Paolo Banchero Odds to be No. 1 Pick Skyrocket Ahead of 2022 NBA Draft
By Reed Wallach
The lead up to the NBA Draft's No. 1 pick took another turn days ahead of the event.
While Jabari Smith remains the favorite to be the No. 1 pick at WynnBET Sportsbook, -150 as of this writing, but Paolo Banchero has seen his odds shift dramatically ahead of Thursday night. Once +2200, Panchero is now +200 and has shorter odds than the other contender for the first selection Chet Holmgren.
Paolo is flying up the odds list✈️ 📈 pic.twitter.com/wcGjtFROD1
— BetSided (@BetSided) June 21, 2022
2022 NBA Draft No. 1 Pick Odds
- Jabari Smith: -150
- Paolo Banchero: +200
- Chet Holmgren: +250
What Has Caused Banchero's Odds to Move?
This is a dramatic shift on the Duke product, who has been listed as the No. 1 prospect in the draft by the likes of Kevin O'Connor from The Ringer, but is this more of a signal that the odds were too long and the pick hasn't been settled. Or is Banchero the pick and is there room for this number to go?
It's to be determined. Both Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated still have Smith as the No. 1 pick, but are not as certain as they have been in the past weeks when Smith became a favorite north of -400. While Banchero is the current trendy name, every mock still has Smith going first two days out from Draft night.
It's worth noting that the Magic are notoriously tight-lipped and this could be another smokescreen by bettors to throw people off the scent. This could be a case of a very long price being adjusted to make it more clear that this is in fact a three-man race.
It does feel notable that Holmgren, who seems to fit the historical profile of the Magic front office draft pick, has been surpassed by Banchero. However, reports about Holmgren not being interested in Orlando could be leading to this price change.
As well, O'Connor mentioned that the Rockets, who are known to have Banchero at the top of their board, could be angling to move up to ensure they get him.
Kevin O'Connor says he's heard rumors of Rockets trying to move up to #1 or #2 to take Paolo Banchero. "I had a source tell me yesterday that OKC is definitely a contender to take Banchero at 2. But how much is that OKC putting it out there knowing Houston's desire to take him?"
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) June 20, 2022
Keep an eye out for movement on the No. 1 pick market as Thursday night draws closer.
You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!