Jabari Smith Helping Caesars Draw More Handle For NBA Draft than NFL Draft

Scott Cullen

Last Updated: June 16, 2022 12:20 PM EDT • 1 min 11 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 20: Jabari Smith #10 of the Auburn Tigers reacts in the first half against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 20, 2022 in Greenville, South Carolina. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kevin C. Cox / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

One week ahead of draft day, Caesars has already drawn more money for the top pick in the NBA Draft than they did for the first selection in this year’s NFL Draft.

It’s not like the NFL Draft was a foregone conclusion, either. There was a rather dramatic late shift in the marketplace that saw established favorite Aidan Hutchinson overtaken by Travon Walker.

https://twitter.com/CaesarsSports/status/1537503378527375362?s=20&t=Fq0nvE9pP9yE8LyWTbRmcg

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That late surge saw Walker, a University of Georgia defensive end, rapidly move to the shortest odds, ahead of Hutchinson, the Michigan defensive end, before Walker was ultimately drafted first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Since the college basketball season ended, Auburn power forward Jabari Smith has been the favorite to be taken with the top pick, but the gap has tightened recently, with the first pick odds getting shorter for Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren. That uncertainty does appear to make wagering for the NBA Draft more compelling.

Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward, averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, with 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game as a freshman at Auburn. He shot 42.9% from the field overall and 42.0% on three-point attempts.

Holmgren is a skinny 7-footer who averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, with 0.8 steals and 3.7 blocks per game as a freshman for Gonzaga. He shot 60.7% from the field and 39.0% on three-pointers.

With Smith the consensus favorite for top pick, Caesars has received twice as much money on Smith to be taken No. 1 relative to what the book received on the late-charging Walker to be the first pick in the NFL Draft.

Here are the latest NBA Draft first pick odds from DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars.

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/UwqSU/1/

Make sure to keep an eye on our Live Odds page throughout the week to get the best lines possible and connect with others in the SBR community on our popular sports betting forum

Written By:
Scott Cullen

Scott Cullen is SportsbookReview.com's Sports Betting Analyst and is one of the most well-known sports betting writers on the web. He wrote about fantasy sports for TSN for many years, and he has also written for The Athletic, NHL.com, The Hockey News, Monkey Knife Fight, and McKeen's Hockey. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Cullen was an Economics major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and played for the Laurier Golden Hawks hockey team.