With the NBA Finals winding down, we can start to look ahead to the off-season and betting on the NBA Draft.
Speaking of the NBA Finals betting, though, superstar Kevin Durant went down with a catastrophic injury to his Achilles, leaving his looming free agency as huge question mark for the NBA Draft landscape.
Including Durant, the future of guard Kyrie Irving is also up in the air as he has declined his option with the Boston Celtics and will also become a free agent.
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Set to take place at the Barclays Center in New York on June 20, the New Orleans Pelicans will be kicking off the draft with the No. 1 overall pick.
Here is how the top-10 draft order shakes out:
New Orleans Pelicans
Memphis Grizzlies
New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers
Cleveland Cavaliers
Phoenix Suns
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Atlanta Hawks
Finishing out the year with the worst record in the NBA, the Knicks were once again plagued by bad luck in the new lottery system, falling to the third-overall pick. Meanwhile, the LeBron James led Lakers managed to sneak into the top-five.
Bet On NBA Draft
Now, with sports betting becoming legal in the neighboring state of New Jersey, NJ online sportsbooks such as PointsBet, have concocted numerous sets of odds for many different situations, allowing for prospective bettors to make draft night even more exciting.
Here, we will examine six different possible bet types and how to handle them, courtesy of PointsBet Sportsbook.
Player | 1st Overall Odds | 2nd Overall Odds | 3rd Overall Odds | 4th Overall Odds | 5th Overall Odds |
Zion Williamson | -10000 | 5000 | - | - | - |
Ja Morant | 1400 | -10000 | 2800 | - | - |
RJ Barrett | 3000 | 1400 | -667 | 700 | - |
Jarrett Culver | 3300 | 4000 | 1800 | 200 | 125 |
De'Andre Hunter | 5000 | 8000 | 4000 | 400 | 175 |
Darius Garland | 5000 | 2500 | 700 | -134 | 400 |
USE YOUR RISK-FREE $1000 BET AT POINTSBET! |
Duke Players Drafted in the Top-10
Betting Odds: Over 2.5 (-667); Under 2.5 (+450)
This one will go over at three. There are three players that easily stand out from Duke that will go top-10: Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish.
The odds of -667 are not bettor friendly, but they reflect what will happen on draft night. Cam Reddish could slip, but it’s tough to imagine him slipping past either of the Hawks picks on draft night.
Duke Players Drafted in the Top-5
Betting Odds: Over 2.5 (+225); Under 2.5 (-295)
With Zion Williamson to go #1 and Barrett to go #2 or #3, this would leave Reddish as going to either the Lakers or Cavaliers.
It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Reddish goes higher than De’Andre Hunter or Jarrett Culver. However, there is an outside chance he could go higher than someone like Darius Garland who is coming off a knee injury.
All in all, the under is the way to go here at -295. It would take a lot of luck for Reddish to slip into the top-five.
International Players Drafted in the Top-10
Odds: Over 0.5 (-120); Under 0.5 (+100)
There is only one guy that stands out as a top-10 pick internationally and that is the lanky power forward from France, Sekou Doumbouya.
At just 18 years old and minimal time overseas in the French Pro A league, Doumbouya does have all of the measurables you want in a prospective power forward (6’9” and a seven-foot wingspan).
He’s definitely a project, but as the top international player, it’s hard to imagine him falling by either of the Hawks picks or even the Wizards, rounding out the top-10.
He will be the only international player, so take the -120 odds.
ACC Players Drafted in the Top-10
Odds: Over 4.5 (-371); Under 4.5 (+260)
When you think of the ACC, what teams does this include?
Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
So, from those 15 teams, how many players could they, combined, have go in the top-10 of the draft?
Looking at Duke that is an easy three right off the bat.
From there, you can look at De’Andre Hunter from Virginia.
That’s four.
Is there a fifth player that could go?
Coby White from North Carolina sticks out as a possible backend of the top-10 player. At 6’5”, White is a quick guard and a talented scorer.
Teams are in the top-10 for a reason and finding valuable guard play is a must, especially ones that can move quickly and score.
As a result, this feels like an over. White could slip, but it is tough to imagine. Take the over.
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Freshman Players Drafted in the Top-10
Odds: Over 5.5 (-143); Under 5.5 (+115)
We just examined the ACC players. Four of those ACC players were freshman.
From there, looking outside the ACC, there are talented freshman players such as Jaxson Hayes, Garland and even Bol Bol, who has a chance to sneak into the top-10, despite looking like a guy just on the outside of the top-10.
I’d bank on this going 5.5, as most of the time, freshman players come out because they know they will be top draft choices.
Gonzaga Players Drafted in the Top-10
Odds: Over 0.5 (+105); Under 0.5 (-125)
The two players that have a chance at hearing their names called in the top-10 are Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke.
However, both players have their flaws. Clarke is a bit older at 22 and still needs plenty of improvement and Hachimura is raw but has plenty of room to develop into his true potential.
Given all of that, Hachimura feels like a guy who the Hawks could take.
We keep mentioning the Hawks, but with two picks in the top-10, they can afford to make a safer choice and a choice that could potentially pay off huge.
Hachimura’s upside is something of a Wilson Chandler or even a Ron Artest/Metta World Peace—both of those players have had stellar careers.
Take the over 0.5 at +105 and run.
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NBA DRAFT #1 PICK ODDS | POINTSBET SPORTSBOOK | DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK NJ | FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NJ |
$1,000 RISK-FREE BET | FREE $500 BET | FREE $500 BET | |
Zion Williamson | -3334 | -10000 | -8000 |
Ja Morant | 1200 | 2000 | 1200 |
R.J. Barrett | 1600 | 2000 | 1400 |
Jarrett Culver | 2500 | 2200 | 2600 |
Darius Garland | 3300 | 3000 | 3300 |
Cameron Reddish | 5000 | 6000 | 4500 |
Rui Hachimura | 6000 | 8000 | 4500 |
De'Andre Hunter | 7500 | 8000 | 6000 |
Sekou Doumbouya | 9000 | 8000 | 9000 |
Nassir Little | 8000 | 6000 | |
Coby White | 10000 | 9000 | |
Nickeir Alexander-Walker | 10000 | 9000 | |
Jaxson Hayes | 9000 | ||
Keldon Johnson | 9000 | ||
Bol Bol | 10000 | ||
Bruno Fernando | 10000 | ||
KZ Okpala | 10000 | ||
Kevin Porter Jr. | 10000 |
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