NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

The 2020-21 NBA season is past the halfway point and Rookie of the Year odds took a sharp turn in mid-March following news that Hornets guard LaMelo Ball would miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist.

Ball had been atop the board with -500 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook but he now he trails Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (-160) with +250 odds to win Rookie of the Year. Sharps quickly wagered on Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton (+250) when odds went back up on March 23 after being taken down to recalibrate.

The NBA ROY award is voted upon by a panel of 100 media members who are not affiliated with any NBA franchises. That panel will vote for a ROY based on their regular season performance.

Each member of the panel casts a vote for first to third place selections. Each vote counts incrementally towards a player’s total and the player with the highest total wins the award.

There is plenty of precedent where a player misses too many games and members of the panel decide they shouldn’t be eligible.

Last year, Zion Williamson played 24 games and finished third in ROY voting with only one first-place vote. In 2017, Joel Embiid finished third behind Malcolm Brogdon and Dario Saric after playing in 31 of 82 possible games, but he got 23 first-place votes.

Ball played in 41 games this season, starting 21, and the Hornets are scheduled to play 72 games this year along with the rest of the NBA.

2021 NBA Rookie of the Year odds

View all the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and PointsBet.

ROY Futures Report (April 11)

The Favorites

Anthony Edwards (-160): After Ball’s injury, Edwards quickly became the favorite and the race is now his to lose. The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 24.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG while shooting 43.6% from the field over his last 20 games and has taken on a huge role for the shorthanded Wolves with a 30% usage rate in that span.

LaMelo Ball (+250): Ball was given a chance to start a couple of months ago and averaged 19.5 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 5.8 RPG while shooting 42.6% from 3-point range and 81% from the FT line over 21 starts before his injury. During that span the Hornets improved their offensive efficiency considerably and Ball’s play had them in playoff contention, but as mentioned, he’s going to miss the last third of the season.

Tyrese Haliburton (+250): Haliburton cooled off around the All Star-Break, but has come alive again with averages of 15.1 PPG and 5.1 APG on 50.8% FG shooting over his last 10 appearances. With the best individual offensive rating (120.4) among rookies, he has a case for voters over the less efficient Edwards, who is rocking a 97.6 offensive rating on the season (Ball had a 111 offensive rating). Among rookies, only Memphis guard Desmond Bane (+15000) has a higher 3-point % among rookies than Haliburton. He’s shooting 60% from the field and has helped the Kings go 15-10 in close games this season.

The Long shots

Immanuel Quickley (+3000): Quickley stepped up when Derrick Rose missed time lately with solid averages of 16 PPG on 41.2% FG over 10 appearances and he leads all rookies in FT% (88.6%), but the Knicks rotation is crowded once again and he isn’t getting as many opportunities.

Theo Maledon (+20000): The Thunder are going full tank mode towards the end of the season with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (foot) and Al Horford (rest) unlikely to suit up at all. That’s given Maledon and rookie Alexsej Pokusevski a huge expansion in responsibilities, although it is likely too late for either player to earn ROY consideration with only 19 games left for OKC.

How to bet on NBA Rookie of the Year

Betting on the ROY winner is one of the more popular options for outright bets known as “Futures,” which are usually wagers on a season-long outcome such as the NBA champion, NBA division winner, or individual award winners. Odds for futures bets are set during the preseason, but change throughout the season based on news and results.

For the purposes of ROY betting, players will be listed in order of the favorites. So, No. 3 overall pick LaMelo Ball was considered the favorite to win the award at the start of the season (+400 odds at DraftKings).

These odds refer to the potential payout if the bet is successful. So, a $20 bet on Ball to be named ROY would only profit $80, whereas a $10 bet on a long shot such as Cole Anthony (+4000) would pay out $410 if voters select him after the season.

Residents of Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee and West Virginia have access to online sportsbooks, including the platforms created by industry titans DraftKings and FanDuel. William Hill and other online books also offer great opportunities to bet on NBA games and Futures.

In order to bet on MVP, users can click on the NBA tab and find the tab labeled “Futures” and move to “Player Futures.” Regular Season MVP should be one of the categories along with Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and more postseason awards.

Best NBA betting sites

Where you can bet legally

Sports betting is currently legal at a regulated sportsbook in the following states:

Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Mississippi
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Nevada
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
West Virginia
Virginia

Legislation is on the table in a number of states with more states sure to legalize sports betting in the upcoming years.

NBA ROY trends and history

Twenty-one winners were drafted first overall. Sixteen winners have also won the MVP award in their careers; Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld earning both honors the same season. Nineteen of the 42 winners have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Three seasons had joint winners — Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in 1970-71; Grant Hill and Jason Kidd in 1994-95, and Elton Brand and Steve Francis in 1999-2000.

As mentioned above, stats matter most. So when choosing a player to wager on, minutes played if often a good place to start … the thought being that the more minutes a player plays, the more he can stuff that stat sheet.