It’s been just over a week since the Boston Celtics won their NBA-record 18th championship, beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games. But already the champs and the rest of the league are turning their attention to next season, and the seasons after that.
On Wednesday, June 26, the NBA will begin its 78th draft, and for the first time, it will take place over two nights, concluding with the second round on Thursday.
The NBA Draft is being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and it will begin with the Atlanta Hawks on the clock.
First Overall Pick
There is no consensus No. 1 overall pick, like Victor Wembanyama was last year. He was the no-brainer pick for the San Antonio Spurs and was the runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year award. He was just the sixth player in league history to win Rookie of the Year by unanimous vote.
This year’s favorite is Zaccharie Risacher, paying -250. Like Wembanyama, Risacher is French, and he is reportedly one of two players that the Hawks have had in for workouts and are considering at No. 1. The other is Donovan Clingan, paying +280. He is the two-time NCAA champion center from UConn who stands 7-foot-3.
The only other player that might go to the Hawks, according to the oddsmakers, is Alexandre Sarr at +550. Sarr is a 7-foot-1, 19-year-old center from Australia with a 7-foot-4 wingspan.
Second Overall Pick
The second overall pick belongs to the Washington Wizards, and oddsmakers think Sarr is the surest player to go here. His odds of being selected with the No. 2 pick are -600, followed by Risacher at +550, and Clingan at +1200.
Last year, the Wizards selected Jarace Walker with the No. 8 overall pick, then traded him to the Indiana Pacers for Bilal Coulibaly. This will be the highest the Wizards have picked since they took John Wall with the first overall pick in 2010.
Third Overall Pick
The Houston Rockets have the third pick on Wednesday, and the favorite to go to them at No. 3 is Kentucky point guard Reed Sheppard. The SEC Freshman of the Year is paying -135, followed by Clingan at +300 and Stephon Castle at +700. Castle was also on UConn’s championship team this past season, and averaged 11.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Fourth Overall Pick
The fourth overall pick will join Wembanyama in San Antonio, and Castle is the favorite to go there, paying +160. Sheppard is +400, and Matas Buzelis is +600. Buzelis was recruited heavily by Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida State, and Wake Forest, but ultimately the 6-foot-9 forward opted to play in the NBA G League. Buzelis grew up in Chicago, but both of his parents played professional basketball in Lithuania.
Also at +600 to go to the Spurs is Clingan. If he were to become teammates with Wembanyama, together they would be 14 feet, 7 inches of shot blockers in the paint.
Bronny James Draft Position
There have been 51 father and son combos that have been drafted by the NBA, but never before has a son been drafted while the father was still active. That is expected to change this week.
Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, isn’t likely to be a first-round pick. But the over/under on his draft position is 47.5, which puts him into the heart of the second round.
The Lakers don’t make their second round pick until No. 55 overall, and in the first round they pick 17th.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.