NBA Rookie of the Year odds: Going over favorites, sleepers to win award to start December

With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, it is a good time to check out the latest NBA Rookie of the Year odds. Heading into this season, Houston Rockets rookie guard Jalen Green was the odds-on favorite (+200) on DraftKings Sportsbook to win the illustrious award.

However, the market has changed a lot since October, as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (+175) is now the favorite to win the ROTY award, followed by the likes of Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (+250) and Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham (+250). Below we’ll look at how the ROTY odds currently and break down how some of the favorites are playing, along with the sleepers who are still in the running.

NBA Rookie of the Year favorites

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (+175) — The former USC standout has played exceedingly well for the upstart Cavaliers this season under coach J.B. Bickerstaff. This season, Mobley is averaging 14.1 points per game on 47% shooting from the field and 34.2% from three-point range. He’s also recording 8.3 rebounds per game, which includes 6.5 rebounds per game.

The 20-year-old forward has not played like a rookie and has started in every game that he’s played in this season. Mobley has six double-doubles on his resume already and has scored at least 10 points or more in 15 out of 20 games played. As long as the Cavs play well, we’ll keep seeing Mobley in the conversation for ROTY.

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors (+250) — Barnes was one of the standout stars in the NBA Summer League in August and has carried that momentum over to the regular season. The former Florida State forward is not a consistent three-point shooter, but has still found a way to make an impact on the floor and in the box score.

This season, Barnes is averaging 15.1 points on 48.9% shooting from the field, along with 8.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 forward only has three doubles-doubles under his belt, but has been a playmaker all over the floor for the Raptors.

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (+250) — Cunningham is tied with Barnes for the second-best odds to win ROTY. The first overall pick in this past year’s draft has started to play well over the last few since missing the first four games because of injury.

Cunningham is averaging 14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season and is clearly the point guard of the future and present for Detroit. The young point guard’s best performance thus far came against the Lakers, where he had 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. For him to win ROTY, he’ll need to continue to have those moments.

NBA Rookie of the Year sleepers

Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder (+1600) — Giddey is someone who is not getting talked about a lot in the ROTY race, but will have multiple opportunities to win the award. The young forward won the Western Conference’s Rookie of the Month award for both October and November.

This season, Giddey is averaging 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. The 6-foot-8 forward is not much of a scorer like the other rookies on this list, but can affect the game in multiple ways.

Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic (+4000) — It’s only his rookie season, but it appears that the Orlando Magic might’ve found a steal in Wagner. The 20-year-old does a little bit of everything for his team, which also includes being an exceptional scorer.

Wagner is averaging 13.6 points per game on 43.6% shooting from the field and 36.6% from behind the arc on 3.9 attempts per game. With Jalen Suggs out due to a broken finger, the 20-year-old forward we’ll have multiple opportunities to be that second scorer behind Cole Anthony.

NBA Rookie of the Year odds 2021-22

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