williamson and New Orleans, the stud forward suffered a knee injury during the offseason, which has prevented him from making an early impact with his new team. While there’s no official timetable for when Zion will be able to return, fans out there better hope it doesn’t linger throughout the rest of the year.
As for Morant, he’s been absolutely sensational in his first action in the NBA. In his first eight games with the Grizzlies, the 6-3, 175-pounder averaged 18.9 points and 5.5 assists per night. Perhaps even more impressive, he shot 49.2% from the floor and 46.2% from 3-point land.
Knee injuries can be tricky, though, so we’ll see how much New Orleans will limit his availability at certain points of the season to keep him healthy. When he’s on the hardwood, however, everyone knows how impressive Williamson is on the court. Early on, Williamson has the best NBA Rookie of the Year odds at 3.25, but both JA Morant and R.J. Barrett aren’t too far behind. It will really come down to how much of an impact Williamson can have for his team once he returns to the hardwood at a consistent level.
He’s a force around the glass, throwing down earth-shattering jams with ease. He also worked on his shot while at Duke and isn’t afraid to let the ball fly from beyond the perimeter.
NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BETTING
When you’re getting ready to place your bets on who could end up being named the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year, it’s going to be important to do some key research. Here at Canada Sports Betting, our partners will provide you with the best and latest odds, which will be an added bonus.
At the same time, there are certain factors you need to consider before you get ready to pull the trigger on a young star. There have been some trends in recent years, while other factors don’t stand out as much as one might think.
In the last 10 years, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award has only gone to a center once. Can you believe that? Indeed, Karl-Anthony Towns won it in 2015-16, but the other nine years, the honour has gone to either a forward or guard. Interestingly enough, in the last 20 years, only two centers have been named ROY, with Emeka Okafor joining Karl-Anthony Towns. Guards and forwards have overwhelmingly dominated the award.
Things have been pretty split historically with the Rookie of the Year between both the Western Conference and Eastern Conference. It really just matters how good the player is balling out, rather than which team he’s on.Past winners of late played for the Bulls, SuperSonics (now Thunder), Clippers, Timberwolves, Bucks, Cavaliers, 76ers, Mavs and Trail Blazers. As you can see, it’s pretty even between the conferences.
While players from the USA have been known to keep the Rookie of the Year Award in the States, international players have made a strong claim since the 2014-15 campaign.
In that time frame, four of the last five winners have been from different countries outside the U.S. Malcolm Brogdon won it in 2016-17, but the last two winners have been Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic, who hail from Australia and Slovenia, respectively.
In 2014-15, Canadian Andrew Wiggins won it, while Karl-Anthony Towns, from the Dominican Republic, won it the next year.
Does it matter where a player got drafted in the previous spring’s NBA Draft? When it comes to the Rookie of the Year, being a first-round pick makes you stand out. We’ve got to credit Malcom Brogdon, though, who was a second-rounder but still won the award in 2016-17.
Other than that, the NBA Rookie of the Year has been virtually all first-rounders. Being the No. 1 overall pick sure increases your odds and chances too. Three of the last five winners were taken No. 1 overall.
Does it matter where a player got drafted in the previous spring’s NBA Draft? When it comes to the Rookie of the Year, being a first-round pick makes you stand out. We’ve got to credit Malcom Brogdon, though, who was a second-rounder but still won the award in 2016-17.
Other than that, the NBA Rookie of the Year has been virtually all first-rounders. Being the No. 1 overall pick sure increases your odds and chances too. Three of the last five winners were taken No. 1 overall.
