Ayton and Doncic Lead Crowded Field for 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year Honors

• The only thing short about Deandre Ayton are his odds to win the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award
• Can the 7’1” center live up to his enormous potential?
• Will Luka Doncic prove be more NBA-ready after playing professionally in Europe?

The Phoenix Suns bet big on Deandre Ayton at the 2018 NBA Draft. Basketball fans can now do the same thing by wagering on the All-American center to win the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Sportsbooks released their opening odds for the annual award on Friday, June 22nd and Ayton leads the pack at +260. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+300) and Sacramento Kings power forward Marvin Bagley (+450) are close behind in what’s shaping up to be a very crowded race.

Ayton was the consensus top pick in the draft after averaging 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a freshman at Arizona. He used his superior size and athleticism to lead the Wildcats to a 27-8 record and consistently awed fans and scouts alike with his fearsome dunks and phenomenal footwork.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxumZyOy4aA

The one knock on Ayton is his defense. The 19-year-old does a poor job defending the pick and roll and suffers from occasional lapses in concentration. He’ll need to bring more energy and considerably more focus to the NBA to prevent the Suns from being run off the court.

Fortunately, he’ll have an excellent tutor in Phoenix in former Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler. The 17-year-vet has a deep bag of tricks and will help to prepare Ayton for every system and scheme he can expect to encounter. Ayton will also be able to develop without the added pressure of having to win right away, as the Suns are still in the early stages of their latest rebuild.

With Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, DeAndre Ayton AND Mikal Bridges, the Suns are now in perfect position to watch the Warriors coast to their 3rd straight worthless title next June.

— Barry McCockiner (@Sp0rtsTalkJo3) June 22, 2018

The odds only tell part of the story. We’ve also been tracking the odds from multiple online sportsbooks and have found that Luka Doncic has the best average odds to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Unlike Ayton, the 19-year-old Doncic has already experienced the grind of professional hoops. He averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for Real Madrid this season while becoming the youngest player ever to earn Euroleague MVP and Euroleague Final Four MVP honors.

Doncic lucked into a perfect situation in Dallas, where he’ll get to work with the same staff that transformed Dirk Nowitzki into a first ballot Hall of Famer.  He’ll also benefit from sharing a back court with 2018 All-Rookie Second Team member Dennis Smith Jr., who will help to mitigate Doncic’s lack of explosiveness with his own hyper athleticism.

Also keep an eye on Marvin Bagley Jr., whose average odds of +450 place him firmly in the top three. Sacramento has a reputation for squandering high draft picks, but they appear to have gotten it right with the 6’11” Dukie, who has an NBA-ready body and an exceptional motor. Bagley should supplant Zach Randolph at the four and contribute immediately with his relentless drive and ability to attack the rim.

We’ll continue to keep you posted as the 2018-19 NBA season approaches and more odds become available.