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Scottie Barnes, Chris Duarte & Evan Mobley All Improve in Latest NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Sam Cox

by Sam Cox in NBA Basketball

Updated Oct 26, 2021 · 9:23 AM PDT

Evan Mobley
Oct 23, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
  • Scottie Barnes, Chris Duarte and Evan Mobley have seen their NBA Rookie of the Year odds shorten
  • Jalen Green remains the favorite for the award with DraftKings at +250
  • Who’s the best bet for NBA Rookie of the Year?

Jalen Green and Cade Cunningham remain atop the NBA Rookie of the Year odds, but much of the race has changed around them. Jalen Suggs has slumped to +1200 with Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley tied in fourth at +750.

Starting and starring for the Indiana Pacers, Chris Duarte has made the most significant leap. The wing out of Oregon is in at +700, behind only Green and Cunningham, the top two picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Kings guard Davion Mitchell is at +2000, just ahead of Thunder rookie Josh Giddey. Alperen Sengun and Franz Wagner round out the top ten.

2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Player Odds
Jalen Green +250
Cade Cunningham +450
Chris Duarte +700
Evan Mobley +750
Scottie Barnes +750
Jalen Suggs +1200
Davion Mitchell +2000
Josh Giddey +2200
Alperen Sengun +2800
Franz Wagner +4000

Odds as of Oct 26th at DraftKings

The Duarte Show

Duarte was regarded as one of the most-NBA prospects in the 2021 class. His first week in the pros has quickly confirmed those projections. Scoring almost 20 per game and shooting just under 45% from three, Duarte has taken advantage of his opportunity with T.J. Warren and Caris LeVert on the sidelines.

He’s been fearless from outside, taking 7.3 threes per game. He’s been aggressive off the bounce, both looking for his own shot and making plays for others. Many draft experts liked Duarte as an instant impact catch-and-shoot three guy, but he’s shown his game to be much more rounded than that.

The 4.8 rebounds per night is a useful bonus, too.

With Warren still a distance from returning, Duarte has locked himself into the starting five for the foreseeable future. He’s a good option at +700.

Frontcourt Stars

It can take some time for big men to adapt to the NBA. Luckily for Cleveland and Toronto, Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes aren’t your normal frontcourt players. Barnes’ defense and playmaking has been as advertised, and he’s brought more scoring than expected so far with 16.8 per game.

Mobley has seamlessly slotted in on a strange Cleveland team, and has shot 55% from the field in his first four games.

Mobley’s length has already tormented defenses. He’s got five steals and eight blocks to his name, and his playmaking has been on show, including six assists in his NBA debut against the Grizzlies. The shot quantity was a worry for Mobley as a Rookie of the Year candidate. Despite scoring 14.3 per game, those doubts remain, but he might be so impactful as a playmaker and defender that his scoring doesn’t matter.

Barnes has clearly benefited from Pascal Siakam’s absence, allowing him to slot into a bigger role on offense. The defense is already great. While he’s been able to score it, there’s a way to go in half court offense, as exhibited by the 13 turnovers.

Mobley is the better bet of the two right now. Siakam’s eventual return will quieten Barnes’ production, while Mobley could be in for more shots if the Cavs eventually trade Collin Sexton.

Still Liking Cade

Priced at +300 before the season tipped off, Cade Cunningham has slipped to +450. While still second favorite, it’s a surprise to see such an early reaction to Cunningham’s ankle injury. He’s yet to make his NBA debut, and while Jalen Green put up 30 against Boston, the Rockets rookie scored 18 points across his first two games and is shooting under 45% from the field.

Cunningham averaged 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his three Summer League games. Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said the first overall pick will hopefully be available when the Pistons return from their current road trip, which would line him up for his NBA debut on Saturday, October 30th.

This injury isn’t like Zion Williamson a couple of years ago. Cunningham looks like he might only miss four games. He was always going to have a massive role on this Detroit team, but his usage could be even higher than expected given Killian Hayes’ brutal start to the campaign.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy is a really good value bet at +450.

Sengun, Bouknight Drop Off

Alperen Sengun has been playing under 20 minutes per game and coming off the bench for the Rockets. That was perhaps predictable given the presence of Christian Wood and Daniel Theis in Houston.

James Bouknight’s situation is less understandable. He’s played less than two minutes through four games, even with Terry Rozier missing three of those.

Charlotte has depth, and Ish Smith has given them some good minutes, but Bouknight was a popular longshot pick for Rookie of the Year and the early signs are not good. He will only fall further down the depth chart when Rozier gets healthy.

Bouknight was +2500 on October, 15th. He’s +8000 at DraftKings on October, 26th. Sengun has slipped from +1400 to +2800.

Barring major injuries to the Charlotte backcourt, there isn’t a route to sufficient minutes for Bouknight to compete for Rookie of the Year. Sengun has a slight chance, though it might rely on Houston trading Christian Wood. If you loved Sengun as a prospect, he could still represent value.

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