The 2023 NBA Draft takes place at the Barclays Center in New York next week. This will be the 77th edition, and when it takes place, the opening pick is expected to be Victor Wembanyama. But is there any good betting value to be had elsewhere when the NBA’s big wigs arrive at the Barclays Center next Thursday? Here we take a closer look, with our latest NBA Draft betting picks.
Before we get onto the draft, let’s take a quick look at the betting to win the NBA Championship title in 2024. Already, the Denver Nuggets have been made the +400 favorites by the best NBA finals betting sites. The Nuggets didn’t start the 2022/23 season as the favorites. But they finally came of age. That may have been a year behind schedule in the eyes of some, but never-the-less, they finally got the job completed.
Behind the Nuggets in the betting come the 2022 beaten finalists. Yes, the Boston Celtics were favored to go one better in 2023, and they spent virtually the whole season leading the way with the best NBA betting sites. The Celtics are +650 second-favorite, just ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks (+800), with the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks both at +900.
The first overall pick at the draft is expected to be Victor Wembanyama. The French superstar is -20000, with ‘other’ next in the betting at +2000.
As all of us bettors know, there’s no such thing as a sure thing in sport. But this has to be one of the closest things you will get to a sure thing. It will arguably be one of the biggest shocks in sport if it isn’t Wembanyama who gets called out first for the Spurs.
More information about the bookmakers on our betting table can be found on our online sportsbook reviews page.
| 2023 NBA Draft; 1st Pick Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | -20000 | -20000 | -20000 |
| Other Player | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Scoot Henderson | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
But what about elsewhere in the draft? Is there any value to be had? Let’s take a look.
The betting for the second overall pick looks like a two-horse race between Brandon Miller (-235) and Scoot Henderson (+140).
Brandon Miller is the betting favorite to be the second pick in the draft next week. The Hornets are expected to pick up the Alabama man ahead of Scoot Henderson when their turn comes.
Could Miller’s off-court issues put the Hornets off? Probably not, as Miller wasn’t charged with anything, and he is free to resume his career.
But, if the Hornets do pass up the chance to take the 20-year-old forward, the chances are it will be Scoot Henderson who stands to gain.
Henderson is a 19-year-old point guard. And although he probably doesn’t possess the star value Miller does, he is an impressive player with a multitude of skills.
Just a few short weeks ago, it was Henderson that led the betting ahead of Miller, but the last few weeks have seen the odds flip, mainly down to the Charlotte Hornets’ need for a top-quality wing.
As is usually the case, the odds on the second pick have a heavy influence on the odds on the third pick. And this year that is also the case. The betting to be the third overall pick is again dominated by Henderson and Miller, but their odds have flipped in this market.
It shows that it’s effectively one or the other for the second and third. With the only element of doubt being which one gets called first. In the betting to be the third overall pick, Scoot Henderson (-200) is the favorite. Again, it’s Brandon Miller (+170) who is his main betting rival, with Amen Thompson (+1200) and Cam Whitmore (+1800), meaning four players are in the mix.
There’s little to nothing to be gained by backing Victor Wembanyama. And it looks like a close call between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson for second and third picks. So where are we going to go for some value-for-money picks?
One school of thought might be to flip the players involved in the second and third picks. Back Henderson for the second pick, and Miller for the third. But if that sequence goes as expected, that could be a costly exercise.
So for our betting pick, we’ve delved deeper and gone into the under and overs markets. And here, we have been looking at Keyonte George and Jordan Hawkins.
Keyonte George is -210 to be over 13.5, with under 13.5 priced at +160. In the case of Jordan Hawkins, he is -200 to be over 14.5, and +150 to be under 14.5.
Hawkins is probably the better shooter at the moment, but George has a lot of admirers, that is for sure. And this is backed up in the head-to-head market, where it’s expected George will go first. You can get -145 on him, with Hawkins at +115.
But we’re siding with Hawkins here. Rather than backing Hawkins to beat George, we think it makes more sense to bet on him at +150 to be under 14.5. And we make that our betting pick.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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