NBA Draft Betting: Odds And Picks For Top Five Players Selected

• Anthony Edwards has the shortest odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
• The 2020 NBA Draft will be June 25 at the Barclays Center.
• LaMelo Ball has the shortest odds to be the third overall pick in the NBA Draft.

BROOKLYN — While the NBA regular season is still postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA’s Draft process is still ongoing as front offices have to get creative to find ways to scout and interview prospects.

The NCAA Tournament was also canceled which further complicates the draft process but the NBA Draft is scheduled to go on as planned with only the date possibly getting pushed back.

After a few weeks of college players making the decision to declare for the NBA Draft, online sportsbooks such as BetOnline have released odds on which players will be Top-5 picks in the upcoming draft.

2020 NBA Draft Betting Odds

Winner: James Wiseman (+150). There are three realistic options to be the first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft in LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards. These three players are clearly the best players in the draft class and Georgia Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards has the shortest odds to be the first pick.

However, if doubts start to creep in that the first pick won’t be Edwards, take the odds on Wiseman being the top pick at +150 odds. Despite Wiseman stepping away from the NCAA he’s still expected to be a lottery pick in the Draft and history shows that teams are willing to spend early picks on dynamic big men.

Winner: Anthony Edwards (+150). Edwards has the shortest odds to be the first or second pick in the upcoming draft. If he isn’t the top pick he’s too talented to slip out of the top three so anywhere among the top three odds is prime for Edwards to be taken off the board.

The second pick in the draft will depend on the needs of the team when the draft order is set. If it won’t be Edwards, LaMelo Ball is also an option for the No. 2 pick just like his older brother Lonzo Ball.

Winner: LaMelo Ball (+250). Ball probably took the most unconventional route to become a lock to be a lottery pick as he started playing professionally in Turkey at the age of 16.

If Wiseman and Edwards are off the board, Ball should be the next best player available and has the potential to be one of the best shooters in this draft class. Bettors should feel comfortable placing a bet on his +250 odds to be the third player off of draft boards.

Winner: Obi Toppin (+300). The Dayton Flyers were one of the most surprising teams this season as they ascended the rankings and finished the season as the No. 3 ranked team in the nation. Flyers forward Obi Toppin was a major reason Dayton had such a successful season.

Toppin’s odds are tied with LaMelo Ball to be the fourth player taken off the board but Toppin being drafted behind Ball is the most likely scenario given that NBA teams are so hungry for shooters nowadays. Take his +300 odds as one of the surest bets of the top five picks in the draft.

Winner: Cole Anthony (+400), The North Carolina Tar Heels had a down year and the only bright spot for the team was freshman guard Cole Anthony. Before being injured Anthony was among the top scorers in the nation and his game should translate into the NBA very well.

While Anthony does have the shortest odds to be the fifth overall pick, he is tied with three other players in Deni Avdija, Obi Toppin, and LaMelo Ball. However, Anthony is expected to be the last player drafted of the trio and his +400 odds of being the No. 5 pick are worth the dice roll.

The NBA Draft is currently scheduled to take place on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.