The first round of the NBA Draft has come and gone, and now we can look ahead to the Rookie of the Year race for one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.
Last night's draft went according to plan as the consensus order of A.J. Dybantsa at pick No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, Darryn Peterson at No. 2 to the Utah Jazz, Cameron Boozer going third to the Memphis Grizzlies, and Caleb Wilson winding up in Chicago at pick No. 4 all came to fruition.
The Rookie of the Year race will be fascinating now that we know the fits for every player. The last nine ROY winners were drafted in the top-four, but it could be different this year. While the top-four prospects certainly separated themselves from the rest of the batch, picks 5-10 featured five talented scoring guards that will all have an opportunity to put up big numbers on their rebuilding teams.
Keaton Wagler with the Clippers, Mikel Brown Jr. in Brooklyn, Darius Acuff Jr. with Sacramento, and Brayden Burries on the Bucks all have the potential to average around 20 points per game right away. If one of those teams perform better than expected, their respective rookie will certainly get a long look for the prestigious award.
Looking even further down, the NBA-ready No. 11 overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg will be 24-years-old when the new season starts and will play a big role with a Golden State team that is hoping to contend in Steph Curry's final years. No. 24 pick Cameron Carr is an extreme longshot, but he's an elite shooter and will get plenty of open looks playing next to Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Within the top-four, Boozer may be the most heavily used rookie next year as Dybantsa will be on the court with the ball-dominant Trae Young and Anthony Davis, while Peterson will share a load with the talented Keyonte George in the backcourt. Wilson is another worthy candidate, and he could be the best rookie defender on day one of next season, though his offensive output might need a few years to get up to the speed of the top-three picks.
Below is the current oddsboard for the Rookie of the Year race, featuring every first-round pick, with odds provided by bet365:
2026 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds - Post-Draft
Top Favorites
Cameron Boozer | +260 |
AJ Dybantsa | +350 |
Darryn Peterson | +375 |
Darius Acuff Jr. | +500 |
Caleb Wilson | +1000 |
Mikel Brown Jr. | +1600 |
Keaton Wagler | +2800 |
Yaxel Lendeborg | +2800 |
Brayden Burries | +6000 |
Kingston Flemings | +8000 |
Nate Ament | +8000 |
Next 10 Favorites
Karim Lopez | +9000 |
Morez Johnson Jr. | +9000 |
Dailyn Swain | +10000 |
Cameron Carr | +12500 |
Aday Mara | +15000 |
Hannes Steinbach | +15000 |
Koa Peat | +15000 |
Christian Anderson | +20000 |
Ebuka Okorie | +20000 |
Joshua Jefferson | +20000 |
Extreme Longshots
Alex Karaban | +25000 |
Allen Graves | +25000 |
Bennett Stirtz | +25000 |
Chris Cenac Jr. | +25000 |
Jayden Quaintance | +25000 |
Labaron Philon Jr. | +25000 |
Sergio De Larrea | +25000 |
Tarris Reed Jr. | +25000 |
Zuby Ejiofor | +25000 |
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All odds written in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
