New favorite emerges for NBA Rookie of the Year

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

There is a new favorite to win Rookie of the Year in the NBA now that the Summer League has taken place.

SportsBetting.ag posted some updated odds on who will win the award next season. Following the draft, they had San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle favored. However, he has been moved down the list and is tied for the fifth-best odds.

Instead, it’s now Zach Edey who is favored to win the award.

Edey has the lowest odds at 6-1. He is slightly favored over Reed Sheppard and Zaccharie Risacher, who are both 7-1.

Edey was the No. 9 overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the draft. He performed well in his summer league debut earlier this month when he scored 14 points with 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. He dealt with some ankle issues during the summer period, but when he played, he performed well.

Sheppard was the No. 3 pick in the draft by the Houston Rockets. Sheppard had problems with turnovers at times during the NBA’s summer league, but he shined offensively and looks like he will be capable of scoring a ton for the Rockets.

Risacher was the No. 1 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks. He averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during the summer league but missed a few games due to a quad injury.

The trio of players will likely factor heavily into the award voting. Alexandre Sarr and Matas Buzelis are other rookies who currently have odds lower than 10-1 to win the award.