ROY Odds: Magic's Banchero Favored After Holmgren Injury?

Holmgren will miss the entire season with a foot injury.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 26, 2022

ROY Odds: Magic's Banchero Favored After Holmgren Injury? /

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Orlando Magic

The Rookie of the Year race was supposed to be neck-and-neck this season between Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, but that appears to no longer be the case.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Holmgren will miss the his entire rookie season due to a right foot injury.

“Oklahoma City Thunder 7-footer Chet Holmgren will miss the 2022-23 season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, suffered the injury in a Pro-Am game in Seattle on Saturday,” Wojnarowski wrote.

While it's unfortunate for Holmgren, the injury helps Banchero's odds to become the league's Rookie of the Year.

According to Caesar's Sportsbook, Banchero's odds have increased to +190 at the time of publication. Other sportsbooks have Banchero listed at +200, which is a jump from where he was before Holmgren's injury.

Holmgren was just behind Banchero in the odds around +375, but with his removal from consideration, the Magic rookie is now the heavy favorite.

With Holmgren out of the picture, the biggest threats towards coming for Banchero's top spot are No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings, +500), No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets, +550) and No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons, +550).

Banchero's rookie campaign begins Oct. 19 against Ivey and the Pistons in Detroit.

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Published Aug 26, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.