NBA Futures: Best Bet to Win NBA Rookie of the Year (2020-21)
As we sit now just weeks away from the NBA All-Star break, the odds leaderboards for this season’s awards are starting to take shape. Of all the awards, the Rookie of the Year almost always goes to a future All-Star whose impact across the league has been felt right away.
While we’ll miss out on this year’s Rising Stars game which would’ve put guys like LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson on the same team, there’s still plenty to be excited about amongst the young guys down the stretch.
With no All-Star break game to judge them, let’s take a look at their production thus far and see where the odds are landing.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Betting Favorite
Averaging 14.4 points and 6.1 assists per game, the youngest Ball Brother has stepped into the league and has almost instantly transcended his older brother Lonzo. A start for much of the season already in Charlotte, Ball is getting playing time over the likes of NBA veterans Terry Rozier and Devonte Grahm.
Since becoming a starter, Ball is averaging over 20 points per game including a career-high 34 against the league-leading Utah Jazz back on February 5th. Even with a defensive game that could improve, Ball will likely remain in the starting lineup down the stretch and his short odds to win this year’s award will likely get even shorter.
Value Play
Most recently seen at the top of SportsCenter’s top ten for a vicious dunk against the Raptors over the weekend, Anthony Edwards is quietly becoming a household name in Minnesota. While his jump shot has struggled as of late, Edwards is still averaging 14.3 points per game and should only get more playing time down the stretch.
With Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell will likely continue to miss games with injuries, someone has to score for the Timberwolves and Edwards could very well be that guy. As the court gets more wide open with those guys out, I look for Edwards to continue to pad his stats and potentially close the gap on this award.
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day >>
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.