Jabari Smith Favored in Odds to Be No. 1 Pick in 2022 NBA Draft Following Lottery
By Peter Dewey
The 2022 NBA Draft Order is set, and the Orlando Magic are officially on the clock with the No. 1 pick.
Orlando, who had a 14 percent chance to end up with the No. 1 pick, won the league’s draft lottery on Tuesday night, and it will have its pick between top prospects Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren.
The Magic started their rebuild during the 2020-21 season when they traded away Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier, and they had two lottery picks in last year’s draft, taking Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner.
Holmgren, the lanky center from Gonzaga, was the favorite to be the No. 1 pick entering the lottery, but that has changed. Orlando already has a solid young center in Wendell Carter Jr., who came from Chicago in the Vucevic trade, so it’s possible the Magic decide to go with Smith or Banchero instead of Holmgren.
Here are the latest odds at WynnBET for the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft:
Latest 2022 NBA Draft Odds Following Lottery (Odds to Be No. 1 Pick)
- Jabari Smith: -130
- Chet Holmgren: +135
- Paolo Banchero: +350
- Jaden Ivey: +3000
- Shaedon Sharpe: +5000
- Keegan Murray: +10000
- Johnny Davis: +15000
- AJ Griffin: +15000
- Benedict Mathurin: +15000
- Ochai Agbaji: +20000
- Patrick Baldwin Jr.: +25000
- Marjon Beauchamp: +25000
- Dyson Daniels: +25000
- Jalen Duren: +25000
- Tari Eason: +25000
- TyTy Washington: +25000
- Jaden Hardy: +50000
- Caleb Houstan: +50000
- Kai Sotto: +50000
Vegas Has Been High On Jabari Smith’s Future
Back in February, Smith was an even greater favorite to go No. 1 during a strong stretch for the Auburn Tigers.
Smith shot 42.0 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman, and he may be the most complete scorer in the draft. Banchero, who is a solid value at +350, may be a better all-around offensive player than Smith, but the two are so close in terms of who should be the top pick.
There’s no reason to lay the -130 juice with Smith unless the Magic come out and announce that they plan to take him, so Banchero at +350 would be my at this point.
Holmgren is a unicorn in his own right, but he has some serious size concerns with his thin frame and may not fit for an Orlando team that is already set at the center position.
Banchero and Smith feel like the safer picks, but Holmgren may have the most upside as a stretch big that can also put the ball on the floor.
As the draft process continues, these numbers will likely fluctuate, but it w
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.