With the first round of the NBA Draft completed, DraftKings Sportsbook already has odds up for next season’s Rookie of the Year award. Unsurprisingly, the unanimous first overall pick in Cooper Flagg is the favorite to win this award. While the Duke product who is joining the Mavericks is the top choice, anything can happen and there is absolutely merit in betting on another player, especially at these long odds.
Below, I have featured two of my favorite bets for Rookie of the Year on DraftKings Sportsbook, that aren’t named Flagg.
Ace Bailey (+1000)
Bailey slipped to fifth in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, and was then selected by the Utah Jazz. While the 18-year-old was visibly upset that he was drafted by the Jazz, Bailey will have a great chance to produce right out the gate for this club. Lauri Markkanen is the Jazz’s top option, but after him, it’s a mixed bag of veterans in Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins that this team has for scorers. None of those latter three are set pieces in Utah’s future plans and it shouldn’t take long for Bailey to operate as Utah’s second option behind Markkanen. Ace will either start at shooting guard or small forward, with Markkanen moving to his natural position of power forward in the latter situation.
Bailey is truly an elite prospect. He stands at 6’10” and he is a superb shot maker from all distances who also has terrific driving skills. Furthermore, Bailey’s incredible athleticism and size makes him a great finisher and strong rebounder. In his lone season at Rutgers this past year, Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 46% from the field.
The knock to his game offensively is that Bailey hasn’t displayed strong playmaking skills yet and he certainly was a shoot first player in college, as he only averaged 1.3 assists per game. That being said, under Will Hardy in Utah, who is one of the best young coaches in the NBA, Bailey absolutely has a chance to become a decent facilitator. On the defensive end, Bailey averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game at Rutgers. While he needs to build some muscle, Bailey’s tall and lanky build gives him all the makings of a strong, wing defender and he has the talent to become an elite two-player in the NBA.
Bailey producing near his college averages in his rookie season with the Jazz is totally in the realm of possibilities and barring an injury, he should be contend for the Rookie of the Year honors.
Tre Johnson (+1200)
Johnson was selected sixth overall by the Wizards and with this Washington team almost certainly in store for another lottery season, Johnson should see a ton of work and opportunities. While the Wizards have CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, all three of these veterans are over 30-years-old and are injury prone players that will miss plenty of time next season. Additionally, none of these older players are part of the Wizards’ future plans and they all will likely be gone in 2026-27. Following this coming season, McCollum and Smart are unrestricted free agents, and Middleton is a player option.
All in all, Johnson is going to get his chance next season for this lowly Wizards team that just traded away Jordan Poole. Johnson has the potential to put up some big numbers. He profiles as an instant-offense guard who can score from anywhere on the floor, and he has the speed and handles to give defenses fits. For the Texas Longhorns last year, Johnson was the SEC’s top scorer, scoring 19.9 PPG while 43% shooting from the field and 39% from beyond the arc.
Johnson needs to become more of a passer, as he only averaged 2.7 assists per game at Texas and he needs to improve defensively as well. Standing at 6’6″ and oozing with athleticism, Johnson should be able to improve in both those departments pretty quickly and taking a chance on him to win Rookie of the Year at this +1200 price makes a ton of sense, with a large role waiting for him in Washington this coming season.
