Opening 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds – Cade Cunningham favored at +250 ahead of Jalen Green

• Unsurprisingly, first overall pick Cade Cunningham is the betting favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year
• Second overall selection Jalen Green is second in the betting ahead of Evan Mobley
• Read below for analysis of the opening Rookie of the Year odds and a full look at the board

The top three picks of the 2021 NBA Draft are the three leading candidates for 2021-22 Rookie of the Year. There were no shocks at the top of the draft, and it’s unsurprising that Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley sit atop this market.

There was, however, a bit of a surprise at four. Toronto took Scottie Barnes rather than Jalen Suggs. The pair are tied at +800 to win the rookie hardware. It’s then a jump out to +1500 for James Bouknight and Davion Mitchell.

Here are the complete NBA Rookie of the Year odds at DraftKings.

2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds as of July 30th

Cunningham’s Detroit Fit

After a year in the doldrums, all eyes are on the Pistons. Cade Cunningham joins Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Jerami Grant on a roster which has suddenly become very fun. Drafted first overall, a prospect immediately jumps up the organizational hierarchy. Cunningham will likely be their lead ball handler from day one, but the presence of Hayes as a playmaker and Grant as a scorer should avoid too brutal a workload.

Cunningham can do it all. He can pick out Stewart rolling to the basket, find Bey for threes, and create his own shot. The Pistons have a chance to be a top-10 defense with Grant and Cunningham capable of guarding one through four.

He’s the deserving favorite for Rookie of the Year. If anything, it’s a surprise to see such a long price. There’s a lot of talent in this draft class, but the combination of Cunningham’s rounded game and the fit in Detroit makes it hard to look past him for the award.

Green on the Rockets

Jalen Green was actually ranked ahead of Cunningham coming out of high school. While he was tabbed as the third-best prospect for much of the pre-draft process, Houston was ultimately locked into taking Green at two, and even flew him into the draft on a private jet.

Green should be an instant scoring threat in the NBA. Given sufficient minutes, he will average in the high-teens as a rookie. While the Rockets will obviously prioritize his development, his fit onto the roster isn’t as seamless as Cunningham in Detroit. The presence of John Wall looms over the Rockets short and medium-term future. If Kevin Porter Jr. continues on his trajectory from last season, he will rival Green for minutes.

The scoring alone should make Green a contender for the award. His outside shot and playmaking still need work, however, and the future of Wall has some significance. It will be interesting to see how Stephen Silas balances his backcourt rotation – could we see a three-guard lineup with Green, Wall and Porter Jr?

Green likely needs to put up massive scoring numbers to really rival Cunningham. He’s not as NBA-ready, and that makes it hard to like his price at +450.

Big Men Troubles

The learning curve for big men is often steep. Even elite defensive prospects can struggle to get to grips with actions in the NBA. Evan Mobley is a two-way talent, but bettors will be wary of him.

Deandre Ayton was a defensive liability early in his career and he’s just anchored a defense which went to the Finals. For all Mobley’s instincts and athleticism, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he has some difficulties as a rookie. The high ceiling on that end doesn’t mean he will be impactful immediately.

There’s another major obstacle facing him. Putting up numbers is a big part of competing for Rookie of the Year, particularly when most of the contenders will be on losing teams. Mobley has his work cut out to rival the production of Green and Cunningham. With Collin Sexton and Darius Garland still on the team, he’s unlikely to put up huge offensive numbers, and could be overshadowed statistically by lesser-known prospects.

Cleveland has imagined USC 7-footer Evan Mobley playing on a frontline with Jarrett Allen; some four-man, some five. Cavaliers believe he's a franchise player. Teams tried to trade up to three, but Cavaliers are keeping it.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 30, 2021

Anthony Davis missed out on Rookie of the Year despite scoring efficiently. Karl-Anthony Towns was the last big man to win the award back in 2015/16. Some will like Mobley’s price given his indisputable ability, but it’s not a value bet at +550.

Suggs Over Barnes

It’s wild to see Jalen Suggs and Scottie Barnes at the same price. Only time will tell if the Raptors made a mistake taking Barnes fourth overall, but it’s clear that Suggs has a better chance of putting together a Rookie of the Year campaign.

let's do this @jalensuggs‼️#MagicDraft x @AdventHealth pic.twitter.com/0IaaJiuokz

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 30, 2021

The greatest question for Suggs is his minutes and role in the offense. Orlando has plenty of young backcourt talent. The Magic also look like they are heading for deep into the lottery once again, perhaps that puts Suggs at a disadvantage to Barnes.

Toronto are expecting to return to a solid playoff seed in 2021-22. Barnes is going to have a major role to play. As a subpar shooter and likely the fifth option offensively, though, he’s just not going to put up sufficient numbers to rival Cunningham and Green. That might even be the case for players picked later in the draft like Josh Giddey and Davion Mitchell.

Scottie Barnes: "I just want to be great. I'm just a great person, I'm a great teammate, I'm a great player, I want to be known (as) someone that just puts in the time, puts in the work, someone that's great, that just does it all."

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 30, 2021

Barnes could immediately be an elite defender in the NBA, but that’s not enough to be a real Rookie of the Year challenger, particularly in a class this stacked.

Suggs is the better value of the two, though there’s enough downside for the +800 to be underwhelming for both prospects.