NBA Draft Updates: Jaquez, Podziemski, Whitmore Round Out Top-20 Picks
Last year’s Paolo Banchero odds saga reoccurred ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft — this time regarding the No. 2 overall pick. Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson saw their price tags fluctuate dramatically, reaching the point where they’ve each dipped to -800 over over the last two days. In the end, Miller wound up in Charlotte while Henderson will pair up with Damien Lillard (for now) in Portland. More NBA Draft live updates are below.
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2023 NBA Draft First Round LIVE Updates
When the first round tipped off, Victor Wembanyama closed -10000 favorite to head to the Spurs. The aforementioned Miller was -1000 to be taken at No. 2 overall. Henderson closed at an identical number to find himself in Portland.
On the flip side, Cam Whitmore — initially projected as a top-five pick and the favorite to end up in Detroit — tumbled down to the No. 20 selection. That’s where the Rockets nabbed him with their second first-round pick. Amen Thompson was taken fifth overall, gifting Houston a lead ball handler.
Meanwhile, bettors who took a chance on Cason Wallace landing in the top 10 cashed in. Wallace went off in the +400 range for that market. The Thunder acquired him at No. 10 overall, along with Davis Bertans, from the Mavericks for the No. 12 selection. That pick turned into Dereck Lively, who was the top-ranked recruit ahead of the 2022-23 college basketball season.
As we saw for the 2023 NFL Draft, live odds were available if you were looking to wager on a given pick. We shared updates on that below, too. One of the nuggets revolves around former UCLA forward Jamie Jaquez Jr. His live odds to head to Miami at No. 18 overall were +160.
The 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year odds are currently open for action. Unsurprisingly, Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite (-225). You can bet on this market with the best sportsbook promo codes.
Related: 2023-24 NBA Finals Odds
Whitmore Lands In Houston
Just last week, Cam Whitmore was favorite to be drafted at No. 5 overall by the Detroit Pistons. He was also a considered a candidate to land with the Rockets one selection prior. The 2022-23 Big East Freshman of the Year ends up with Houston after all — taken with the No. 20 pick.
Whitmore is +2000 to win NBA Rookie of the Year (via Caesars Sportsbook) — right behind now-Rockets teammate Amen Thompson, who was drafted at No. 4 overall.
Warriors Draft Podziemski
Santa Clara product Brandon Podziemski, who rose up NBA Draft boards in recent weeks, is joining Stephen Curry & Co. in Golden State. The Warriors made headlines outside of the No. 19 overall pick, trading for Chris Paul — the future Hall of Famer — earlier in the day.
“Heat Culture” In Tact
Jaime Jaquez Jr., who closed +160 to be drafted at No. 18 overall (via DraftKings Sportsbook), is off to the Miami Heat. The defending Eastern Conference champs tack on a veteran UCLA product — and the second-rated player on KenPom in the 2022-23 college basketball season.
Jaquez represented one of the premier two-way forwards in the country, tallying a 2.8% steal rate to boot.
Rockets Drafting Whitmore After All?
Per DraftKings Sportsbook’s live betting market, Cam Whitmore is the favorite to go to Houston at No. 20 overall (+100). He was originally reported to land with the Rockets with the No. 4 pick before reports surfaced that he had poor workouts.
Lakers Tack On Ball Handler
With the Lakers needing to nab a combo guard, they went with one-time Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17 overall. Hood-Schifino’s draft position prop closed at 14.5. He was expected to go in the lottery, though, as it was juiced towards the under.
Jazz Add Explosive Scorer
Baylor product Keyonte George will be taken at No. 16 overall by the Utah Jazz. His draft position closed at O/U 13.5 — heavily juiced to the over. He’ll join Taylor Hendricks (No. 9 pick) as the other first-round selection to Utah.
George is knotted with Bilal Coulibaly with +5000 NBA Rookie of the Year odds (via Caesars Sportsbook).
Hawks Take Ex-Michigan Guard
Kobe Bufkin, whose draft position closed at O/U 12.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook), was taken by the Atlanta Hawks at No. 15 overall.
Pelicans Draft National Champ
With the No. 14 overall pick, the New Orleans Pelicans drafted UConn guard Jordan Hawkins. He was as low as +1300 to be a top-10 pick (via Caesars), but under bettors on his draft position prop (O/U 15.5) wound up cashing in.
Here’s Jay Bilas on Hawkins’ potential: https://twitter.com/TheLinesUS/status/1671595248982581270
Live Betting Odds: Heat Looking West?
According to DraftKings Sportsbook’s live betting markets, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the favorite to join the defending Eastern Conference champs (+160). One-time Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr. is next up (+350).
Rock Chalk In Toronto
Despite DraftKings seeing live betting action on Gradey Dick to land with Utah at No. 16 overall, the Toronto Raptors have drafted the perimeter marksman with the No. 13 pick.
How To Watch 2023 NBA Draft
The NBA draft will tip off at approximately 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 22. ABC and ESPN will both air the first round while the second round will only be shown on ESPN. You can stream the entire draft on ESPN.com or the ESPN app as well.
If you’re already looking ahead for 2023-24 NBA futures, head over to our NBA Finals odds comparison tool. There, you can price shop the best number to attain what you deem to be a “valuable” wager.
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