Jabari Smith Jr. The consensus favourite to be No. The consensus favorite to be the No. 1 pick, but odds have been shifting at sportsbooks on what they claim has become the most heavily bet NBA draft.
Smith, a versatile 6-10 forward from Auburn, is the odds-on favorite for No. 1 pick in Thursday’s draft at 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC). His odds of winning have increased from -145 on Monday to -280 at Caesars Sportsbook. Smith’s odds at DraftKings have also improved, with him sitting at -275 as of Wednesday. The Orlando Magic Except for a trade, you own the first selection
Duke‘s Paolo Banchero The second-best chance of being No. 1, and has also seen an increase in betting interest this week. Banchero was listed at Caesars Sportsbook at +280 Wednesday, ahead of Gonzaga‘s Chet Holmgren (+500), whose chances have been declining. Holmgren’s odds had been as low as +145 earlier in the week. Holmgren, Banchero, and Smith are the only players who have single-digit odds of being the No. 1 pick.
The fluctuating odds movement and prices have attracted a lot of betting interest, particularly from professional bettors. Caesars Sportsbook offers the best odds of winning the No. The odds of the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft have attracted five-fold more money than the bets on them. Eric Fenstermaker, Caesars Sportsbook senior trading manager, stated that there was only one pick in the NFL draft.
Fenstermaker, a seasoned Nevada bookmaker, said Wednesday that it was the strangest draft market he’s ever booked. “Normally, at this stage, there’s clear-cut information on who’s going be No. 1. Now we have three men who each steamed (attracted cash from professional bettors at different times) to be the first pick.
Fenstermaker claimed that Holmgren was being targeted by a group “who always beat us in the draft”, which led to his odds of winning significantly. Holmgren, Smith and Smith were co-favorites at one time. 1 pick at Caesars Sportsbook. This week, however, the action is shifting towards Banchero.
There have been more bets that Banchero would be the top pick since Sunday afternoon than any other NBA market at Caesars Sportsbook. PointsBet, an online sportsbook, reported that there was a lot of interest in Banchero becoming the No. 1 pick. 1. PointsBet has seen Banchero’s odds increase from 16-1 to 5-2 in the last week.
Jay Croucher from PointsBet’s trading department stated, “This is draft betting. Market movements are as wild and crazy as the rumors that drive them.” We saw similar wild fluctuations in the number one pick market during the NFL Draft. Somebody out there believes Banchero has more chance to win than the public perception, but Smith is still the best bet.