Jalen Suggs NBA Rookie of the Year Odds Present Unique Value

The Orlando Magic struck gold in the 2021 NBA Draft when point guard Jalen Suggs fell to them at the No. 5 overall pick, and so far Suggs has lived up to all the hype that surrounded him during his impressive freshman season at Gonzaga University. 

Suggs had a strong NBA Summer League, and he’s garnered a ton of praise around the league ahead of the upcoming season.

“Suggs looked every bit the guy I thought he was pre-draft when I ranked him No. 2 overall,” The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote after speaking to several executives at the NBA’s Summer League. “The Magic should hand over the keys to their offense to Suggs to start the year and let him grow through some of the eventual pains that’ll happen as a first-year player in the NBA. His upside is higher than anyone else’s on the roster, a legitimate potential All-Star who plays on both ends of the floor and can take over the game both as a scorer and as a passer.”

That’s some high praise for Suggs, and despite the fact that he’s fallen from +600 to +700 odds at WynnBET to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, I think he actually has great value to win the award. 

NBA Rookie of the Year Odds for the 2021-22 Season

• Cade Cunningham: +250
• Jalen Green: +275
• Jalen Suggs: +700
• Evan Mobley: +800
• Scottie Barnes: +1200
• Alperen Sengun: +1200
• Davion Mitchell: +1750
• James Bouknight: +3000
• Chris Duarte: +3000
• Josh Giddey: +3000
• Jalen Johnson: +3000
• Jonathan Kuminga: +3000

Suggs, Cunningham, and Green all will be in similar situations next season. The three guards will be on rebuilding teams that need to find a star to lead their franchise. All three players should have plenty of opportunities to put up major numbers, and while the odds suggest there is a gap between Green, Cunningham, and Suggs, I think it is much smaller than oddsmakers are letting on. 

At +700, Suggs has just as good a chance to take advantage of his situation and come out on top as the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. Remember, LaMelo Ball was the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft and ended up running away with the award. 

With Markelle Fultz recovering from a torn ACL and Cole Anthony coming off an up-and-down rookie season, there’s no reason that Suggs can’t become Orlando’s go-to guy from day one. 

The Magic were lucky enough that Suggs fell into their lap in the draft, and I think he will be afforded every chance to prove that he can be the franchise’s cornerstone piece next season.

Can Jalen Suggs win NBA Rookie of the Year? Make your pick on WynnBET.