NBA bettors are thinking big -- literally -- following the NBA Draft and the release of NBA Rookie of the Year odds, with Canadian former Purdue Star Zach Edey right in the middle of the fray.
According to BetMGM, which released their NBA Rookie betting insights on Friday, Edey has been featured on just shy of a quarter of all tickets at 24.4%, with a staggering 74% of all handle placed on the back-to-back National College Player of the Year winner.
Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 9th overall pick in the NBA Draft, Edey had plenty of helium in the lead-up to the draft after believing last season that he could go undrafted. While most had the hoops star mocked outside the lottery ahead of the draft, reports of dominant workouts helped Edey become just the fifth Canadian top-10 selection in the last decade.
“Zach Edey is a particularly special fit for this group,” Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said. ”We’re talking about someone whose competitiveness is through the roof, care factor through the roof, no ego, (he) just wants to win.”
“This is a dream come true,” Edey said in a statement issued by Purdue. “Memphis has such a great core, and I am really excited to get down there and work."
As a result of the massive influx of bets, Edey has also been the most substantial riser for NBA odds, with BetMGM having to shorten the 7-foot-4 big man’s odds from an opening +2500 to just +900, tied for the fourth shortest with Los Angeles Lakers 17th overall selection Dalton Knecht.
Zach Edey is the most bet player to win Rookie of the Year at @BetMGM
— Covers (@Covers) June 28, 2024
His odds have shifted from +2500 ?? +900.
74% of the handle is on Edey to win the award per @johnewing pic.twitter.com/lVKpMMsUrG
It’s perhaps no surprise that bettors are so high on Edey given his laundry list of accolades, as well as the potential fit he could have alongside the enigmatic yet uber-talented Ja Morant, set to return after missing most of last season due to suspension and a shoulder injury. Edey led all of D-1 basketball in scoring with 25.2 points per game, finished 2nd in rebounds with 12.2, and chipped in 2.2 blocks per game, which ranked him within the Top 25 in that category.
Books taking notice of Edey’s rising stock
BetMGM is far from the only sportsbook that seems to have taken notice of the massive influx of bets on Edey and his meteoric rise over the past several weeks.
On Thursday, FanDuel Sportsbook released information on their early Rookie of the Year favourites, with the former Boilermaker slotting in at +1000, tied for the fifth shortest odds among all rookies. Meanwhile, DraftKings sportsbook initially had Edey below +1600 according to a post on X (formerly Twitter), but has since had him fly up to the fourth shortest odds at +1100.
