Now that the 2024 NBA Draft has concluded we can look ahead to the NBA preseason games in October. The top US basketball betting sites are already taking your bets on which rookie will win the Rookie of the Year Award, and the odds on the favorites are phenomenal.
Is it too early to start placing your ROTY futures bets? Perhaps, but there is lots of good value about, with plenty of undervalued picks and inflated prices on players in bigger franchises. The big name on the list that we have to address first is no other than Bronny James, who has joined his father James LeBron at the LA Lakers.
Lakers Bronny James – 55th Draft Pick
In the NBA Draft, 30% of the betting tickets at the top US basketball sportsbooks were placed on Bronny James to be the first overall pick, at odds of +20,000. It was not to be, but he was still picked by the Lakers and will follow in his father’s footsteps. Now, basketball bettors are crawling all over Bronny James to win the ROTY award futures, even though he is the very last player in the betting market. The odds on the favorites start from +500, and Bronny is all the way on the other end, at odds of +25,000. It is no surprise that at those odds NBA bettors are giving it a go, as you could win $251 for every dollar you place, but it seems too far fetched.
If he does go on to win, it would be a catastrophe for the sportsbooks, but this is not our concern. It may be worth placing a $10 bet on Bronny to win $2,510, but it feels a bit of a waste as there are so many bets with a better likelihood of coming through. He may have a good FG percentage at .366, but we think the main concern will be that Bronny won’t get too much playing time in the current Lakers roster.
Bronny James ROTY @ +25,000
Zaccharie Risacher – 1st Draft Pick
The 6’9″ power forward will be a useful addition to the Hawks’ team, and after another disappointing season, supporters have a lot to look forward to. Zaccharie played for ASVEL for 3 years, before being loaned out to JL Bourg. He won the LNB Elite Best Young Player and the EuroCup Rising Star awards in 2024, averaging 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 22 minutes per game. He is well up there among the favorites to win the ROTY award, and as the first pick of the 2024 draft, the pressure will mount on the prolific French basketball player.
Zaccharie Risacher ROTY @ +650
Alexandre Sarr – 2nd Draft Pick
Sarr was picked by the Washington Wizards and he has experience playing in the Australian NBL. He has played alongside Risacher in the French U17 and U19 FIBA World Cups and is one of three French players picked in the first 10. He had a fantastic season for Perth in 2024, with a .516% FG average, 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Wizards had a poor season in 2023-24, and even went a whole month without winning 1 game in February. Sarr may struggle with consistency, but his attack and defense are quite good. We think he may take a while to get into his game, but if he can adjust to American basketball, he should be able to give the Wizards the extra push they have been lacking these past few years.
Alexandre Sarr ROTY @ +500
Reed Sheppard – 3rd Draft Pick
The Kentucky native won the USBWA, NABC and SEC Freshman of the Year awards in his first college basketball season. He is one of the most exciting players from the 2024 NBA Draft, having a whopping FG% of .536 and 12.5 PPG from 33 games. FredVan Vleet and Jalen Green are the main guards for the Rockets, and a lot hangs on how well Sheppard can be integrated into the team, but the team is still in a rebuilding phase following D’Antoni’s departure in 2021. He is among the favorites to go an win the Rookie of the Year Award, but a lot depends on how well the Rockets will fare next season.
Reed Sheppard ROTY @ +1000
Stephon Castle – 4th Draft Pick
Castle will link up with the last ROTY Award winner, Victor Wembanyama at the San Antonio Spurs, and it will be intriguing to see how the two will link up. Wembanyama was a shining light for the Spurs last season, and it’s safe to say that coach Gregg Popovich’s gamble on the youngster paid off. Castle was crucial in UConn’s NCAA 2024 campaign and guided the team to win the championship. Like Sheppard, he also declared after his Freshman year, and is a very strong candidate to win the ROTY Award. He will have tough competition to get his starts at the Spurs, but the hype around Castle is immense, and he will surely get game time in the upcoming season.
Stephon Castle ROTY @ +800
Donovan Clingan – 7th Draft Pick
Clingan was Castle’s teammate at UConn, though he started a year before Castle. Clingan won two NCAA Championships with UConn and was the seventh pick at the NBA Draft, and was snapped up by the Portland Trail Blazers. After his first year at UConn, Clingan improved his game drastically and became a starter in the college team. The only concern that bettors may have with backing the Connecticut-born center is his proneness to injury. Whether he will get some game time at the Trail Blazers remains a question, but Clingan is definitely a strong call to win the ROTY.
Donovan Clingan ROTY @ +1200
Dalton Knecht – 17th Draft Pick
Knecht is by far a better pick than Bronny to win the ROTY. He was the 17th selection, picked by the Lakers to bolster their roster. He started his college career at Northeastern Junior College before heading to Colorado and then Tennessee. We have gradually seen Knecht develop at the college level, and it was not long before the Tennessee guard became a starter. He has a good eye on the perimeter, and is confident with his field shots – he finished 2024 with a .773% Field Goal average. Even if he does not start, Knecht should be able to rack up valuable points and come in as an impact player to change games, and he seems a good pick for Lakers fans. Being on the Lakers team has definitely inflated his odds, but at +1200 you can still make good money on Knecht to win the ROTY award.
Dalton Knecht ROTY @ +1200
Betting on the ROTY Awards
ROTY awards are not always given to players on big teams, in fact, Wembanyama won it in a season where the Spurs finished last in the Southwest Division. Though it always helps to play on a big team, even if your chosen rookie just comes in to score a few points and participate in some important wins.
We are hoping to see a truly exciting season coming up in the NBA, and with the Celtics winning their 18th title, it will be interesting to see how the Lakers respond. Whether Bronny James can come in and do something out of this world remains to be seen, but there are plenty of ROTY contenders to pick from, and some truly phenomenal betting value to be had for all.
