Best Bets - Part 2: Player Props and Award Winners

In Part 1, published last week, I wrote about my eight favorite over/under win total wagers. Today I take a look at some individual player awards and some team longshots. 

🏀 Tari Eason to win Rookie of the Year (+4000)
There's a reason Eason is an extreme longshot to win the ROY award. According to The Action Network, 18 of the last 19 ROYs have averaged at least 15 points per game during their debut campaign. Furthermore, 60 of 62 ROYs were drafted inside the top 12 overall picks. Eason was the 17th selection in the 2022 draft. Nonetheless, he was a beast this preseason. Over the Rockets' first three preseason contests, he averaged 20.7 points while shooting over 64% from the floor, to go along with 10.0 boards, 1.3 made treys and 1.4 steals in 24.5 minutes. Kenyon Martin Jr. is the only frontcourt player on the Rockets roster who has logged more playing time. I expect his scoring average to come back down to earth (he averaged 13.0 PPG during his two seasons in college), but Eason could very well lead all rookies in rebounds and thefts. Most importantly, the Rockets are in complete rebuild mode and will likely give Eason all the minutes he can handle as they tank toward Victor Wembanyama. 

🏀 Bennedict Mathurin to win ROY (+500)
Mathurin, the sixth pick in the 2022 NBA draft, was getting 10-1 odds before his remarkably impressive preseason for the Pacers. In Indiana's four preseason contests, Benny averaged 19.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes. Yes, that's 79 points in 93 minutes. And this was despite the fact he wasn't knocking down his three-balls (he shot below 16% from behind the arc). Assuming the Pacers are near the bottom of the league and in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, Mathurin should get plenty of playing time and scoring opportunities over the second half of the season. As an added bonus, if Buddy Hield gets traded at the deadline, Mathurin's minutes would spike even higher.