[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] ended up in one of the best situations an NBA rookie can hope for.
With the Philadelphia 76ers drafting him with the 16th overall pick on Wednesday, he gets to share the court with superstars like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Embiid won the league MVP award two seasons ago and finished second in each of the two previous seasons of voting, and Maxey won the Most Improved Player last season. On top of that, there’s noise of the Sixers adding stars like Paul George in free agency.
That situation, on top of McCain’s 41% 3-point percentage in college, should theoretically put him in position to play a key role on a championship favorite from year one. That hasn’t translated to low odds for the Rookie of the Year award, however.
As of Sunday afternoon, the DraftKings Sportsbook had McCain as a +4000 long shot to win the hardware this season, the 14th-lowest odds of any first-year player.
Despite Zaccharie Risacher coming off the board first to the Atlanta Hawks, second overall pick Alexandre Sarr takes the crown as the betting favorite for the award at +350.
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Here are the top 14 players on the odds board for the award, including everyone with lower odds than McCain.
| Odds | |
|---|---|
| Alexandre Sarr (Washington Wizards) | +350 |
| Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks) | +450 |
| Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs) | +700 |
| Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies) | +1100 |
| Tidjane Salaun (Charlotte Hornets) | +1200 |
| Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets) | +1200 |
| Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers) | +1200 |
| Dalton Knecht (Los Angeles Lakers) | +1200 |
| Cody Williams (Utah Jazz) | +1400 |
| Ron Holland (Detroit Pistons) | +1500 |
| Rob Dillingham (Memphis Grizzlies) | +1800 |
| Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls) | +2000 |
| Devin Carter (Sacramento Kings) | +3000 |
| Jared McCain (Philadelphia 76ers) | +4000 |
McCain’s former Duke teammate, Kyle Filipowski, sits an even larger long shot at +7500 after getting drafted by the Utah Jazz in the second round.
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Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire