Enough time has passed since the 2025 NBA Draft, so it makes sense to look at the possible Rookie of the Year winners ahead of the 2025-2026 season. As a bonus of waiting until now to do this review, we have also watched some of these rookies play in the Summer League—some highly-rated players faltered under the lights, while others have held their own.
Sportsbooks are almost unanimous on the favorites for the award; you would find very similar odds for each player, with only a few offering wider differences from the mean. If you’re looking to place a bet, Canadian Sportsbook Online offers some of the best odds available.
2026 Rookie of the Year Favorites
Cooper Flagg is the runaway favorite for the 2026 Rookie of the Year, thanks to his dominant displays in games, his two-way versatility, and the maturity he consistently displayed in his Freshman year at Duke’s. It’s no surprise he was the first draft pick.
Down the list, bookmakers are less unanimous on the next three favorites, and for good reason. Different bookmakers list different players for second, third, and fourth favorite, although they’re mostly the same three players:
NBA Draft second pick, Dylan Harper, should nominally be the second favorite for the award, but numerous bookmakers feature him in fourth. It makes sense, seeing that he is in a Spurs team that also fields Wembanyama, as well as 2025 RoY, Stephen Castle, and All-Star Vet, De’Aaron Fox, who all play similar roles to him. As long as a trade does not happen, bookies will continue to be unsure of his chances. So beware.
The bookies love Ace Bailey, even if he was the fifth pick in the draft, and why? Because he has the best opportunity to shine after Flagg. Bailey will feature for Jazz, which did not perform amazingly last season, which translates to that he’ll likely be used a lot by the team. And his stats show that with some refinement, he has a good chance of scoring high points that will help his case for RoY.
Few thought Tre Johnson had a real chance of winning the RoY award before his displays at the Summer League, mostly due to his rawness in play, and his defensive weaknesses, plus the Wizards had initially planned a bench role for him behind CJ McCollum, Marcus Smart, and Bub Carrington. However, he showed massive improvements in defense during the Summer League, and now bookies expect a bigger role for him in the Wizards’ roster.
Top 10 Bookies’ Favorites (mid-July)
| Rank | Player | Draft Pick | Odds |
| 1 | Cooper Flagg | 1 | -170 |
| 2 | Tre Johnson | 6 | +950 |
| 3 | Dylan Harper | 2 | +1000 |
| 4 | Ace Bailey | 5 | +1000 |
| 5 | VJ Edgecombe | 3 | +1100 |
| 6 | Derik Queen | 13 | +3000 |
| 7 | Jeremiah Fears | 7 | +3500 |
| 8 | Kon Knueppel | 4 | +3500 |
| 9 | Walter Clayton | 18 | +6000 |
| 10 | Cedric Coward | 11 | +6000 |
Culled from FanDuel Sportsbook
Fun Facts as you place your bets
- Going by recent history, the safest bet would be Cooper Flagg. Since 2016, the No. 1 pick in the Draft has been Rookie of the Year 4 times.
- Spurs have a recent good record of picking the eventual RoY winner. With the last two winners on their roster, can they three-peat the trick with Harper?
- It might be a wise play to wait and watch how Flagg’s odds shape up. Recent memory from Wembanyama’s RoY-winning season tells us that we could see Flagg’s odds go longer, allowing bettors to capitalize on greater returns even if he eventually wins it. So, maybe wait and see if that opportunity presents itself.
