Vegas oddsmaker likes Jahlil Okafor as favorite to win Rookie of the Year
Contrary to how the draft shook out, Bovada pegged No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns as just the third-likeliest player to win Rookie of the Year.
Towns trails Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor and Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell (picks No. 3 and 2, respectively) in betting odds. Towns is also tied with Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay with 7-1 odds.
The full list can be found at Bovada's NBA prop bets page.
NBA Rookie of the Year Odds from @BovadaLV. Jahlil Okafor is the favorite followed by D'Angelo Russell. pic.twitter.com/oGfISdvvQw
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) June 30, 2015
There's obviously some logic behind the odds. Okafor will be given plenty of possessions to impose his will in the post, which will translate to high scoring numbers. Russell is a strong candidate for the same reason, although he'll be deferring to Kobe Bryant.
Of interest to New York Knicks fans, Latvian prospect Kristaps Porzingis places in a four-way tie for the eighth-best odds at Rookie of the Year. Porzingis was drafted fourth overall, but lags behind due to his age (19) and slight build.