The NBA Draft is Thursday night, June 22, and the No. 1 pick is all but a foregone conclusion. Victor Wembanyama arrived in New York City from France on Tuesday, ready to accept his priority spot in the NBA Draft. But after that? The rest of the field is a little more up in the air.
You can watch the draft Thursday starting at 8 p.m. ET. Keep reading for the odds on the draft, plus a FanDuel promo code and best bets for Thursday night’s action.
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FanDuel Promo Code: $1,000 No Sweat First Bet for the NBA Draft
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2023 NBA Draft Betting Preview & Best Bets for Thursday Night
The NBA draft is one of the sport’s most anticipated events of the year. The 2022 coverage on ESPN and ABC attracted an average of 3.05 million viewers. And for those not watching, the fallout of the night will still be felt for seasons to come.
French professional player Victor Wembanyama has been called the “greatest prospect ever” – or at least the best prospect since LeBron James. He’s a 19-year-old, 7-foot-4 phenom who plays both sides of the ball with equal precision and comes to the table with almost impossible hype.
After that, it’s the rest of the field. But we have some exciting players to account for and probably the best bets to make since Wemby seems such a shoo-in for the first pick. (But never say never!)
In second place is the G League point guard Scoot Henderson, the youngest American player ever to go pro. Henderson has caught fans’ attention with his uncompromising confidence, work ethic, and personal statement that he should be the No. 1 pick.
Then we’ve got Alabama’s Brandon Miller, Overtime Elite’s Amen Thompson, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Arkansas’ Anthony Black, and more. Each of these players has varying odds of going first, second, third, etc. So sports bettors have plenty of options to hedge their bets and get one right.
Here’s how the first 10 picks from the first round of the draft shake out:
- San Antonio Spurs
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Houston Rockets
- Detroit Pistons
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Washington Wizards
- Utah Jazz
- Dallas Mavericks
Now, obviously, the “surest” bet is on Wemby to go first, but you’re not gonna get a great return on those odds, which currently stand at -50000 on FanDuel. Yikes!
So, let’s look at some of your other options and the best bets on the NBA Draft from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Cam Whitmore to be Fourth Overall Pick (+300)
Amen Thompson has better odds to go fourth overall at -170. But Whitmore is a good bet if you want to go with plus money. The fourth overall pick has been a bit of an upset in the past few years (De’Andre Hunter, Scottie Barnes, Keegan Murray).
While Thompson is the one most people are talking about here, Whitmore’s odds are getting shorter and shorter. It might be a good time to snap the bet up.
Let’s say you get at least $100 back from FanDuel with the FanDuel promo code. If you bet that $100 on Whitmore and it wins, you would stand to win $300.
Exact Order of Top 3 Picks: Wembanyama, Miller, Henderson (-360)
FanDuel has bets available to pick the exact order of the first three, four, and five picks. While a day ago, the odds were better for Henderson to go at 2, on Tuesday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Hornets were preparing to take Miller at No. 2. The next best player is easily Henderson, so we like this 1, 2, 3.
While it’s highly likely Woj’s report bears out, don’t forget last year Woj reported it was “increasingly firm” that Jabari Smith would go at No. 1, but the Magic selected Paolo Banchero. If you like a little more risk, Wemby-Scoot-Miller currently has +250 odds and is still a fair chance.
If you bet $100 on Wemby-Miller-Scoot and win, you’d get an additional $51.28. If you bet it on Wemby-Scoot-Miller, you’d get $250.
Dereck Lively II to Be a Top 10 Pick (+210)
Former Duke center Dereck Lively II generated chatter after the Draft Combine. Many analysts expect him to be a top-10 pick for the Draft. He was named to the ACC All-Defensive team after he averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 boards, 2.4 blocks, and 1.1 assists with 65.8% shooting in 34 games. He was eighth in the country in blocks with 82 — the second-highest number in a single season by a Duke freshman. If you go with this bet for $100, you could win back $210.
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