How Possible Chet Holmgren Injury Shifted NBA Rookie Of The Year Odds
Holmgren suffered a possible foot injury over the weekend
Chet Holmgren has to regret playing in the CrawsOver Pro-Am event this past weekend.
The No. 2 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in this year’s draft suffered a possible foot injury early in the contest when guarding LeBron James on a fast-break attempt. Holmgren is underdoing further tests on his foot, per ESPN, and there’s a fear he sustained potential torn ligaments in his foot, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Regardless of the outcome of those evaluations, Holmgren has already seen his odds of winning the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award take a hit. Following the draft, the Gonzaga product had the third-best odds at +475 to claim the hardware, and just last month, he was only behind top overall pick Paolo Banchero on FanDuel Sportsbook’s betting sheet.
But Holmgren is sliding down the list now. DraftKings Sportsbook set his Rookie of the Year odds at +1000 with four players ahead of him.
Here’s a look at the eight players who have the best chance to earn the Rookie of the Year label, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
Paolo Banchero +220
Keegan Murray +450
Jabari Smith Jr. +700
Jaden Ivy +750
Chet Holmgren +1000
Bennedict Mathurin +1000
Shaedon Sharpe +1800
Dyson Daniels +2000
The oddsmakers clearly think Holmgren’s rumored injury will hamper at least the beginning of his NBA career with the season set to begin in less than two months. Looking at it another way, if Holmgren’s injury isn’t deemed serious, this might be the perfect time to jump on Holmgren to win Rookie of the Year since his odds probably won’t get any lower.
The pro-am game Holmgren played in was canceled after two quarters due to condensation on the court. Holmgren wasn’t the only NBA player to participate in the event in Seattle as Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum also suited up along with Banchero and James.
Coming out of Gonzaga, one of the biggest questions surrounding Holmgren was if his frail seven foot, 190-pound frame could withstand the demands of the NBA. Turns out, there are concerns about his health before he even plays in a single game in the league.
