From two-time Wooden Award winner to… NBA Rookie of the Year?
Memphis Grizzlies center and No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey is in the latest odds to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award in the 2024-25 season. BetMGM has moved Edey from +2500 to +1200 to +900 over the last two days in this market, partially because 74 percent of the money is on Edey to win the award.
A dominant player in college basketball, Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in his final season at Purdue University. He led the Boilermakers to an appearance in the national title game, and his draft stock has been rising since.
Now, Edey is in a position in Memphis to compete for a starting spot on a playoff-caliber roster, and it seems that bettors think he could be the top rookie in this class — at least in his first season.
There isn't really a clear-cut No. 1 player in this draft, which could make the Rookie of the Year award a wide open race in the 2024-25 season.
Edey's odds have not only changed drastically at BetMGM, as other sportsbooks are following suit.
NBA Rookie of the Year Odds for 2024-25 Season
Alexandre Sarr: +500Zaccharie Risacher: +750Stephon Castle: +750Reed Sheppard: +900Dalton Knecht: +1000Zach Edey: +1000Matas Buzelis: +1200Ron Holland: +1200Rob Dillingham: +2000Donovan Clingan: +2000Tidjane Salaun: +2000Cody Williams: +2000Devin Carter: +3000Carlton Carrington: +3000Jared McCain: +5000Kel’el Ware: +5000Isaiah Collier: +7000Tristan Da Silva: +10000Ja’Kobe Walter: +10000Kyle Filipowski: +13000Tyler Kolek: +13000DaRon Holmes: +15000Pacome Dadiet: +15000Baylor Scheierman: +20000Bronny James: +30000
When it comes to winning the Rookie of the Year award, opportunity is one of the biggest challenges.
A talented player may fall into a situation where he is blocked by another at his position (see Reed Sheppard in Houston behind Fred VanVleet), and ultimately the ROY award is a number award more than an impact award.
Edey could have an opportunity to have a major role from Day 1 in the 2024-25 season. The Grizzlies were rumored to be interested in Donovan Clingan, a sign that they wanted to take a center all along to pair with Jaren Jackson Jr. after trading away Steven Adams last season.
A top-10 pick like Edey should get a chance to compete for the starting job and major minutes in the Memphis frontcourt. Bettors could do worse when looking at this class, especially since there really isn't a clear-cut top player like Victor Wembanyama was last season.
