The 2023 NBA Draft is concluded, and all eyes are fixated on Victor Wembanyama, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the top overall pick. Is he a surefire lock to win the Rookie of the Year Award though?
Other highly-touted prospects like Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller, and the Thompson twins will be looking to prove they’re the crown jewel of the draft. There’s also another key name to keep an eye on for next year’s award.
Below, you’ll find the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Award odds and the best bets to make:
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (-160 at FanDuel)
Of course, France’s Victor Wembanyama is the heavy favorite to be next season’s top-performing rookie. The 7-foot-4 generational talent is heading to San Antonio, where he’ll immediately be the center of attention. Wembanyama towers over opponents while possessing the many skills resembling a guard.
Few are doubting that Wembanyama’s skillset won’t translate fairly seamlessly to the NBA. The only slight question marks are whether or not his body can hold up in regards to both the physicality of the league and injuries. The 19-year-old phenom’s notable past injuries were a stress fracture in his fibula and an injury to a muscle that runs from the spine down through the groin and into the hip known as the psoas.
We absolutely agree that Wembanyama should be the betting favorite to win the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and the best odds are found at FanDuel.
Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers (+350 at DraftKings)
Explosive guard Scoot Henderson may not have been taken with the No. 2 overall pick, but he is second in line to be next year’s Rookie of the Year. It remains to be seen if Henderson will share backcourt duties with Damian Lillard, as rumors continue to circulate about the All-Star’s future in Portland. Whether he’s handed the keys or not, the G-League Ignite product will likely put up decent numbers in his rookie campaign.
Scoot is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, and commonly compared to Russell Westbrook. The guard is best with the ball in his hands driving towards the rim. His shot needs to become more consistent for him to reach his potential. Last year for the Ignite, Henderson averaged over 16 points, five rebounds, and six assists per game while shooting about 43% from the field. The statistic that sticks out the most in a negative way is his three-point percentage, which sits at just 27.5% on 2.7 attempts per game.
We believe that Henderson will show some very nice flashes throughout his rookie season, but he’ll be a tad too inefficient offensively to be the league’s top rookie.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder (+700 at FanDuel)
You may not have expected to see Chet Holmgren on this list, but he’s eligible to win the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Award due to the fact he didn’t play a single game last season.
At +700 when betting with FanDuel, we believe the lanky seven-footer is a worthy guy to take a flier on. Holmgren will return to an Oklahoma City Thunder squad that won 40 games in 2022-23 with a young core headed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC will be looking to take the next step and possibly avoid the Play-In Tournament in 2024.
The last three times a high draft pick missed his entire rookie campaign (Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin) the player returned and made a big impact. In fact, Simmons and Griffin both took home the Rookie of the Year Award.
We expect Holmgren to play quite well if he can make it through the season healthy. He’ll be great in the pick-and-roll with Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, while also stretching the floor and blocking shots on the defensive end.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets (+1300 at FanDuel)
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft owns the fourth-best odds to be next season’s best rookie. Brandon Miller will likely claim one of the starting wing spots for the Charlotte Hornets, playing alongside the likes of Lamelo Ball and PJ Washington.
Miller averaged about 19 points and eight rebounds per game in his one season for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 6-foot-8 wing shot 38% from deep, but just 43% overall from the field. Notably, Miller made just 39% of his 2-pointers and 32% of his threes in 19 games against top-50 opponents at Alabama.
Still, we really like Miller’s game. He’s polished and athletic despite his young age while having some dog in him also. Do we believe Brandon Miller will actually be named the 2024 Rookie of the Year? Not necessarily, but at +1300 from FanDuel, it’s probably worth throwing some money down.
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets (+2500 at FanDuel)
Amen Thompson and his twin brother Ausar are both viewed as having some of the most upside of any player in this year’s draft. Amen was selected No. 4 overall by the Houston Rockets, where he’ll join Jalen Green in handling the guard duties. While playing for Overtime Elite, the 6-foot-7 guard averaged about 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists per game. Something that stuck out to us is that his averages went up in each category during the OTE postseason.
Much of Thompson’s NBA success will boil down to just how much he can improve his jump shot, considering he made just 25% of his triples last season. He’ll also need to become more efficient at the charity stripe. Thompson likely won’t put up mind-blowing numbers in his rookie season, but the Rockets are banking on him tapping into his potential down the line.
We’d actually be very surprised if either of the Thompson twins were the top-performing rookies in 2023-24.
Rest of the Lottery
- No. 5 - Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons (+4000 at FanDuel)
- No. 6 - Anthony Black, Orlando Magic (+5000 at FanDuel)
- No. 7 - Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards (+7500 at FanDuel)
- No. 8 - Jerace Walker: Indiana Pacers (+4000 at FanDuel)
- No. 9 - Taylor Hendricks, Utah Jazz (+5000 at FanDuel)
- No. 10 - Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder (+5500 at FanDuel)
- No. 11 - Jett Howard, Orlando Magic (+11000 at FanDuel)
- No. 12 - Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks (+11000 at FanDuel)
- No. 13 - Gradey Dick, Toronto Raptors (+5500 at FanDuel)
- No. 14 - Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans (+11000 at FanDuel)
The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year odds are live, and we see it being more than just a one-man race. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise us to see Wembanyama, Henderson, Holmgren, or Miller taking home the award. Notably, we found that FanDuel could not be beaten in terms of having the most favorable futures odds.
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