One of the most important awards a player can win is the NBA Rookie of the Year. This sets the stage for the rest of their career, and we’ve seen incredible success from former winners.
In the 2021 season, LaMelo Ball won Rookie of the Year; before that, it was Luka Doncic. This year there’s another great group of rookies that are eligible to win one of the most coveted awards.
We’ll start this piece by looking over the top two players that have the best odds to win. From there, we’ll take a look at some of the underdogs that could pull off a surprising win. We’ll also list the top ten players filling up the Rookie of the Year race.
In the end, we’ll make a selection for who we feel is your best pick. Let’s kick it off by going over the rookies with the best odds.
Two players with the best odds (currently) to win ROTY
There are two players fighting for the top spot in the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year race. Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham are both at the top of the odds race. Mobley has -310 odds and is the only player that is actually favored to win.
Mobley averages 15.2 points per game and has immediately stepped into a leadership role. He’s also shooting over 50% from the field this year.
Cade Cunningham continues to climb in the odds race and is currently +850. Cunningham has done incredibly well on the Detroit Pistons this year but struggles to stay healthy. He averages 15.8 points per game, and 5.2 assists per game, which is quite impressive.
The most notable difference between these two is that Mobley has Cleveland at the No.5 spot in the conference.
Underdogs whose odds are climbing in the ROTY race
Just because Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham top the charts doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed. There are a few other players who could continue to climb the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Scottie Barnes continues to climb through the ranks, and he isn’t far behind Cade Cunningham. Barnes is a key piece to the Raptors roster and averages 14.7 points per game.
Franz Wagner is also an underdog who is on his way up the ranks. He’s still far out from Cade Cunningham, but his +1400 makes it an attractive pick.
Wagner has established himself as a leader in the Orlando Magic lineup. The only problem is that the Magic are last in the Eastern Conference, so he’s unlikely to win.
Now, let’s take a look at the top ten rookies for ROTY.
Top ten players in the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year odds
A lot of rookies have performed well this season. Because of this, outside of the top three, the race for Rookie of the Year becomes close. These players are very unlikely to win the 2022 NBA ROTY, but nothing is certain in the NBA.
In fact, some of these “underdog” players could pull off a surprising push to the top. Here are the top ten players with the best odds to win ROTY:
- Evan Mobley -310
- Cade Cunningham +850
- Scottie Barnes +900
- Franz Wagner +1400
- Josh Giddey +3200
- Chris Duarte +6000
- Ayo Dosunmu +7500
- Jalen Green +7500
- Herb Jones +10000
- Brandon Boston +10000
Our pick for the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year
After looking at all of the players eligible for ROTY, we’re going with Evan Mobley. The impact he’s had on the Cavaliers this year is absolutely unmatched. One of the main reasons they’re doing as well as they are is because of Mobley.
He leads the team in blocks per game and is fourth on the team in points per game. There’s a reason Mobley has -310 odds to win this year.
If we had to pick an underdog, we’d likely go with Scottie Barnes over Cade Cunningham. Barnes has the best field-goal percentage on the team, shooting 47.2%.
He’s helped the Raptors get to the No.7 spot in the Eastern Conference. If you’re looking to pick an underdog out of the rookies, Barnes could be a great choice.
Favorite Pick: Evan Mobley -310
Underdog Pick: Scottie Barnes +900
