How To Bet on the NBA Draft: The Complete 2022 Betting Guide
How To Bet on the NBA Draft: The Complete 2022 Betting Guide
Following the Warriors NBA Finals victory, it is now time to look ahead to the 2023 season. That starts tonight with the NBA Draft. This is potentially the biggest day of the offseason for the NBA, especially the young and rebuilding teams that make up the lottery. Everyone is dying to know where the NBA future stars will land.
2022 NBA Draft: The Preview
There has been a ton of movement on the line for the number 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Initially, it was a two-man race between Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. After the Orlando Magic won the lottery, Jabari Smith Jr. started to pull away from Chet as the favorite to go first to Orlando. Their lines have since moved back to around even, and now a third name is in this race for number 1.
Paolo Banchero out of Duke seems to be a late riser to jump into those top two picks. His odds to go first overall started at around +1800. Vegas saw a ton of money on him to have his name called first tonight and his odds now sit at +300. Jabari Smith Jr. remains the favorite at -105 but this draft seems wide open.
After these three guys, there is still a plethora of talent in this year’s draft. Jaden Ivey has the potential to be a stud in this league for a very long time. Other names to watch going forward are Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe, and Bennedict Mathurin.
NFL Draft Betting Odds: Common Betting Lines
The NBA draft has grown and become more popular every single year. These teams drafting early are desperate to find their new star and their fan bases are getting anxious to turn their franchises around. Because of all this attention, more people have tuned in to the NBA Draft and therefore more people have been betting on the draft.
There seems to be an infinite number of things to bet on in the Draft nowadays. Let’s take a look at some of the most common betting lines and their most recent odds.
First Overall Pick Odds
As stated before, there are only 3 names that have a real shot at going first overall this year. Those names are Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero. The rest of the guys in this draft are fighting for the rest of the lottery spots.
Below are the current First Overall Pick odds
- Jabari Smith Jr. (-105)
- Paolo Banchero (+300)
- Chet Holmgren (+550)
- Jaden Ivey (+15000)
- Shaedon Sharpe (+25000)
Click Here for a complete list of the odds for the first overall pick.
These odds may drastically change as the draft gets nearer, as it seems like information gets leaked every year to bring a different name to the top of this list. But, for now if any name was called first besides the top 3 guys listed above, I’d be shocked.
You can also bet on second, third, fourth, and fifth overall pick odds so if you feel confident in a certain team in the lottery to end up with someone, you will have the opportunity to place that bet. For example, let’s look at the odds for the player that will go fifth overall.
Fifth Overall Pick Odds
The Detroit Pistons hold this pick. They are coming off a year where it seemed like they hit it out of the park with last year's number 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham. They are looking to now find his co-star who will him Cunningham and the Pistons turn into a playoff team in the near future.
Here is a look at the odds for fifth overall pick.
- Keegan Murray (+190)
- Jaden Ivey (+230)
- Bennedict Mathurin (+240)
- Dyson Daniels (+950)
- Shaedon Sharpe (+2500)
Keegan Murray being slightly favored over Jaden Ivey is expected here, as most people envision Ivey going 4th overall to the Sacramento Kings. If the first four picks of this draft goes chalk, it is looking extremely likely that Keegan Murray will be a Detroit Piston.
Also, there is always the chance that a team could trade up or down to this spot, which could alter who ends up going 5th overall drastically.
Team’s First Pick
Another popular market to bet on in the NBA Draft is an individual team’s first selection. Diehard fans of their teams do a lot of research about who their team likes out of all of the prospects. From that, they may like to find their respective team and bet on who they will select. For example, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently hold the 14th pick in the draft. Let’s take a look at the odds for Cleveland’s first pick of the draft.
Cleveland Cavaliers first player selected odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
- Ousmane Dieng (+300)
- Ochai Agbaji (+350)
- Malaki Branham (+450)
- Jalen Williams (+600)
- Jeremy Sochan (+900)
Barring a trade, these are some of the names are most likely to be a Cleveland Cavalier come next season. Obviously, they could trade up in this draft and then someone with longshot odds could be the first player selected by Cleveland. But, for where they currently stand we could see them going with an older pro-ready player, like Ochai Agbaji out of Kansas, to come in and contribute right away.
Top 10 Draft Pick
There is also the option to bet on a player to be selected in the top 10. Whether you’re confident to lay the number with Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis to be a top 10 pick (-200) or want to take more of a long shot such as Malaki Branham out of Ohio State to sneak into that top 10 (+750), most sportsbooks will offer you this opportunity.
In-Play Betting
Similar to making a March Madness bracket, draft predictions, and mock drafts are usually thrown out the window by pick 10. Luckily, most sportsbooks are offering live in-play betting so you can pivot your wagers on the fly and make the most of the big value picks as the draft unfolds. Keep your eyes locked on your favorite sportsbooks NBA Draft page and see if you can find any steals as the excitement commences.
How to bet on the NBA Draft FAQs
When does the NBA Draft Start?
The first round of the 2022 NBA Draft is due to start at 7:30 pm Eastern tonight (June 23rd).
How can I watch the NBA Draft?
The entirety of the 2022 NBA Draft will be broadcast on ESPN as well as streamed on the ESPN app, ABC.com and the ABC app.