Zach Edey has Best Odds to Win NBA Rookie of the Year After First Summer League Game

It only took one Summer League game for fans to start buying stock in Zach Edey. The Memphis Grizzlies' first-round pick is the betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year.

Dustin Schutte | Jul 9, 2024

Memphis Grizzlies first-round pick Zach Edey / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA

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There are suddenly a lot of believers in Memphis Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey. It only took one NBA Summer League game for the 7-foot-4 center to become the betting favorite to win the league's Rookie of the Year award for the 2024-25 season.

Edey was outstanding in Memphis' first Summer League game in Salt Lake City on Monday night, scoring 14 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking four shots in 34 minutes against the Utah Jazz. The former Purdue standout also had a few highlight moments, including a posterizing jam on Walker Kessler and a tip-in off a missed free throw with 0.2 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Zach Edey posts a double-double and tips in a last second shot to force OT in his first Summer League game with the Grizzlies 🙌

14 PTS
15 REB
4 BLK

An impressive start for the 9th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft... pic.twitter.com/vgoumIeeNq
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2024

Although he had a tremendous stat line, it wasn't enough to get Memphis the win. The Jazz defeated the Grizzlies 97-95.

But Edey's efforts did propel him to the top of the NBA Rookie of the Year betting, according to FanDuel.com. The former Boilermaker is now at plus-600 to take home the honor at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Here's how Edey's odds compare to the other top rookies (per FanDuel):

Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies (plus-600)
Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards (plus-700)
Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks (plus-750)
Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers (plus-800)
Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets (plus-1000)
Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls (plus-1000)

There's still a lot of time between the NBA Summer League and the start of the regular season. These odds are likely to change over time.

But it's interesting to see how the first game of Edey's professional career had an impact on the Rookie of the Year odds.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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