NBA Rookie of the Year Odds Update: Does Josh Giddey Have a Shot?

NBA Rookie of the Year Odds Update: Does Josh Giddey Have a Shot?

Josh Giddey is in rare company with what he is accomplishing as a rookie. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out for a period of time, can Giddey move up in the NBA Rookie of the Year award odds?

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NBA Rookie of the Year Odds Rankings

5. Josh Giddey (+3200, Previous: +2000) (Bet $100 to Win $3200)

You have got to be doing something right as a rookie if your only peer in your performance is LeBron James.

Giddey's 12.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and a steal per game are incredibly impressive. But now he has a chance to improve on those numbers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out with an injury.

We saw this same story with the Thunder last year where several players developed injuries and the team just shut them down and let the kids run the show. Hopefully, we get to see much more Giddey down the stretch as he will try to make a late push for Rookie of the Year.

Oddsmakers don't see it, as his odds lengthened to +3200 this week. But with enough performances like his last six games (16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists) and he will almost certainly move up.

4. Franz Wagner (+1600, Previous: +1400) (Bet $100 to Win $1600)

Wagner and Cade Cunningham are now neck and neck for the rookie scoring lead this season. Wagner is at 15.7 points per game while Cunningham edges him out right now at 15.8.

But in the past two weeks, Wagner is the one who has looked more impressive, his last game on Sunday notwithstanding. In the eight games leading up to Sunday, Wagner averaged 18.8 points on 59% shooting with 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He is also playing monstrous minutes every night, checking in at 32.4 over that span.

Wagner may not sniff the ROY award this year, but his production has the potential to increase if players like Terrance Ross or Gary Harris are traded before the deadline this week.

3. Scottie Barnes (+800, Previous: +650) (Bet $100 to Win $800)

Scottie Barnes is averaging an incredible 36.1 minutes per game as a rookie this season. That's the good life you get on the Raptors as Coach Nick Nurse prefers to play a tight eight-man rotation and four starters are in the top 10 in minutes played per game this season.

All that court time has helped Barnes compile 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this year. He is the first rookie since Andrew Wiggins in 2014 to play at least 36 minutes per game and he already has more Win Shares than Wiggins and John Wall's rookie seasons.

Barnes will continue to be the fourth option on the team this year as players like Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and Gary Trent are all high-usage guys. But this could be a situation where Barnes is the star on this team in a couple of years. He won't win the ROY this year barring a number of injuries, but his contributions have been essential to the Raptors' place in the standings.

2. Cade Cunningham (+800, Previous: +1000) (Bet $100 to Win $800)

Cunningham jumps up to tie Barnes for second in the odds for the ROY favorite, although it still feels like both are playing for the Miss Congeniality award at this point. Despite not playing the last three games, Cunningham is riding the back of some very strong performances in his march up these rankings.

In his last 16 games played, Cunningham is at 16.6 points per game to go along with 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals. But there are two numbers that, in the end, will hurt Cunningham's ROY chances the most: .419 and .226.

That first number is Cunningham's field goal percentage over the last 16 games, as he is struggling to consistently put the ball in the basket. The second is the Pistons' winning percentage. It will be near impossible to compete with Evan Mobley and the Cavaliers when you consider each of their team contributions.

But the Pistons have a formidable backcourt for the foreseeable future with Cunningham and Killian Hayes. That winning percentage shouldn't spend too many more years in the tank.

1. Evan Mobley (-270, Previous: -200) (Bet $270 to Win $100)

In terms of player efficiency rating (PER), Mobley (ranked 85th in the NBA) is only marginally better than players like Scottie Barnes (91st) and Franz Wagner (105th). But his impact on what has become one of the best defenses in the league is undeniable so he continues his dominant march to the ROY.

Consider: Cleveland now ranks second in defensive rating on the year. They rank eighth in rebound rate, allow the 12th-fewest points in the paint, and hole opponents to the third-lowest field goal percentage in the NBA.

The Cavs are just 1.5 games out of first in the East despite not having a point guard except Brian Goodwin for the past two weeks. Despite that, they are 7.3 in their last 10 and the Mobley-Jarrett Allen combo is leading the way.

There continues to be no real challengers to Mobley's stake in this award.

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