Bronny James Faces Unrealistic Expectations from Bettors

Despite being a late second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, this has been the summer of Bronny James. No rookie has received the attention and scrutiny the 55th-overall pick has faced so far and it looks like that is only going to increase over time. In fact, Bronny James will enter his rookie year with increasingly unrealistic expectations put on him.

According to the latest sports betting data, Bronny James received more bets to win the Rookie of the Year award than any other player. David Purdum of ESPN reported that Bronny to win the ROY is one of the most popular bets on multiple sportsbooks. On DraftKings Sportsbook, only Zach Edey has more bets placed on him for the award than Bronny.

"More bets have been placed on Bronny James to win Rookie of the Year (ROY) than any other player at multiple sportsbooks. James has attracted nearly one in four of the bets placed on the ROY market at ESPN BET. BetMGM reported taking a $1,000 ROY bet on James at 250-1 on July 6, from a bettor in Ontario. "

- David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer

This is completely unprecedented. Since the NBA draft system was completely revamped in 1966 to eliminate territorial picks, only one second-round player has won the award. Malcolm Brogdon, the 36th-overall pick, won the award in 2017 in a famously weak draft class. He was also 24 years old when he was a rookie.

Bronny James is not only a significantly later draft selection than Brogdon, but he is also 19 years old. 55th-overall picks rarely get minutes in the NBA as rookies, let alone challenge for the Rookie of the Year.

Plus, the Lakers hope to be a competitive team next season. They consider Bronny James as a developmental player who will likely spend time in the G League as a rookie. He is not going to have the studio space to explore as some rookies on bad teams will.

In the last ten seasons, every other ROY winner except for Brogdon has been a top-four draft pick. It is hard to see that trend turning around any time soon, regardless of how big of a sensation Bronny James is.

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