2022 NBA Draft Betting Odds Preview
The 2022 NBA Draft takes over the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday night with the Orlando Magic holding the No. 1 pick.
At Bovada Sportsbook, the favorite to be drafted first overall by the Magic is Auburn Tigers forward Jabari Smith at -250. Smith was one-and-done at Auburn where he averaged just under 17 points per game.
Smith favored to go No. 1 to Orlando Magic
If the oddsmakers and experts turn out to be wrong and the Magic don’t take Smith at No. 1, next in line on the odds list at Bovada are Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero at +125 and Gonzaga Bulldogs center Chet Holmgren at +350.
Holmgren is favored to be the No. 2 pick and go to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At Bovada, the odds for the No. 2 pick list Holmgren at -200, followed by Smith at +175 and Banchero at +300.
If things go as expected and Smith ends up with Orlando and Holmgren with Oklahoma City, there could be some value in betting on the No. 3 pick that belongs to the Houston Rockets.
Ivey, Sharpe could be worth fliers at No. 3
Not surprisingly, the favorite in the No. 3 pick odds is Banchero at -350. There are a few mock drafts that have Banchero falling out of the top three. If that were to happen, it might be worth taking a flier on Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey at +900, or taking a risk on none-and-done Kentucky Wildcats guard Shaedon Sharpe at +2000.
The easiest money-makers for NBA draft bettors are likely in the top 10 picks prop. It doesn’t pay much for the favorites which include Dyson Daniels at -5000, Sharpe at -5000 and Bennedict Mathurin at -3000. Riskier picks on this prop include Jalen Duren at -120, Johnny Davis at -175, and AJ Griffin and Jeremy Sochan, both at +175.
Most of the players getting good odds on the top 10 picks prop also have OVER/UNDER draft position props.
Odds point to Daniels being picked in top 7
Dyson Daniels’ OVER/UNDER was set at 7.5. The UNDER is favored at -175 and the OVER comes in at +130. Some experts have Daniels pegged as high as sixth, while others have him closer to No. 10.
Shaedon Sharpe is tough to predict because he didn’t play a single game at Kentucky this year before declaring for the draft. At Bovada, Sharpe’s OVER/UNDER was also set at 7.5. The OVER is favored at -160 and the UNDER comes in at +120. Several experts have Sharpe pegged at No. 7 in their mock drafts.
Our last OVER/UNDER look is at Bennedict Mathurin. The oddsmakers have set his number at 6.5 with the UNDER favored at -170 and the OVER at +130. Several mock drafts have Mathurin pegged at No. 5 or No. 6, so the UNDER may be the way to go here.