There hasn’t been an NBA Draft where the No. 1 overall pick has not been this unknown since 2013 when the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world and drafted Anthony Bennett. That one didn’t work out so much, but this year, once again, there is no Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson, or some other no-brainer selection. The Atlanta Hawks may even trade away the No.1 pick for the right price. That means anything could happen and as of the time of this writing, Reed Sheppard has some tantalizing odds to go first overall.
Our friends over at FanDuel list Reed Sheppard going No. 1 in the NBA Draft at +10000 odds, which means a $10 bet would win $1,000. I’ve spent $10 on dumber things. This gives Sheppard the fifth-best odds amongst all NBA players behind Zaccharie Risacher (-125), Olivier’s brother Alexandre Sarr (+145), Donovan Clingan (+450), whose stock is on a meteoric rise, and for some reason Stephen Castle (+3000).
Oddly enough, even though Sheppard has the fifth-best odds to go No. 1 overall, his best odds to go No. 3 to the Houston Rockets at +115.
Of course, this is online betting in 2024, so you can bet him to go No. 2 (+2000), No. 4 (+340), No. 5 (+800), No. 6 (+1000), Nos. 7-10 (+2000 each).
Several teams reportedly have Reed Sheppard as the top prospect on their big boards, as measures off the charts in terms of analytics. Could he pull an Anthony Bennett and shockwave across the basketball world as well as into my FanDuel account?
Rob Dillingham’s odds are trending down
Oddsmakers say Rob Dillingham is most likely to go 10th overall. Then again, FanDuel only has odds for individual picks up to the 10 slot. Unlike Reed Sheppard, whose stock has been stable for quite some time, Dillingham’s draft status has been slipping leading up to the big day like so many Kentucky guards in years past.
FanDuel has Dillingham at +600 odds to go at No. 10, +650 to go No. 9, and +800 to go No. 8. All other picks at +1500 or more.
I have no doubt Reed Sheppard will be a solid NBA player for a decade or more, but Rob has a chance to be a superstar. He could be a modern-day Allen Iverson, so for a league that puts so much draft emphasis on potential, it surprises me teams have been rumored to be down on him lately.
Then again, his agency, Klutch, has a reputation of telling teams not to draft their player in order to get them to a more “favorable position,” whatever that means to them. That makes it such that Dillingham’s draft destination a complete crap shoot. Of course, people bet on crap shoots all the time, so maybe there will be some takers there too.
These mysteries and more will be unveiled on Thursday night.
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