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.
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.
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.
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:
