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Zion’s ROY Odds Fall to +150 Following News of Extended Absence Due to Knee Injury

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 9, 2020 · 2:16 PM PDT

Zion Williamson at Duke
Can Zion Williamson still win Rookie of the Year if he misses ample time? Photo by Keenan Hairston (Wikimedia)
  • Zion Williamson opened as the favorite to win the 2019 Rookie of the Year Award.
  • Williams has suffered mild knee injuries before, both in Summer League and at Duke last season.
  • Williamson averaged 23.3 points per game and 6.5 rebounds in the preseason.

After such a positive offseason, there was so much optimism heading into the 2019-20 season for the New Orleans Pelicans. However, an injury to No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson has changed the mood.

Is Williamson still a good bet to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year odds at this point or should bettors look elsewhere?

Odds on Zion Williamson Winning Rookie of the Year

Outcome Odds
Yes +150
No -200

*Odds taken 10/21/19

Williamson Knee News Surprises

Many people were caught off-guard when it was announced that Williamson had some kind of a knee injury. It seemed innocuous at first as it was announced that Williamson wouldn’t play due to knee soreness. Then there were some rumblings that it might be serious before ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi cleared the air.

What we do know is that the injury isn’t substantial and that Williamson is only expected to be out a matter of weeks. The Pelicans will have five games from October 22nd to October 31st, and then they’ll play just two games in the first week of November. Tentatively, Williamson is slated to miss most or all of those.

Will We See Load Management?

Of course, Williamson might return 100% by the second week of November but how are the Pelicans going to manage this injury going forward. We could see some extensive load management where the Pelicans scale him back to 60 games this year. He’s the centerpiece of the franchise for years to come, so why push him too hard right away?

One thing to remember is that this isn’t his first knee injury. He suffered a mild sprain to his right knee last season at Duke when his shoe ripped apart. He also bumped knees with someone in Summer League and sat out with soreness (that was his left knee). Clearly, the Pelicans want to be cautious.

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Williamson Was Having Monster Preseason

One of the challenges betting this prop is that Williamson looks like he’s going to be a transcendental player. We’re talking about a guy who averaged 23.3 points per game in the preseason along with 6.5 rebounds while shooting 71.4%. He was playing plenty too at 27.3 minutes per game.

Of course, it’s just preseason action but he’s looked awesome. Some of the other top picks in the 2019 NBA Draft like Ja Morant, R.J. Barrett and Darius Garland have had their moments, but they haven’t looked this crisp.

What’s The Best Bet?

If you’re betting this prop, it looks like what you’ll be left with determining is whether three-quarters of an awesome season from Zion Williamson wins him over the award over some of the other guys who might have solid rookie season and play more games.

At the end of the day, Williamson – because of his brand name, the hype and where he was drafted – already has a head start on everyone else. Even if he misses a couple of weeks, if he comes back and carries over that momentum from the preseason, his numbers will blow the others away.

For now, I’m not too worried about the knee injury. He’s still my bet to win the 2019 Rookie of the Year award.

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