L.A. Lakers News & Rumors: Lonzo Ball Is NBA Rookie Of The Year Favorite At One Sportsbook But Not At Another
In the latest Los Angeles Lakers news and rumors, one sportsbook has made Lonzo Ball the favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year, while another has a different player. The No. 2 Draft pick will begin his 2017-18 NBA season in just about two months from today. He’s already been dubbed as the next big star for the Lakers’ franchise by head honcho Magic Johnson. However, one sportsbook believes another rookie will end up taking the award this coming season from Lonzo Ball. It certainly could create an interesting race for the award, and some extra drama based on a previous tweet.
On Thursday, ESPN.com‘s David Purdue reported that the Nevada sportsbook William Hill currently lists Lonzo Ball as a 9 to 5 favorite to win the NBA ROY. However, Philadelphia Sixers player Ben Simmons is listed as a 5 to 2 favorite by the Westgate Superbook. Simmons, although drafted No. 1 overall last summer by the Sixers, is technically a rookie this coming season as he didn’t play last season due to injury. Westgate assistant manager Jeff Sherman told ESPN in an email message, “Had Simmons come out in this loaded class, he still would have been the No. 1 pick in the draft.”
His teammate Markelle Fultz is also listed on the William Hill betting odds and is tied with three other rookies at 8 to 1. Those other rookies are Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr., Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, and Boston Celtics forward Jason Tatum. The No. 4 draft pick, Josh Jackson of the Phoenix Suns, is not mentioned amongst the top five favorites to win the award. Jackson has recently been mentioned in NBA trade rumors suggesting that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be interested in trading Phoenix Kyrie Irving if Jackson was involved. However, the Suns have been unwilling to part ways with their latest rookie.
The Irish sportsbook Paddy Power also reflects Ben Simmons as an 11 to 4 favorite. Lonzo Ball follows with odds of 3 to 1, while Dennis Smith Jr. is a 4 to 1 favorite, and Markelle Fultz a 7 to 1 favorite. De’Aaron Fox (8 to 1) rounds out the book’s top-five players with Jayson Tatum at 11 to 1 and Jackson at 12 to 1. The odds will likely change as the season moves forward and specific rookies put on better performances. Lonzo Ball was impressive during the NBA Summer League Las Vegas earning MVP honors for the tournament as the Lakers’ team won the title. Simmons has yet to showcase his skills and didn’t participate in any summer league games. However, the former LSU player was a heralded pick last summer and has had a full year to basically consume knowledge from his teammates and team personnel while also rehabbing his injury and training.
This marks the first time that the Nevada sportsbooks will take betting action to speculate on both the NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA MVP Award winners. Last season saw Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook take home the MVP after averaging a triple-double for the season and leading OKC to the playoffs. There was a surprise winner in the Rookie of the Year race as Milwaukee Bucks’ Malcolm Brogdon won the award over Philadelphia Sixers players Dario Saric and Joel Embiid.
In a bit of side drama, Joel Embiid sent out a tweet to his teammate Ben Simmons right after Lonzo Ball was drafted. It basically suggested that Simmons needed to dunk so hard on Lonzo that he runs crying to his daddy. Simmons responded to the message with a brief comment, but that would seem to add some extra motivation when these two players go head-to-head. Based on the NBA regular season schedule released this past week, NBA fans will get to see the first matchup relatively soon into the season. The two teams have their first meeting on Wednesday, November 15th at the Staples Center with ESPN providing televised coverage.
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