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After an impressive season from last year’s rookie class that saw LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards fight it out for the Rookie of the Year award, a new class of rookies will try to win the award this season. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, who was the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s draft, is surprisingly not the odds on favorite to win the ROTY.
That moniker goes to the second overall pick in Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets. The former G League Ignite alum had an exciting summer league and looks to be one of main focal points of the Rockets’ offense heading into this season. Below we’ll look at how the ROTY odds heading into opening week and give our pick.
Favorite — Jalen Green, Houston Rockets (+200)
As much as I want to pick Cade Cunningham to win Rookie of the Year, Green is the special. The young shooting guard is going to be a focal point of the Rockets’ offense this season and will give us a ton of moments throughout the season.
Green is a pure scorer and showcased his shooting skills in the G League bubble, summer league, and preseason. Houston might not win a lot of games this season, but a backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. and Green will be a ton of fun to watch. In four preseason games, Green averaged 13.2 points per game.
Sleeper — Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers (+3500)
Duarte was one of the oldest players in this summer’s NBA draft, but still ended up being selected in the first round. The 24-year-old joins an Indiana Pacers squad, where he can contribute immediately. In the Las Vegas Summer League, Duarte showcased his scoring and shooting skills. The former Oregon standout averaged 18.2 points per game and shot 45.6% from the field and 48.3% from three-point range (7.3 attempts per game).
He carried over his SL performance into the preseason, where he averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 44.9% from the field. With both Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren still out, Duarte will have opportunities to play in Rick Carlisle’s system right away.
NBA Rookie of the Year odds 2021-22
NBA Rookie of the Year odds 2021-22
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Player | Odds |
| Jalen Green | +200 |
| Cade Cunningham | +300 |
| Jalen Suggs | +750 |
| Evan Mobley | +1000 |
| Alperen Sengun | +1400 |
| Scottie Barnes | +1400 |
| Davion Mitchell | +1800 |
| Josh Giddey | +2000 |
| James Bouknight | +2800 |
| Chris Duarte | +3500 |
| Jonathan Kuminga | +3500 |
| Jalen Johnson | +4000 |
| Keon Johnson | +4000 |
| Franz Wagner | +4000 |
| Moses Moody | +4500 |
| Tre Mann | +4500 |
| Ayo Dosunmu | +4500 |
| Cameron Thomas | +4500 |
| Nah'Shon Hyland | +4500 |
| Corey Kispert | +5000 |
| Sharife Cooper | +6000 |
| Trey Murphy | +6000 |
| Ziaire Williams | +6500 |
| Quentin Grimes | +6500 |
| Usman Garuba | +8000 |
| Jaden Springer | +8000 |
| Miles McBride | +8000 |
| Joshua Primo | +8000 |
| Jared Butler | +8000 |
| Kai Jones | +8000 |
| Isaiah Jackson | +9000 |
| Jock Landale | +15000 |
| Luka Garza | +15000 |
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