We’re less than a week into the NBA regular season, so it seems like the right time to make some underinformed predictions about the rest of the season. One of the most interesting futures to watch as an NBA betting fan at this stage of the season is the winner of the NBA’s rookie of the year award.
Plenty of NBA rookies are already playing a major role for their respective teams, and some are yet to truly announce themselves to the league. At this stage of the season, there are still half a dozen players in contention for the award, and it makes the race for it one of the most open, and most interesting, futures available to NBA bettors.
Yaxel Lendenborg is the early favorite
By some distance the oldest player drafted inside the lottery, Yaxel Lendenborg did have some obvious advantages coming into the league, with his experience and physical development surpassing most of his peers. But he’s translated that into genuinely good basketball, playing a major role in Golden State.
He caught the eye of social media after a brush with Lakers star Luka Doncic on opening night, and has performed well in his other games. Add to that the trust already placed in him by Steve Kerr, he’ll likely be in the conversation come the end of the year.
Slow but promising starts for Boozer and Wilson
Two of the sportsbook’s favorites before the season started, both Memphis’ Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson had difficult first outings for their respective teams. Both are expected to be starters and central to their teams, and both of their slow starts are translating to progress.
After one week, Boozer leads rookies in rebounds (12.0 RPG) and assists (5.5 APG), and Caleb Wilson has proven to be a great scorer, with 21 PPG so far this year. If either kicks on from their promising starts, they’ll be in the conversation come the end of the year.
The real concern for both players will be avoiding injury, knocking them out of contention for the award. Fortunately for bettors, Fanatics Sportsbook offers injury protection, eligible to users with a Fanatics Sportsbook promo code, covering futures and player props if the selected player is injured.
Dybantsa yet to appear
The most important aspect of the rookie of the year race to watch as a bettor is the introduction of another player to the race, and arguably the most important introduction of anyone. AJ Dybantsa was the No.1 pick in the draft, and therefore is the natural favorite for the rookie of the year award, but an ankle injury has kept him out of the opening week.
Dybantsa can’t afford to miss much more time. Not only does it bring him closer to the 65 game mark, potentially making him ineligible for the award, but it also results in the storylines portrayed by fans and the media leaving him behind. While Lendeborg, Wilson and Boozer establish themselves in the league, Dybantsa will have to start late and behind his rivals.
