the hornets You may not have the #1 pick, but Thursday’s NBA draft basically starts when they’re on the clock at #2.
It has been a foregone conclusion for some time now that Victor Wimpanyama will be the first player to hear his name. When the draft lottery application was announced in mid-May, Tottenham were declared the winners of the Wimpanyama lottery. But how the picks will be revealed after his selection — and even the order in which those picks will be made — remains up in the air.
The biggest debate in the draft seems to be between Scott Henderson and Brandon Miller. Both were favorites to finish second in various points with Henderson, a guard from G League Ignite, recently passing Miller, a forward from Alabama, in this regard.
As of Tuesday morning, here’s the draft standings for the top five picks:
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs
No. 2 Charlotte Hornets
No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers
No. 4 Houston Rockets
No. 5 Detroit Pistons
A lot can change between now and Thursday night when the draft begins at Barclays Center, especially with so many trade rumors circulating. But for now, there is a file The odds are a favorite for each of the top four picks and a clear front runner to finish fifthfor every SI Sportsbook.
No. 1 Pick the odds
Victor Wimbanyama -10,000
Scott Henderson +3300
Brandon Miller +8000
Wembanyama is the highest rated prospect on the big SI board and an expensive favorite to go first. Standing at 7’4″ and flashing a unique skill set for a player his size, the 19-year-old French look is what makes him such a tantalizing prospect. In Jeremy Woo’s SI cover story on Wembanyama, he is described as “a giant perimeter player who can tackle, pass and shoot like ranger, but also patrols the real paint volume.”
Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and three blocks per game for the Metropolitans 92 in France’s LNB Pro A league this season. Some scouts even told Wu that it would be a “fire offense” to abandon him.
Henderson and Miller are frontrunners in their own right, but it looks like Wimpanyama will follow in the footsteps of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, two Hall of Famers who were selected first overall by Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio team.
No. 2 Pick the odds
Scott Henderson -225
Brandon Miller +150
Amen Thompson +3300
Just last week, Miller was the -225 favorite to finish second while Henderson was available at +138. Now, Henderson is up from -225 to rank second while Miller has moved up to +150 per hour SI Sportsbook.
The main reason behind the shift appears to be the growing possibility that the Pelicans will trade even No. 2 for Henderson’s pick. New Orleans is said to be willing to transfer former first pick Zion Williamson as well as its own No. 14 pick in order to swap locations with Charlotte. However, a more recent report indicated that the Hornets would prefer a Brandon Ingram-centric package rather than Williamson.
It’s also possible that no deal will materialize and Charlotte will remain No. 2. Pairing Henderson and Lamelo in the backcourt would allow Ball to play the ball more, but a long-range forward like Miller, who shoots nearly 40% from three on the college is a highly sought-after asset in the league today.
Henderson was second on the Kevin Sweeney big board, one place ahead of Miller.
No. 3 Pick the odds
Brandon Miller -225
Scott Henderson +140
Amen Thompson +1200
Just like the odds for No. 2 pick, the odds for No. 3 pick have also flipped. Miller was previously +110 to finish second and is now at -225. Henderson was available at -200 last week and is now +140. And Amin Thompson, guard from Overtime Elite and SI’s No. 4 prospect, saw his chances of going into third place extend from +750 to +1200.
Damien Lillard He is perhaps the hottest name in the commercial market but a recent report indicated that he wants to stay in Portland, where he has played his entire career. If that’s the case, the front office will likely be packing up No. 3 pick and Anfernee Simons in a bid to get a winnable piece or pieces now. However, even if the Trail Blazers moved on from the pick, there’s little reason to think a different third-place team would deviate from picking who’s left between Henderson and Miller.
No. 4 Pick the odds
Amen Thompson -175
Cam Whitmore +160
Ossar Thompson +500
Amen Thompson became more of a favorite to hear his named fourth as his odds moved from -150 to -175. However, Villanova forward Cam Whitmore also saw his odds improve slightly from +200 to +160. Elite overtime winger Osar Thompson, Amin’s twin and teammate, has gone from +700 to +500 in the past few days.
The board is wide open for Houston in fourth place if the top three picks are indeed Wimpanyama and then Miller and Henderson in any order. Amen Thompson is the No. 4 player on the big SI board, Whitmore is No. 7, and Ozar Thompson comes in at No. 8. Amen Thompson averaged 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists and Ozar Thompson’s numbers were almost identical: 16.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
The Rockets are one of the youngest teams in the league and their roster is dotted with recent lottery picks, including 2021 second overall pick Jalen Green and 2022 draft pick Jabari Smith Jr. to trade, but the choice in fourth place appears to be down to Amen Thompson and Whitmore.
No. 5 pick the odds
Cam Whitmore +120
Jaras Walker +250
Ossar Thompson +300
Amen Thompson +450
At +120, Whitmore has the best odds for a touchdown in Detroit, followed by Houston forward Kharas Walker at +250, the No. 6 player on the big SI board. Ausar Thompson is 3-to-1 to finish up at Motor City and Amen Thompson is +450 where he’s expected to be already off the plate in No. 4.
Walker and Whitmore were singles and finished in college. Walker averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Cougars on their way to a Sweet 16 appearance while Whitmore was good for 12.5 points and 5.3 boards across 26 games.
The Pistons have fielded three top-10 picks in their backcourt in the last three drafts: Jaden Ivey went fifth overall a year ago, Kid Cunningham was the first overall pick in 2021, and Killian Hayes picked seventh in 2020. Desk to look forward here instead Who took another swing at the Ranger. Detroit could also trade a pick in an effort to get a veteran player to bolster this young roster, which won a league-worst 17 games last season.
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