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LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards? That’s the question everybody in the betting world has been asking themselves when thinking about who will go No. 1 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. The draft is taking place Wednesday night after a long wait due to the extended season.
We’ve had a lot of time to let the Ball vs. Edwards debate sink in. Before it hadn’t been as clear, though Edwards spent plenty of time as the betting favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook before Ball took over last week temporarily. As of now, Edwards is the favorite at -125 and Ball is right behind him at -112. Ball had the slight edge late Tuesday night before Edwards snuck ahead.
Last week, after plenty of reports about Ball’s pro-day with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the betting market went heavy on Ball to go No. 1. That seemed to be a bit of an overreaction to the news. There’s no doubt Ball is the most talented player in the draft pool, but there are concerns over his intangibles and how he would fit in with NBA teams. He also isn’t as polished a shooter and is more of a freak athlete with play-making ability. That all looks nice in highlight reels, but how can he adapt to an actual NBA system?
Edwards might be easier to mold into a premier player. For that reason, he’s getting the most betting love with 40 percent of the handle on DKSB and 37 percent of the bets heading into the first round starting at 7:30 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN. Ball is second at 29 percent of the handle and 23 percent of the bets. Those two make up about 2⁄3 of the market altogether.
It would be pretty shocking — but not out of the question — for someone like James Wiseman or Obi Toppin to go with the first pick. There can also be a trade, which may be the only pathway for Wiseman to be first. Wiseman comes in at third with 13 percent of the handle and 12 percent of the bets. Let’s take a look at the overall betting splits for first pick.
First Overall Pick Betting Splits
| Handle Rank | Team | Odds | % of Handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handle Rank | Team | Odds | % of Handle | % of Bets |
| 1 | Anthony Edwards | -220 | 40% | 37% |
| 2 | LaMelo Ball | 184 | 29% | 23% |
| 3 | James Wiseman | 785 | 13% | 12% |
| 4 | Obi Toppin | 10000 | 7% | 7% |
| 5 | Deni Avdija | 5000 | 5% | 3% |
| 6 | Killian Hayes | 10000 | 1% | 2% |
| 7 | Cole Anthony | 30000 | 1% | 2% |
| 8 | Onyeka Okongwu | 20000 | 1% | 2% |
| 9 | Payton Pritchard | 100000 | 1% | 1% |
| 10 | RJ Hampton | 30000 | <1% | 1% |
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