2022 NBA Draft Number One Overall Pick Odds: Ranking the Top 5 Candidates
2022 NBA Draft Number One Overall Pick Odds: Ranking the Top 5 Candidates
The draft lottery is set, and we now know what teams are picking where, which means, we have updated odds on who may go number one overall in the draft. Let’s see who owns the best odds to be the first pick.
5. Shadeon Sharpe Number One Pick Odds (+3300) (Bet $100 to win $3300)
Sharpe is a player that I’m not too sure anybody can be so certain on. He could easily be a top-5 pick, and live up to the hype. He could also be picked first or second overall, and look like an atrocious pick. The Orlando Magic have the first pick, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them make an odd pick.
Sharpe is uber athletic, but his skill set is only what we see from his high school highlight reel, simply because he has yet to play at a level beyond high school, thanks to early graduation.
4. Jaden Ivey Number One Pick Odds (+3300)(Bet $100 to win $3300)
Ivey is likely the best guard in this draft, making him a potential top pick, if that’s the direction the Magic want to go. Like Sharpe, Ivey is also super athletic. If the Magic need to go with a wing at all, Ivey is their best bet. He’s improved his playmaking and shot creation over the season, as well.
Ivey has drawn comparisons to players like Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards, which is good company to be in. If he can live up to that hype, he would make a good case to be the number one overall pick.
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3. Paolo Banchero Number One Pick Odds (+475) (Bet $100 to win $475)
Banchero, like the other top three options, feels like a really safe pick, and it’s more about picking for fit. Duke has proven to produce high level NBA players, with plenty of examples around the league. Banchero has a good mix of size, skill and athleticism, making him a balanced player. His ability to create his own shot at his size is of high value and would benefit a team like the Magic plenty.
One thing Banchero may have a handicap on is his defensive ability. He can give you a little bit of everything on offense, but remains average on defense. While if he can produce on one end at an elite level, his average defensive ability shouldn’t prove too big an issue.
2. Chet Holmgren Number One Pick odds (+160) (Bet $100 to win $160)
A unicorn is the best way to describe Chet. A 7-footer that can shoot the ball and defend the rim at a high level? Sounds like a solid pick to me. Chet’s defense was criticized in college, but in the NBA, he won’t have to play hands-up defense, allowing him to be more physical despite being smaller than most bigs in the league. The skillset and size is there, if Chet can develop physically, he could be the best player in the draft with ease.
The gamble of Chet physically developing is the only question for the first pick of the draft. At barely 20-years-old, Chet will have plenty of time to develop with years to come before his prime.
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1. Jabari Smith Jr. Number One Pick Odds(-160) (Bet $160 to win $100)
This is my favorite prospect, and the Magic would be silly not to take him. His shooting at his size is proven to be very, very valuable. He can play 3&D and beyond, which in this league will get him paid. Playing with the playmakers the Magic have would benefit Jabari, but it’d be in his best interest to sharpen up his shot creating skills and what he can do with the ball primarily in his hands.
Being 6’10 with a jump shot will automatically get you labeled as a stretch four, but Jabari can do much more than a stretch four. His rebounding is decent, as well as his passing, but his ability to score at all three levels is immensely valuable and the Magic would absolutely benefit from that alone.