Best Bets for NBA Rookie of the Year in 2024-2025

The NBA season tips off on October 22nd. Now could be the time lock in on several season-long NBA odds offered by FanDuel Sportsbook before the markets drastically change as the season progresses.

As usual, NBA awards are drawing interest on betting markets, including the Rookie of the Year award. Last season, Victor Wembanyama was pretty much the clear favorite to win the award from the minute he was drafted to the moment he took home the hardware. The 2024 race should be a lot more entertaining with more names involved. Thus far, the 2024 NBA Draft class has been advertised as one of the weakest groups in recent memory, but first-year players are still bound to contribute off the bat.

Let's break down the 2024-2025 NBA Rookie of the Year race, circling three players as the best bets ahead of the 2024-25 regular season.

NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Picks

Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets (+650)

Starting with the favorites on the list, Zach Edey of the Memphis Grizzlies is the early favorite to win the award at +500. Following a historical collegiate career -- which included two Wooden Awards -- Edey is in line to start at center for the Grizz. Between the starting role as a prominent name and on a team that's expected to improve with a 47.5-win total, the stage is set for Edey to turn some heads. However, let's look elsewhere among the favorites.

How about the third overall pick, Reed Sheppard? He was one of the best players in all of Summer League, recording 20.0 points per game (PPG), 4.8 rebounds per game (RPG), and 5.3 assists per game (APG) while shooting 50.0% from the field. He even earned All-Summer League First Team honors.

The Houston Rockets took a big leap a season ago, going from 22-60 in the 2022-23 season to 41-41. Houston wasn't without holes, though, as the team finished with the eighth-lowest three-point shooting percentage (35.2%). Sheppard could do wonders in this category after posting a silly 52.1% three-point percentage with Kentucky.

His passing would be a welcomed sight too, for the Rockets lacked playmakers outside of Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun. Clearly, there's a role open for Sheppard to earn significant playing time.

I wouldn't write off Sheppard's chances of snagging the starting shooting guard spot from Jalen Green either. Efficiency has not been in Green's game, for he posted a 42.3% field goal percentage (FG%) while shooting 33.2% from three in the 2023-24 season; his 49.4% effective field goal percentage (eFG%) tells enough of the story. As mentioned, Reed posted ridiculous efficiency in his sole collegiate season.

After an exceptional Summer League while tracking for a notable role, I'm surprised that Sheppard isn't the favorite for this award. With that in mind, give me those +650 odds.

Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (+1000)

Another Summer League performer was the San Antonio Spurs' Stephon Castle, who logged 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his sole appearance. Castle didn't generate as much talk due to the small sample size compared to someone like Sheppard playing in four Summer League games.

There are also some legitimate concerns about Castle's efficiency after making only 8 of 21 field goal attempts (38.1%) in his only Summer League outing. There's some unknowns surrounding Castle, but his upside is still worth buying at +1000.

For example, Castle didn't handle the ball that much with UConn, yet he could fit into a guard role at the next level with more ball-handling and play-making responsibilities. While he's flashed some of this potential, we don't really know how quickly this will translate in the NBA.

Castle's defense will likely be his best shot at Rookie of the Year. According to EvanMiya, Castle posted the second-highest Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (DBPR) on UConn last season at 3.30. Scouting reports pointed to the same strength, such as The Ringer highlighting his versatility.

His scoring potential was also on show in the Summer League, mainly as a driver. Castle's 33.3% three-point percentage in the Summer League would also be success for a season-long mark, for he shot only 26.7% from deep in college.

Ultimately, the fourth overall pick has a path for some hardware. The Spurs come off back-to-back 22-win seasons; the rotation clearly needs an injection of talent. San Antonio posted the 10th-worst defensive rating last season. Castle should play regardless thanks to his defense, and on a team that had the fifth-worst offense rating a season ago, scoring chances will be there. As they say, someone has to score.

Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers (+1300)

One of the biggest sliders in the 2024 NBA Draft was Dalton Knecht. The Los Angeles Lakers benefitted, snatching up the talented wing out of Tennessee with the 17th overall pick. The front office was giddy as Rob Pelinka said the Lakers had him as a top-10 player on scouting boards. Coach JJ Redick added to the hype by saying Knecht "is in the 1%" of shooters on The Lowe Post.

Knecht was the SEC Player of the Year in the 2023-24 season while posting 21.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG. The cherry on top was his exceptional shooting split of 45.8% from the field, 39.7% from three, and 77.2% from the free throw line. Few players across college basketball showcase this kind of efficiency with such a high usage rate (16.0 field goal attempts per contest).

Similar to our last two picks for Rookie of the Year, Kincaid ended up in a good spot. The Lakers scoring load was mostly carried by LeBron James (25.7 PPG), Anthony Davis (24.7 PPG), and D'Angelo Russell (18.0 PPG) as the three players combined for about 52.4% of the team's scoring a season ago. There's been a constant need to alleviate some of the pressure off of LeBron and AD; James had a 29.5% usage rate while Davis posted a 27.0% rate last season, per RotoGrinders. Among qualifying players, Russell (22.9%) and Austin Reaves (20.8%) were the only other Lakers to post at least 20.0% usage rates.

Additionally, L.A. attempted the fewest three-point attempts per game in the 2023-24 season, and that was with the Association's fourth-quickest pace of play. Once again, that's far from ideal with LeBron and Davis in the lineup. Both players like to attack the rim; lethal three-point shooters would be a welcomed sight to help with floor spacing.

Not only can Knecht's scoring ability help take some of the load off of the Lakers' top players, his three-point shooting is also much-needed in this offense. Various scouting reports glowed about his ability to scorch the nets as a knockdown shooter. The Ringer's rankings had Knecht as the eighth-best prospect of the class; falling to 17 was an absolute steal.

Knecht gets to be apart of a team with a ton of media coverage, and good looks should be available with LeBron and Davis drawing so much attention from opposing defenses. His dangerous three-point shooting should fit right into Los Angeles, making Knecht an enticing Rookie of the Year pick, but will he get enough usage to bring home the hardware?

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.