Alexandre Sarr opens as NBA ROY favorite over Zaccharie Risacher

Field Level Media|published: Thu 27th June, 15:17 2024

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Alexandre Sarr arrives before the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Alexandre Sarr might have lost out on being the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, but oddsmakers expect him to make a more immediate impact on the league than countryman Zaccharie Risacher.

Selected No. 2 overall by the Washington Wizards, Sarr opened as the +350 favorite at DraftKings to win Rookie of the Year honors next season. That's ahead of fellow France native Risacher (+450), who was the first player off the board to the Atlanta Hawks.

The third-shortest odds belong to Stephon Castle (+700), who was selected by San Antonio with the fourth pick. Reed Sheppard, who went one pick earlier to Houston, is one of four players with +1200 odds to be next season's top rookie.

Sarr was also installed as the +425 favorite at BetMGM, where he is followed by Risacher (+600), Castle (+700) and Dalton Knecht (+900), who went 17th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Knecht has been a popular pick early with the public, drawing 21.4 percent of the total bets and 30.4 percent of the money. That makes him the book's third-biggest Rookie of the Year liability early on.

That list is topped by the biggest surprise of the night in Zach Edey, the two-time National Player of the Year who went No. 9 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. The 7-foot-4 Edey, who joins a talented Grizzlies roster coming off an injury-decimated season, has been backed by the most ROY bets (33.3%) and money (33.8%) while his odds have shifted from +2500 to +1000 at BetMGM.

The book's second-biggest liability is UConn big man Donovan Clingan, who is being offered at +2200 after going seventh overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.

--Field Level Media