Victor Wembanyama, after a recent surge of betting interest, enters his debut season as the first player to be an odds-on favorite to be Rookie of the Year since Kevin Durant in 2007.
Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs first-year phenom, is around a -150 favorite to win the award at sportsbooks. Durant, according to betting odds archive SportsOddsHistory.com, was a -200 favorite for the award entering his rookie season.
Wembanyama’s odds had been drifting back to the pack, closer to the second-favorites Chet Holmgren (+300) and Scoot Henderson (+300), over the past month. While he remained the favorite, Wembanyama was at +120 last week, his longest odds of the preseason at DraftKings. But bookmakers say Webanyama’s performance Friday in the preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors prompted a surge of interest from bettors and caused them to adjust his odds. Wembanyama scored 19 points and blocked five shots in 21 minutes against the Warriors.
“We did see a surge in action on Wemby, after his last preseason performance,” David Lieberman, who oversees NBA odds for Caesars Sportsbook, said. “Pretty much every Wemby market was bet up after his game against the Warriors, and in defensive award markets after his five blocks as well.”
Wembanyama is 12-1 to win Defensive Player of the Year at Caesars Sportsbook.
The Spurs remain a long shot, though, and are 150-1 to win the NBA title at the SuperBook.
“We’ve been getting support on the Spurs every which way because of Wembanyama,” Jeff Sherman, a veteran NBA oddsmaker for the SuperBook in Las Vegas, said. “For a long shot, they’ve been getting an unusual amount of support, just because of him.”
After watching Wembanyama against the Warriors, Sherman said he moved his Rookie of the Year odds from +120 to -150.
“Plus-money on him seemed too inviting,” Sherman said.
Wembanyama and the Spurs open the season Wednesday (9:30 p.m., ESPN) on the road in Dallas. The over/under on Wembanyama’s total points against the Mavericks was sitting 17.5 on Wednesday at Caesars Sportsbook.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
