Categories: NBA

Auburn’s Jabari Smith favored to go No. 1 in 2022 draft

Who doesn’t need a 6-foot-10 forward with 3-point range and an on-your-head dunk mindset?

That’s what oddsmakers are asking about Auburn forward Jabari Smith, the growing favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on June 23.

Smith is +100 at DraftKings and FanDuel ahead of Gonzaga 7-footer Chet Holmgren. He’s an even bigger favorite at BetMGM (-105), where Holmgren is +145.

Holmgren is +120 at DraftKings, and +135 at FanDuel and BetMGM to be the top pick next month.

Duke’s Paolo Banchero is a distant third — +420 at FanDuel, +380 at DraftKings — in the futures market for the No. 1 draft pick.

The delta between the top three and the rest has become massive, but the market figures to take a more defined shape coming out of the scouting combine in Chicago this week.

A big mile marker in the pre-draft process, the lottery to determine picks 1-14 held Tuesday night, will also impact odds.

Jaden Ivey of Purdue is +4000 at DraftKings and +3500 at FanDuel and BetMGM.

Shaedon Sharpe has longer odds, including +6500 at FanDuel and +7500 at DraftKings, but he is ahead of Iowa’s Keegan Murray at all three books.

Sharpe, who didn’t play at Kentucky last season, is +8000 at BetMGM and Murray is +10000.

–Field Level Media

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