NBA Rookie of the Year Odds: Stephon Castle Jumps to Favorite Following All-Star Game

Stephon Castle is favored to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Stephon Castle is favored to win the Rookie of the Year award. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Rookie of the Year race in the NBA has been wide open all season long, and San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle is the latest player atop the odds board.

Earlier this season, Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey and Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr held the top spot, but both players have dealt with injuries and haven’t exactly played at a high level.

Castle, who has started 29 of the 51 games that he’s appeared in this season, has become an important part of the Spurs’ rotation. He’s currently set at +140 to win the Rookie of the Year, but there are multiple players in striking distance – including Edey and Sarr – with the NBA getting set to resume out of the All-Star break.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds and a few players to consider wagering on in this market. 

NBA Rookie of the Year Odds for 2024-25 Season

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Stephon Castle: +140
• Kel’el Ware: +230
• Zaccharie Risacher: +750
• Jaylen Wells: +850
• Zach Edey: +1600
• Alexandre Sarr: +2000
• Isaiah Collier: +2500
• Matas Buzelis: +4000
• Dalton Knecht: +8000
• Carlton Carrington: +8000
• Rob Dillingham: +15000
• Yves Missi: +15000

These odds are a sign that there isn’t a clear favorite to win this award, and things could fluctuate over the final two months of the regular season.

While Castle seems pretty locked into his role, so is Kel’el Ware, who has become a starter for Miami. On top of that, Isaiah Collier, Matas Buzelis, and Zaccharie Risacher all have stepped into bigger roles since the trade deadline that could help them improve their respective cases. 

Personally, I don’t have a player that I love to win this award, but two rookies stand out above the rest in the latest odds. 

Stephon Castle Now Favored in ROY Odds

Castle is the favorite for a reason, and he’s averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from 3.

The former UConn star has not shot the ball well, but he’s an impact player on both ends of the floor for a Spurs team that is in the mix for a play-in spot. Castle’s defined role (25.5 minutes per game) gives him a step up on many of the other players in this market.

Wells and Edey are supporting players on a playoff-bound Memphis team. Ware is a lob threat in a Miami offense that mainly features Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Risacher is an off-ball player in a Trae Young-led attack.

However, even with De’Aaron Fox in San Antonio, Castle gets to play on the ball and has played his best basketball as of late. Over his last 10 games, Castle is averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent from 3. 

If he continues to improve as a shooter, the Spurs rookie is in the driver’s seat to hang on to this top spot. 

Zaccharie Risacher Could Be Sneaky Target in ROY Odds

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Risacher has quietly had a solid season for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3. 

The reason I like Risacher in this market is because of what the Hawks did at the deadline. They traded away two of his biggest competitors for minutes and touches – De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic – and they appear to be content with building for the future even though they don’t have their first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

That bodes well for Risacher’s role going forward, and he has already started 46 of the 48 games that he’s played in this season. On top of that, the No. 1 overall pick is averaging 14.5 points on 59.0 percent shooting from the field and 46.2 percent shooting from 3 in the four games since the trade deadline.

He’s trending up in this market and his numbers aren’t far off from what Castle has done in San Antonio.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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