ROTY Market Dominated By One Player After 2024 NBA Draft

His odds have moved from +2500 to +1200 since the ROTY market opened

Kate Constable - Jun 27, 2024, 3:18pm EDT

For the second year in a row, a Frenchman was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Last year it was Victor Wembanyama going to the San Antonio Spurs. This year, Zaccharie Risacher heard his name called first, being chosen by the Atlanta Hawks.

From the moment NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Wembanyama's name, the young prodigy was the favorite to earn Rookie of the Year honors. That wasn't the case for Risacher who opened as the second favorite for ROTY at +600 at BetMGM. He was trumped by another Frenchman, Alex Sarr, who was taken second by the Wizards and opened as the favorite at +425.

Despite being at the top of the board, neither player has taken significant money since being selected. That honor goes to reigning Naismith National Player of the Year, Zach Edey.

BetMGM NBA Insights: Rookie of the Year

Edey didn't have to wait long to walk across the Barclays Center stage and shake Silver's hand last night. The Memphis Grizzlies claimed the 7-foot-4 center with the ninth overall pick. It also didn't take long for Edey's ROTY odds to see significant movement in the market.

The Grizzlies' newest big man opened at +2500 at BetMGM before money started pouring in, moving him down to +1200. The movement results from Edey being the most bet player, with 33.3% of tickets at BetMGM backing him. He is also taking in 33.8% of the money, so it's clear that the public and sharps agree that Edey was mispriced when this market opened. This also makes him the book's biggest liability to win the award right now.

Other players who have taken a significant amount of money and bets are Dalton Knecht and Donovan Clingan. Knecht was drafted 17th overall by the Lakers, which many NBA analysts view as a perfect fit for both parties. He's currently at 21.4% of tickets and 30.4% of the money.

Clingan, who won back-to-back championships at UConn, was taken 7th by Portland and will join the Blazers' backcourt with Deandre Ayton. The back-to-back national champion is the third most-bet player to win ROTY, taking 14.3% of the tickets and 25.3% of the handle.