Those betting sites for the NBA are now seeing even more shifts since the latter took place on Tuesday night. In this article, we have our early NBA Draft Futures Best Bets for the top draft pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. The draft will be held on June 23rd, 2022 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Below is the odds table of three of the top potential candidates for the number one pick.
NBA Draft Futures Top Pick Odds 5/19/22 | ![]() | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Jabari Smith | -156 | -160 |
Chet Holmgren | +129 | +120 |
Paolo Banchero | +440 | +410 |
The NBA Draft Futures Best Bets hones in on Jabari Smith at number one. Yes, there is not a clear consensus just yet. However, most mock drafts conclude that Smith is going to go before Chet Grisham does. This is why Smith is currently getting negative money on pretty much every book. The 6-foot-10 forward has enamoured many scouts and fans of teams in the lottery alike.
A deeper look showed that Smith may have only played one year of college at Auburn. However, he made quite the impact on the Tigers. The forward racked up 16.9 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and two assists per game. This was all while playing nearly 29 minutes a contest. Smith started 34 games in all for Auburn and it was just clear from Game 1 that Smith was a “one and done player” for the Tigers.
Good listen. Jonathan says if he had the #1 pick for the Rockets, he would take Jabari Smith. Says one can imagine with him the superstar upside of a "6'10 Jayson Tatum." https://t.co/55Rs393aRn
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) May 18, 2022
So, the thought process here is that Smith can become like what Jayson Tatum has turned into for the Boston Celtics. Tatum, by the way, has evolved into a premier scorer from the small forward position that can play the four when called upon. He is now averaging 26.9 points per game. That number was half that during his rookie campaign for Boston.
Now, NBA Draft Futures Best Bets focuses on the following question. Does Jabari Smith get drafted number one in this 2022 NBA Draft?
It is something else how the Orlando Magic won the lottery this year. With the number one pick, draft mocks have a futures best bets kind of locked in for the most part. That appears to be the case on the surface. At one point, Jabari Smith was on the plus side of the ledger when it came to going number one. Now, that is the funny part of the NBA Draft. When the lottery comes down, that is when things pick up pretty quickly.
Now, this is aside from this week when the NBA Conference Finals are taking place. As the league starts the process of paring down four contenders to two, the NBA held its draft lottery on Tuesday night. Now, the expectation was that Orlando had a decent shot along with Houston and Detroit. All three teams had a 14% chance of getting the top pick. In the end, the Magic pulled it off and won the lottery.
The @OrlandoMagic won the 2022 Draft Lottery on Tuesday night!
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 18, 2022
Magic Head Coach, Jamahl Mosley, shared his reaction with @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8 pic.twitter.com/vjGr0c8nlR
This has the makings of being a team that could start turning it around rather quickly. Orlando whether they draft Jabari Smith or Chet Holmgren will give their frontcourt a huge boost come the 23rd night of June. Again, like most mock drafts and pundits, the growing consensus is on Smith. Smith’s athleticism, shot, and ability to not be afraid of situations helps.
Again, the Magic are on the clock in just five weeks. This is far from automatic here. Holmgren and Banchero are more than capable of getting drafted number one. That being said, our NBA Draft Futures Best Bets focus on Jabari Smith going number one to the Orlando Magic.
The NBA Draft Futures Best Bets for this West Coast best player did seem to start to fade the minute Orlando won the draft lottery. That feels like a bit of a misnomer but that is the reality. Chet Holmgren played on a relatively stacked Gonzaga squad last year in his “one and done”. The difference between a Holmgren and a Smith or even Banchero is this. Both of those players could perform on their own more consistently.
Out of the three players, Holmgren benefited the most from being allowed to be a consistent presence down low in the blocks. He averaged 14.1 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per contest. Holmgren possessed a knack to shoot from three at 39% and an overall field-goal percentage of just over 60%. There were quite a few games where Holmgren outshined even Drew Timme. Timme was a consensus second-selection for the All-NCAA.
Holmgren felt some pressure and had some awkward moments, especially during the NCAA tournament. The two games before the tournament against St. Mary’s was telling as he struggled. Against more athletic teams like Arkansas and Memphis, Holmgren got lost in the shuffle a lot. It is partly why some are hesitant to take him number one. He is still only 190 pounds and has some growing to do in that 7-foot frame.
Some Chet Holmgren offensive highlights. We know he is a spectacular shot blocker and can defend in space, and we know he is a 40% 3pt shooter, but the swing in his development will probably be his self creation. He’s highly skilled and has shown plenty of flashes pic.twitter.com/5IrCsz7vQB
— Paolo/Chet (@chumabucket) May 19, 2022
For this NBA Draft Futures Best Bet, our pick is to slot Holmgren at number two to the Detroit Pistons. For what it is worth, Holmgren still has decent numbers to go to number one. They have not lengthened dramatically yet.
Thankfully, Vegas sports betting sites like MyBookie expected that Banchero is more likely go third than even second in June’s NBA Draft. The reality Is that Houston needs that kind of dynamic player more than Holmgren or Smith.
Fortunately, Houston will get quite the dynamic frontcourt from this draft. That is the goal — to keep building.
See some top Vegas online betting sites where you can make the cash Thursday night:
Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID. Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com. Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network