The Grizzlies may have missed out on the top two spots in May’s NBA Draft Lottery, but landing No. 3 still looks like it might pay off in a major way.
With Cameron Boozer now in Memphis, the Grizzlies think they may have their best rookie right away. The betting markets are backing that belief, too. Heading into the season, Boozer is sitting near the top of the NBA Rookie of the Year race, despite being drafted after AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
Depending on the sportsbook, Boozer is either the favorite or right behind one. DraftKings has him at +300, making him the Rookie of the Year favorite, according to NBC Sports. BetMGM lists Wilson at +300 and Caleb Wilson at +250.
That kind of respect makes sense when you look at the situation around him. Boozer steps into a Memphis team that is rebuilding and does not have a featured scorer ahead of him, which gives him a clear runway for immediate impact. Wilson is in a similar spot in Chicago.
Dybantsa and Peterson, by comparison, landed on teams that have more established talent and are at least trying to compete in some way this season.
For the Grizzlies, the strong Rookie of the Year buzz around Boozer is a reminder that No. 3 may have been a whole lot better than it looked on draft night.
The last Memphis player to win Rookie of the Year was Ja Morant, who joined Pau Gasol in the franchise’s award winners by taking it in 2019-20.
There’s a certain irony in the possibility that the Grizzlies’ next Rookie of the Year could come in the first season after Morant was traded. Boozer and the Morant deal marked the beginning of a new chapter for the franchise, and Memphis appears ready to give Boozer every chance to become the face of the organization.
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