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Everything is ready for the 2023-24 NBA season and there is nobody more excited than the players who will make their debut in the league. This rookie generation looks like one of the best we have seen in the past decade and it will be very interesting to see which player will shine early on. All the lights would be on the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama, who is expected to become a real superstar in his rookie season.
Who is in for the 2023-24 NBA rookie of the year award?
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Victor Wembanyama is seen as a generational talent, and he was surrounded by so much hype that will bring a lot of pressure on him. The Spurs rookie is the top name of this rookie class, but it also features two of the last three EuroLeague MVP winners. As the season has not started yet, it is quite difficult to predict how the rookies will start the next chapter in their careers, but we still have the list of the top 5 players who, according to the NBA rookie of the year odds, are favorites to win this award.
Victor Wembanyama @ -160 at FanDuel
Wembanyama is seen as the new cornerstone of the Spurs organization even before he has played his first game in the NBA. The 7-foot-4 Frenchman will have everything he needs to have a successful season and win the rookie of the year award. He is undoubtedly the biggest talent in the draft class, but he will also have Gregg Popovich coaching him and will play major minutes from day one. It is clear that the expectations of Wembanyama are big, maybe even too big, but Popovich will know how to handle him well. Wembanyama played only two Summer League games in order to get his body ready for the NBA challenges. He will have a target on his back, but that will not stop him from putting up big numbers in his rookie season.
Scoot Henderson @ +400 at FanDuel
Henderson is probably the rookie who is the best prepared for the transition to the NBA. He spent the last season with the G League Ignite team and showed that his athleticism will make him stand out. The Blazers were lucky enough to land him third overall, and they cleaned up space for him with the Damian Lillard trade. Henderson will step into the starting point guard position and will have one of the best point guards in the last couple of decades, Chauncey Billups, coaching him. It is a fact that Henderson was overshadowed by Wembanyama, but he will probably have a much better start of the season which may out him in the driving seat for winning the rookie of the year award.
Chet Holmgren @ +700 at FanDuel
Holmgren was actually drafted as the second pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, but since he got injured in the offseason and did not play a single game, he is considered rookie this year. The 7-foot-1 center is joining the young Thunder team and he will have the right environment to get his body ready for the big league. Just like Wembanyama, Holmgren will need to put on some muscles before being ready to show his full potential playing the game. Unlike Wembanyama and Henderson, Holmgren will not have to carry the team on his back from day one, since the Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the leader of the team.
Brandon Miller @ +1600 at FanDuel
Many were skeptical with the Charlotte Hornets drafting Miller second overall but it seems like it is a perfect scenario for both the team and the player. The Hornets have a young team and with Michael Jordan stepping down for the ownership, they will not have huge expectations this year. Lamelo Ball is questionable for the start of the season, so Miller may have the ball in his hands. The Hornets cleaned up the small forward position by not bringing back Kelly Oubre Jr., and Miller will probably start the entire season. He is the purest scorer in this draft class and if he manages to put big numbers, he may go higher in this list as the season progresses.
Cam Whitmore @ +2500 at FanDuel
Whitmore was drafted 20th overall by the Houston Rockets and it is pretty uncommon to see him this high on the possible rookie of the year winners. Whitmore is coming after his freshman year at Villanova and will need to fight for minutes in Houston. Kevin Porter Jr. got into legal trouble this summer and will probably not be with the team at the start of the season, which may be good situation for Whitmore who will be able to shine. Still, it is quite unlikely for him to come even close to winning the award since he will not be among the top three scoring options on the Rockets team.
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