The Detroit Pistons have had at least one player on the All-Rookie team the last three seasons and hope to make it four with 5th pick Ausar Thompson.
Detroit is banking that all of this rookie success (albeit on horrible teams) eventually leads to some team success, as they have a young core that has a chance to grow and develop into something special.
Yesterday we took a look at Cade Cunningham’s Most Improved Player odds, an award he should realistically not be eligible for considering he was pretty damn good before being injured in the 12th game last season.
After Cade, Ausar Thompson may have the best chance to take home hardware, but it will be an uphill battle for the Pistons’ rookie.
Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson Rookie of the Year odds
It would be a huge upset if anyone other than Victor Wembanyama won Rookie of the Year next season. He’s got more hype than just about any prospect in history, will be featured on both ends for the Spurs and is going to get plenty of juice on highlight reels and on national television.
Ausar Thompson projects more as a very good defender who can make plays, at least initially, not the kind of guy who always draws attention, which is why his odds are long.
According to Fanduel, here are the odds for Rookie of the Year next season as they stand right now:
- Victor Wembanyama -135
- Scoot Henderson +330
- Chet Holmgren +500
- Brandon Miller +1500
- Amen Thompson +3500
- Ausar Thompson +5000
It’s not often that you see a player with -135 odds to win Rookie of the Year, especially not at this point in the offseason, so this is Wembanyama’s award to lose.
Ausar Thompson is a long shot even compared to his brother, but at +5000 might be worth a small bet, as the Detroit Pistons could improve a ton this season and he’ll get some of the credit.
The best value bet on this list may be Chet Holmgren at +500, as he is fully healthy and will be on a team in OKC that might actually be very good this year. They made the play-in last season without him, so could make a leap into the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, with Holmgren playing a big role.