Who is the Favorite to Win NBA Rookie of the Year?

It's not the No. 1 overall pick this time around.

Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) guards Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) during the Men's NCAA national championship game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 8, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

On Saturday afternoon, NBA Summer League kicked off as the California Classic brought back NBA on-court action for the first time in several weeks. This provided a first look at several of the most interesting rookies around the league, with more first-year players set to make their respective debuts over the next week on various summer circuits.

Even before we get a real look at most of these rookies in their new threads, preliminary NBA Rookie of the Year odds have been released by FanDuel Sportsbook. Interestingly enough, the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is not the favorite to win the award. In fact, Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher is third in the odds, behind Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards) and Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies).

2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year outlook entering Summer League play, per @FDSportsbook: pic.twitter.com/YrainopeN3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2024

Many believed Sarr was the best player in this class entering the 2024 NBA Draft, but he went No. 2 overall nonetheless. From there, Edey will be playing on a contender and has a pathway to playing a significant role, so he will have every opportunity to be a top rookie. As such, it isn't surprising to see those two at the top of the odds leaderboard for NBA Rookie of the Year in the 2024-25 season.

Only three teams have more than one rookie with top-20 odds of winning the award as of now. The Wizards (Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington), Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr.) and Utah Jazz (Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier) are considered the best rookie duos based on these odds.

It's anyone's award to win this season, as it appears to be much more wide open than in previous years. It wouldn't be all that surprising for any of these top-20 players to make a run at NBA Rookie of the Year, which makes the race even more exciting.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.