There is this desire in the world of sports talk to be a contrarian. Even when it comes to sports betting, you’ll find pundits out there spitting ridiculous claims in hopes of being correct. It’s one thing to wager on a longshot if you have a reason to believe the outcome is within the realm of possibility. That means you should not bet against the NBA Draft favorites going first, second and third this year.
To put it bluntly, there is no reason to think the draft order will be anything other than Jabari Smith going first, Chet Holmgren being taken second and Paolo Banchero selected third. This looks to be etched in stone with odds currently reflecting that.
That means you should have no inkling to bet against the NBA Draft favorites going first, second and third in 2022. In fact, the only argument for throwing money down on an upset is the cliché, anything can happen on draft night logic that is constantly regurgitated by some talking heads.
Sure, random occurrences, such as the Luka Dončić for Trae Young and a protected first round pick trade, can occur. There are far more years where the expected plays out at the very top of the draft, however. Especially when there is a clear consensus regarding the best available players.
Think about Zion Williamson and Ja Morant in 2019 or Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum in 2017. By the time draft night rolled around, everyone knew where they were going. And it played out that way.
At this moment, all signs point to the 2022 NBA draft opening with Smith, Holmgren and Banchero being selected in that order. The only ones saying anything different are just doing so for the sake of debate. None are offering concrete evidence to back up their claims. You don’t want to be betting on noise.
Look, there is always a chance something else occurs. But it doesn’t mean you should bet against the NBA Draft favorites going first, second and third this year. Either wager on the chalk or keep your powder dry. Because even if the unexpected happens, no one knows what that would look like.
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