The next set of basketball stars are headed to the NBA this Thursday as the NBA Draft occurs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. There is plenty of buzz around this year’s draft, and it makes sense since we have possibly the greatest NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James projected to go 1st overall. I say projected, but it’s almost certain. But after Wembanyama is when it gets interesting because there are plenty of prospects that could go in the top 3 to 5 picks, so I also dove into the 2nd overall pick to find some value. Let’s take a look at the odds for the 1st and 2nd picks, along with my best bets for the pair of picks.
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2023 NBA Draft 1st Overall Pick Odds
Victor Wembanyama (-20000)
Scoot Henderson (+5000)
Brandon Miller (+10000)
Amen Thompson (+10000)
Jarace Walker (+15000)
At -20000 odds, the implied probability for Victor Wembanyama to be the 1st overall pick is 99.5%. Now, that does leave 0.5% that he isn’t taken first overall, but it’s almost certain that the French phenom will go to the San Antonio Spurs. To just give you an example of what you would win by betting on Wembanyama, a $1,000 bet on him to be selected as the 1st pick would earn you… $5. That’s right, just $5. The real bet will be on who will be the 2nd overall pick in the draft.
2023 NBA Draft 2nd Overall Pick Odds
Scoot Henderson (-250)
Brandon Miller (+170)
Amen Thompson (+5000)
Victor Wembanyama (+10000)
Taylor Hendricks (+10000)
This is where it gets interesting. Wembanyama is nearly guaranteed to go 1st overall, so the real question is who the Charlotte Hornets will select with the 2nd overall pick. It’s become a 2-man race to be the future Hornet as Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller have been going back and forth for weeks. Henderson has become a slight favorite, but is an NBA Draft surprise in store?
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2023 NBA Draft 2nd Overall Pick Best Bet: Brandon Miller (+175)
Hear me out: a duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller would be elite. Ball is the face of the Hornets and is a freak athlete with excellent basketball IQ — two things that Miller possesses as well. Also, in a lot of the recent mock drafts, analysts have Miller going over Scoot. I’m not sure what they know that the public doesn’t, but that does weigh heavy on my mind. At +175 odds, Miller has a lot of value to go 2nd overall.
I also like Miller’s chances of going second because of Scoot’s relationship with Damian Lillard, which came to light a few weeks ago. Apparently, Scoot texted Lillard in 2021 asking for advice which started a friendship between the two, and it’s obvious that Henderson has a lot of admiration for the Trail Blazers star. Teaming the two scorers together would completely change Portland’s offense, so I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the Blazers hoping Scoot falls to them at #3.
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