The prevailing storyline of the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year betting odds race has been the sheer amount of fresh faces that have sat atop the leaderboard, but with just over a month to go in the regular season, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle’s spot ahead of the pack at -225 may be secured. Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies is the only other player with better than 10-to-1 odds at +350 as of March 5, 2025.
Here’s a look at where all first-year players in contention currently sit in the race for the Wilt Chamberlain trophy.
Terms and Conditions
New customers only. Deposit min. $10. Place first bet of min $5 and get guaranteed $150 in bonus bets.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342.
21+ and present in AZ.
2025 NBA Rookie Of The Year Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Stephon Castle | San Antonio Spurs | -225 |
| Jaylen Wells | Memphis Grizzlies | +350 |
| Zach Edey | Memphis Grizzlies | +1400 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | Atlanta Hawks | +1600 |
| Kel’el Ware | Miami Heat | +2200 |
| Alexandre Sarr | Washington Wizards | +4000 |
| Isaiah Collier | Utah Jazz | +5000 |
| Matas Buzelis | Chicago Bulls | +10000 |
| Donovan Clingan | Portland Trail Blazers | +10000 |
| Yves Missi | New Orleans Pelicans | +12500 |
| Dalton Knecht | Los Angeles Lakers | +15000 |
| Carlton Carrington | Washington Wizards | +15000 |
Odds as of March 5, 2025 at BetMGM
NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Favorite: Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (-255)
Life without Victor Wembanyama available due to deep vein thrombosis has had its hardships for the Spurs, as they’ve gone just 3-5 without his services since the All-Star break with two of those three victories coming against three of the worst defenses in the Association during that stretch (Suns, Grizzlies, and Nets). Castle’s numbers over those eight outings have been fine at best, averaging 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 43.1 percent from the field but just 24.3 percent from behind the arc.
Ranking first overall in points (13.4), fourth in assists (3.5), and first in steals (0.9) amongst rookies is as good a case as any for the honor while taking into account how meh the initial returns have been from the 2024 class as a whole.
Terms and Conditions
New customers only. Deposit min. $10. Place first bet of min $5 and get guaranteed $150 in bonus bets.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342.
21+ and present in AZ.
Terms and Conditions
New customers only. Deposit min. $10. Place first bet of min $5 and get guaranteed $150 in bonus bets.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342.
21+ and present in AZ.
NBA Rookie of the Year Darkhorse: Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies (+1400)
Working against Zach Edey here is that his Grizzlies teammate in Wells is also putting up numbers with much shorter odds, and votes may be split between the two when it comes down to it. It’s a tad surprising, though, to see Wells be favored so much more than the 7-foot-4 behemoth, who currently sits second amongst rookies in rebounding at 7.7 with nine double-doubles (second) to go along with his 9.4 points (sixth) on 59.3 percent shooting from the field.
Edey is putting up numbers at just 20.4 minutes per contest, and his per-36 numbers (16.2 points and 13.3 rebounds) are reflective of that. He may not be favored above either Castle or Wells, but he’s not completely out of the running either.
Past 10 NBA Rookie Of The Year Winners
| Year | Player | Team | Draft Pick | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | No. 1 | -145 |
| 2023 | Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic | No. 1 | +200 |
| 2022 | Scottie Barnes | Toronto Raptors | No. 4 | +1100 |
| 2021 | LaMelo Ball | Charlotte Hornets | No. 3 | +400 |
| 2020 | Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies | No. 2 | +250 |
| 2019 | Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks | No. 3 | +250 |
| 2018 | Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers | No. 1 | +225 |
| 2017 | Malcolm Brogdon | Milwaukee Bucks | No. 36 | N/A |
| 2016 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves | No. 1 | +450 |
| 2015 | Andrew Wiggins | Minnesota Timberwolves | No. 1 | +400 |
Victor Wembanyama was hyped as a once-in-a-lifetime talent who could single-handedly lift a franchise out of obscurity. He’s the only player in the last ten years to open at minus money and go on to win Rookie of the Year. The Frenchman was also the first center since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016 to win, as well.
NBA Teams With the Most Rookie Of The Year Winners
| Team | Rookie of the Year Wins | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | 6 | Chris Webber, 1994 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 5 | Blake Griffin, 2011 |
| Sacramento Kings | 5 | Tyreke Evans, 2010 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 4 | Damian Lillard, 2013 |
| Washington Wizards | 4 | Wes Unseld, 1969 |
The five teams with the most Rookie of the Years haven’t actually had a player capture the hardware in the last decade. In the case of the Golden State Warriors, a majority of their wins came when the franchise was located in both Philadelphia and San Francisco. The same applies to the Los Angeles Clippers, who had three players win when the team was the Buffalo Braves.
NBA Teams With Zero Rookie Of The Year Winners
The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat are the only two organizations in league history to have never had a Rookie of the Year.
Terms and Conditions
Must be 21 or older and physically present in AZ. New users only. Must register using eligible promo code. First bet after registration must qualify. Max. Bonus Bet: $1,059. Bonus Bet expires 14 days after receipt. Void where prohibited. See Caesars.com/promos for full terms. Know When To Stop Before You Start®. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800- NEXT-STEP.
How To Read NBA Rookie Of The Year Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year odds laid out like this:
- Alexandre Sarr, +600
- Zach Edey, +650
- Zaccharie Risacher, +750
- Dalton Knecht, +850
Unlike a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+), the player with the lowest odds with the plus sign (+) is the fave. In this scenario, Alexandre Sarr is favored. If you were to bet $100 on Sarr in the NBA Rookie of the Year betting odds and it hits, you would win $700 – your $100 is returned and you would get $600 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named Rookie of the Year, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s Rookie of the Year. To make a futures bet, you would first use the handicapping info on this page to make your decision. Our Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the Rookie of the Year odds and the amount of money you bet.
