Does Josh Giddey Have Value in NBA Rookie of the Year Odds?
By Peter Dewey
There are very few players like the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Josh Giddey.
The Oklahoma City Thunder rookie broke LaMelo Ball’s record as the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double in a game.
Josh Giddey has set the NBA record for youngest player to record a triple-double ? pic.twitter.com/N2crL4TkVi
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 3, 2022
Giddey’s ability to stuff the stat sheets is rare for such a young player, and he does it without having to dominate the game as a scorer.
Josh Giddey last game: 0/10/10, first double-double without points in 50 years.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 3, 2022
Josh Giddey tonight: 17/13/14, youngest player ever with a triple-double.
What a unique player. pic.twitter.com/vyqi7uZY3p
The Thunder are still clearly in a rebuild and will likely end up as one of the NBA’s worst teams this season, but Giddey is making his mark in the latest odds to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award at WynnBET.
While Evan Mobley is the clear favorite at the moment, an injury or drop off in play could bring other candidates into the picture. At this point in the season, Giddey may have the most value of them all.
Latest Odds to Win NBA Rookie of the Year
- Evan Mobley: +105
- Scottie Barnes: +275
- Cade Cunningham: +375
- Franz Wagner: +900
- Josh Giddey: +2500
- Chris Duarte: +3000
- Jalen Green: +3000
- Davion Mitchell: +6000
- Alperen Sengun: +8000
Giddey looks like a long shot in the fifth spot, but Barnes, Cunningham and Mobley have all missed time with injuries so far this season.
Giddey, on the other hand, is entrenched in a starting role in Oklahoma City, playing 30.2 minutes per game in his 31 games so far this season. He only takes 11.7 shots per game, but Giddey is still averaging 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
If the NBA season ended today, there’s no doubt that Mobley would win Rookie of the Year. However, if we are looking for betting value, there is a case to be made for Giddey.
The minutes and role will clearly be there for him the rest of the season, but the drawback in OKC is team success won’t help his chances at winning the award. Although Cunningham, Barnes and Wagner are on subpar teams as well, Mobley and the Cavs are in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
I still think there is value for Giddey at +2500, but he would need an even bigger leap, or a Mobley drop off, to truly have a shot at the award.